QLD · Cairns Council
Brinsmead, 4870
Current weather
21.5°CMainly clear
80% humidity · 10.9 km/h wind · 25.9° / 19.8° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green space
- Regional town
- Shops
- Established
- Residential
Suburb profile
Brinsmead is a regional centre in Cairns that balances local services with a more relaxed pace of life. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. Tree-lined streets and leafy pockets give the suburb a noticeably green, settled character.
Families and commuters make up much of the community, with plenty of young families in the mix. The town centre holds its own, with enough local flavour to make staying close to home appealing. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment. 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 housing affordability and parks and green space. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 5,537
- Median age
- 39
- Median household income / week
- $2,190
- Dwelling vacancy
- 4.6%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 92 of 1,990
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Employment rate
- 69.5%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 137 / 0 / 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)
- $735
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)
- 723
- Against the person
- 186
- Against property
- 337
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 130.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 30 residents
- State safety percentile
- 93.9th (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
- 1,041
- Freshwater Christian CollegeCombined
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
- Loridan Drive at Adam DriveBus stop
- Loridan Drive at Wills StreetBus stop
- Loridan Drive near Windsor CloseBus stop
- Pacific Toyota Service Centre BrinsmeadCar repair
101 Brinsmead Road
- The Salvation ArmyCharity
- Dog park
- Pizza CapersFast food
Unit 2 101 Brinsmead Road
- Loridan Drive ReservePark
- Parking (2)
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
- Brinsmead Park ReservePark
- Chapel Close ParkPark
- Chesterfield Close ParkPark
- Glenoma ParkPark
- Goomboora ParkPark
- Loridan Drive ReservePark
- Matheson Drive ParkPark
- Ryan ParkPark
- Samuel Christensen ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 8/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 8/10
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)
- 18
- Parks (OSM)
- 9
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
- 50.2/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 27% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 1739th in Australia
- State rank
- 398th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #93 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #128 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
- Assaultcrime1152
- Drug Offencescrime1431
- Good Order Offencescrime1187
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime2349
- Unlawful Entrycrime891
- Brinsmead Park Reservegovernmentpark
- Chapel Close Parkgovernmentpark
- Chesterfield Close Parkgovernmentpark
- Glenoma Parkgovernmentpark
- Goomboora Parkgovernmentpark
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
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.