QLD · Cairns Council
Earlville, 4870
Current weather
20°CClear sky
89% humidity · 5.6 km/h wind · 25.7° / 18.1° today · 0.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Dog friendly
- National parks
- High desirability
Suburb profile
As a regional hub in Cairns, Earlville combines local convenience with the appeal of a mid-sized suburb that feels genuinely its own. Out in the wider region, it rewards those who value open country and a pace set by the land, not the clock. Generous greenery runs through the area, from street trees to tucked-away reserves.
Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Local shops, markets and community spots keep everyday life grounded in the town itself. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits around average overall, mainly because community and employment and local dining and lifestyle amenities lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in parks and green space and housing affordability.
Population
- Population
- 4,200
- Median age
- 44
- Median household income / week
- $1,166
- Dwelling vacancy
- 6.9%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 129 of 1,872
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,500
- Employment rate
- 50.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 157 / 378 / 289
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Housing
- All types (Mar 2026)
- $537
Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- RTA bond statistics — Residential Tenancies Authority (Queensland) · Period: Mar 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 549
- Against the person
- 141
- Against property
- 256
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 130.7
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 30 residents
- State safety percentile
- 94.2th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +1.3%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault1152
- Drug Offences1431
- Good Order Offences1187
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)2349
- Unlawful Entry891
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 1,025
- Our Lady Help of Christians SchoolPrimary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Amenities
42 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Commonwealth BankATM
- ANZBank
- BOQBank
- Queensland Country BankBank
- Bench
- Cairns Bicycle WorksBicycle
504 Mulgrave Road
- Balaclava Rd at Downing StBus stop
- Bruce Hwy near Toogood Rd hail 'n' rideBus stop
- Mulgrave Rd at Kelly StreetBus stop
- Mulgrave Rd at Marsh StreetBus stop
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
10 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Barnes Street ParkPark
- Chinaman Creek ParkPark
- Enclave ParkPark
- Granadilla Drive ParkPark
- Henleys Hill ParkPark
- Hoad Street ParkPark
- Lions ParkPark
- Lissner Crescent ParkPark
- Vandeleur ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 1
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- North Qld X-raydoctor
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 24
- Parks (OSM)
- 12
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 52.6/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 25% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 1639th in Australia
- State rank
- 371st in QLD
- Peer rank
- #81 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #112 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 71%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- ANZamenitiesbank
- Australia Postamenitiespost_box
- BOQamenitiesbank
- Balaclava Rd at Downing Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Big Wamenities537 Mulgrave Roaddepartment_store
- Bruce Hwy near Toogood Rd hail 'n' rideamenitiesbus_stop
- Cairns Bicycle Worksamenities504 Mulgrave Roadbicycle
- Colesamenities537 Mulgrave Roadsupermarket
- Commonwealth Bankamenitiesatm
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Cairns Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.