QLD · Cairns Council
Edge Hill, 4870
Current weather
21.5°CMainly clear
80% humidity · 10.9 km/h wind · 25.9° / 19.9° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Cycling
- National parks
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Edge Hill is a regional centre in Cairns that balances local services with a more relaxed pace of life. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with family life visible on every street. Neighbourhood food and coffee spots add warmth to the local routine. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
The market sits in a sensible middle ground: not cheap, but fair value for the area. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits around average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and safety lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in parks and green space and community and employment.
Population
- Population
- 4,088
- Median age
- 42
- Median household income / week
- $1,674
- Dwelling vacancy
- 9.3%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 166 of 1,793
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,618
- Employment rate
- 63.1%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 115 / 102 / 385
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)
- $520
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)
- 534
- Against the person
- 137
- Against property
- 249
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 130.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 30 residents
- State safety percentile
- 94th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +1.2%
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
- 1,016
- Edge Hill State 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
94 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- LiquorlandAlcohol
- Star LiquorAlcohol
- Brumby's BakeriesBakery
- BOQBank
- Bench (22)
- Bicycle Parking (4)
- Cairns Botanic GardensBus stop
- Greenslopes Street at Centenary LakesBus stop
- Greenslopes Street at McCormack StreetBus stop
- Greenslopes Street near Crathern CloseBus 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
9 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Cairns Chinese Frendship GardenPark
- Crathern Close ParkPark
- Jess Mitchell ParkPark
- Jim Gould ParkPark
- Mrs Morros ParkPark
- Purbeck Place ParkPark
- Russell ParkPark
- Russell Street ParkPark
- Vessey ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 7/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 6/10
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
Heritage
2 state heritage places
- Flecker Botanical GardensState heritage place
- WWII RAN Fuel InstallationState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
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)
- 21
- Parks (OSM)
- 15
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
- 52.3/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 25% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 1670th in Australia
- State rank
- 379th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #86 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #119 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 66%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Aboriginal Plant Use Gardenamenitiesgarden
- BOQamenitiesbank
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
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.