QLD · Cairns Council
Mount Sheridan, 4868
Current weather
19.7°CClear sky
89% humidity · 5.6 km/h wind · 25.4° / 17.8° today · 0.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Dog friendly
- National parks
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Set among the hills of Cairns, Mount Sheridan is a established suburb with bushland views and a cooler, leafier feel. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. Ridge-top pockets and tree cover give the area a cooler, greener hillside feel.
Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with family life visible on every street. Local shops, markets and community spots keep everyday life grounded in the town itself. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls.
Homes here are sought-after, with many people drawn to the lifestyle the area offers. 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 housing affordability.
Population
- Population
- 8,678
- Median age
- 37
- Median household income / week
- $1,826
- Dwelling vacancy
- 4.3%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 137 of 3,182
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,542
- Employment rate
- 66.3%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 217 / 5 / 36
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)
- $670
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)
- 478
- Against the person
- 96
- Against property
- 260
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 55.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 90 residents
- State safety percentile
- 71.5th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +6.5%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault153
- Drug Offences124
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)204
- Traffic And Related Offences149
- Unlawful Entry277
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
Roadworks & transport
1 active roadworks / incidents
- Foster roadBruce Highway, n/a25 Jun 2026 – 03 Sep 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported
Amenities
42 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- BWS Mt SheridanAlcohol
Unit 34
- Liquorland Mt SheridanAlcohol
Unit 22
- Bench (2)
- Scotia CloseBus stop
- Kaisercraft Mount SheridanCraft
- KmartDepartment Store
106 Barnard Drive
- Trafalgar Road Dog ParkDog park
- Tesla SuperchargerEV charging
- Mt Sheridan NewspowerNewsagent
Unit 33
- Parking
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
21 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Banagidirri ParkPark
- Barnard Drive ParkPark
- Booyong Drive ParkPark
- Canon Creek ParkPark
- Crowleys ParkPark
- Fife Close ParkPark
- Fig ParkPark
- Forest Gardens Recreation OvalPark
- Homestead ParkPark
- Idalia Road 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
- Alive Pharmacy Warehouse Mt Sheridanpharmacy
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)
- 5/10
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)
- 43
- Parks (OSM)
- 30
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
- 56.8/100 — Good
- State standing
- Top 17% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 1178th in Australia
- State rank
- 252nd in QLD
- Peer rank
- #42 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #56 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 62%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Alive Pharmacy Warehouse Mt Sheridanamenitiespharmacy
- BWS Mt SheridanamenitiesUnit 34alcohol
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Kaisercraft Mount Sheridanamenitiescraft
- Kmartamenities106 Barnard Drivedepartment_store
- Liquorland Mt SheridanamenitiesUnit 22alcohol
- Mount Sheridan LPOamenitiesUnit 2post_office
- Mt Sheridan NewspoweramenitiesUnit 33newsagent
- 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.