QLD · Cairns Council
Mooroobool, 4870
Current weather
19.9°CClear sky
89% humidity · 5.6 km/h wind · 25.6° / 18.1° today · 0.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- National parks
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Mooroobool offers a slower mid-sized suburb life in Cairns, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. 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.
Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with family life visible on every street. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls.
Homes are relatively affordable, which helps families and first-time residents put down roots. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and schools and education against similar regional towns, even with parks and green space and housing affordability holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 7,136
- Median age
- 41
- Median household income / week
- $1,495
- Dwelling vacancy
- 8.2%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 229 of 2,789
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Employment rate
- 56%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 203 / 406 / 179
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)
- $595
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)
- 932
- Against the person
- 240
- Against property
- 435
- 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
- 797
- Balaclava 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
16 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bench
- Grevillea St near Pepperina St hail 'n' rideBus stop
- Irene St at Beatrice StBus stop
- McGregor St at Irene StBus stop
- Mestrez St near Long St hail 'n' rideBus stop
- Swallow St at Cochrane StreetBus stop
- Swallow St at Moody StreetBus stop
- Long Street ParkPark
- Playground (4)
- Sports field
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
16 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Caesar ParkPark
- Chataway Street ParkPark
- Craig Street ParkPark
- Hayward Street ParkPark
- Irene Street DogParkPark
- Irene Street Flood Plain AreaPark
- Leoni ParkPark
- Long Street ParkPark
- Mestrez Street ParkPark
- Mosch Place ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · 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
Childcare
1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap
- Goodstart Early Learningkindergarten
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · 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)
- 30
- Parks (OSM)
- 24
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
- 40.4/100 — Average
- National rank
- 3421st in Australia
- State rank
- 784th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #251 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #376 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 73%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Grevillea St near Pepperina St hail 'n' rideamenitiesbus_stop
- Irene St at Beatrice Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Long Street Parkamenitiespark
- McGregor St at Irene Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Mestrez St near Long St hail 'n' rideamenitiesbus_stop
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
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.