QLD · Cairns Council
Machans Beach, 4878
Current weather
20.9°CMainly clear
80% humidity · 10.9 km/h wind · 25.3° / 19.3° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Coastal
- Green suburb
- National parks
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Life in Machans Beach revolves around the coast, with the feel of a smaller community that never strays far from the water. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. Salt air and open horizons give the suburb a relaxed, outdoor feel year-round.
The area suits established families and long-term locals, with a strong presence of young families throughout. The town centre holds its own, with enough local flavour to make staying close to home appealing. Green space is a real strength, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb.
Property is in demand, reflecting the appeal of living in a place people actively choose. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and schools and education lag similar coastal suburbs, despite relative strength in parks and green space and safety. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 943
- Median age
- 47
- Median household income / week
- $1,610
- Dwelling vacancy
- 12.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 53 of 428
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,600
- Employment rate
- 58.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 36 / 29 / 0
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)
- $575
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)
- 40
- Against the person
- 6
- Against property
- 24
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 42.4
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 157 residents
- State safety percentile
- 55.9th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -6.1%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault59
- Drug Offences63
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)156
- Traffic And Related Offences67
- Unlawful Entry108
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
- 944
- Machans Beach 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
20 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bbq
- Machans Beach Access RoadBus stop
- Machans Beach State SchoolBus stop
- Prior Street at Phillips StreetBus stop
- Drinking water (3)
- Parking
- Machans Beach Store & PostPetrol station
- Playground
- Australia Post Red BoxPost Box
- Australia PostPost office
27 Machans Street
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
4 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Barr Creek Fish Habitat AreaNature reserve
- Keith Edwick ParkPark
- Machans Beach Sporting FacilityPark
- Tea Tree 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
- WOMB Women of Mothers Bondalternative
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)
- 5/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 3/10
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)
- 15
- Parks (OSM)
- 7
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
- 41.5/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 49% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 3220th in Australia
- State rank
- 740th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #34 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #81 among Coastal & beach 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
- Australia Postamenities27 Machans Streetpost_office
- Australia Post Red Boxamenitiespost_box
- Bbqamenitiesbbq
- Drinking wateramenitiesdrinking_water
- Drinking wateramenitiesdrinking_water
- Drinking wateramenitiesdrinking_water
- Machans Beach Access Roadamenitiesbus_stop
- Machans Beach State Schoolamenitiesbus_stop
- Machans Beach Store & Postamenitiesfuel
- Parkingamenitiesparking
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.