Median house price
—
No data available
QLD · Cairns Council
Cairns North, 4870
Est. population · Jun 2025
5,953
Growth (1 yr)
+1.0%
Growth (5 yr)
+4.8%
Median age
37
Median income
$1,402/wk
Employment rate
55.2%
Languages at home
28.2%non-English
Most common: Punjabi, Mandarin, Australian Indigenous languages
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
- Education hub
- Café precinct
- Heritage area
Suburb profile
Cairns North sits in Cairns Council as a regional mid-sized suburb that feels self-contained and a long way from big-city bustle. Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with plenty of young families in the mix. Overseas-born and multilingual households are a noticeable part of the local population.
Sport and recreation are easy to access, with local venues supporting active weekends and after-work routines. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls. Everyday errands are walkable, and buses keep the wider city within easy reach.
Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
Desirability lands around average here: softer community and employment weighing on the result versus similar regional towns, even with schools and education holding up better.
At a glance
Cairns North snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$550/wk
Population (ERP)
5,953
+1.0% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
22.1%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Livability profile
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#50
among Country & regional · Established
Safety
94th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
43rd
percentile in QLD
Advantage (IRSAD)
4/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
56th
percentile among schools with ICSEA
Population growth
Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years
Housing mix
Dwelling types from the 2021 Census
Risks & flags
Quick scan — open a section below for full context
Living here
Desirability
Ranks & confidence
- Desirability score
- 52.0/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 28% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 1904th in Australia
- State rank
- 426th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #50 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #126 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 77%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
- All types (Mar 2026)
- $550
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) · Mar 2026 · Updated · Quarterly releases
Population
Estimated resident population
5,953(June 2025)
+1.0% annual · +4.8% over 5 years · 43th percentile in QLD
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +1.0%
- 5-year growth
- +4.8%
- Change in 1 year
- +58
- Change in 5 years
- +273
- Growth rank in QLD
- 43th percentile
ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.
Methodology
Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.
The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~6,500), extrapolated at +1.8% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 5,334
- Median age
- 37
- Median household income / week
- $1,402
- Dwelling vacancy
- 22.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 584 of 2,644
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Employment rate
- 55.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 292 / 90 / 1,639 (+ 11 other)
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 · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
- Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Aug 2026)
- 869
- Against the person
- 226
- Against property
- 396
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 146
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 24 residents
- State safety percentile
- 94.3th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +0.5%
Most common offence types
- Assault1421
- Drug Offences1831
- Good Order Offences1465
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)2862
- Unlawful Entry1021
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Aug 2026; Jan 2026 to Aug 2026 · Updated · Calendar-year aggregates
Family & Lifestyle
Schools & preschools
- Schools within 2 km
- 5
- Median school ICSEA (5 schools)
- 1,019
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 56th
School list
- Mother of Good Counsel SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1091 · 82th percentile · LBOTE 13% · 354 students · Top SEA quarter 37% · 0.7 km awayView on My School →
- Cairns State High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1019 · 56th percentile · LBOTE 42% · 1,636 students · Top SEA quarter 21% · 1.5 km awayView on My School →
- The BUSY SchoolSecondary · Independent · ICSEA 975 · 36th percentile · LBOTE 0% · 1,780 students · Top SEA quarter 11% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
- St Monica's CollegeSecondary · Catholic · ICSEA 1058 · 71th percentile · LBOTE 13% · 697 students · Top SEA quarter 29% · 1.9 km awayView on My School →
- Edge Hill State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1016 · 54th percentile · LBOTE 43% · 864 students · Top SEA quarter 23% · 2.0 km awayView on My School →
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 · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
Childcare
1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap
- Goodstart Early Learning Cairnskindergarten
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated
Amenities
352 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
7 restaurants · 7 cafes · 1 pubs · 1 bars · 3 supermarkets · 1 pharmacies · 4 fast food · 1 places of worship
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Highly walkable for everyday errands
- Good local dining options — 20 food & drink venues nearby
- Great for outdoor family life — 10 parks mapped in suburb, 3 playgrounds nearby
- Reasonable bus and transport access — 13 public transport stops
- Strong local sport and recreation — 57 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
- Walkability proxy
- 90/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 1.31
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 3.75
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 1.87
Food & drink(20)
- Serpent BarBar
339 Lake Street
- D CafeCafe
- GuyalaCafe
- Mykie's Cafe on LilyCafe
- Odett's CafeCafe
- Seabreeze CafeCafe
- Smith CaféCafe
- The HutCafe
- Ali Baba's KebabsFast food
- Captian Cook's DinerFast food
- Hungry Jack'sFast food
- SubwayFast food
- Cock & BullPub
- BayleafRestaurant
- Chop & Chop RestaurantRestaurant
- FlorianaRestaurant
- Pedro's PizzaRestaurant
- Pizza HutRestaurant
- Sushi TrainRestaurant
- Tropical Dream CafeRestaurant
Shopping(6)
- Convenience store
- NightOwlConvenience store
- Friendly GrocerSupermarket
- The Healthy HubSupermarket
- X-press SupermarketSupermarket
Community(4)
- Goodstart Early Learning CairnsKindergarten
- Cairns State High SchoolSchool
- Mother of Good Counsel SchoolSchool
- School
Health & services(12)
- Cairns Hand ClinicClinic
Rutherford Street, Cairns North
- Ellipse Skin Cancer Clinic CairnsClinic
207 Lake Street
- Icon Cancer CentreClinic
203-205 Lake Street, Cairns North
- QML PathologyClinic
McLeod Street, Cairns North
- Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology CairnsClinic
Sheridan Street
- Totally Smiles Dental GroupDentist
- Cairns HospitalHospital
165 The Esplanade, Cairns North
- Cairns North Community Health FacilityHospital
381 Sheridan Street, Cairns North
- Cairns GP Medical CentreMedical clinic
377 Sheridan Street
- Dr. Marcia MickleburghMedical clinic
- FNQ Hand SurgeryMedical clinic
Rutherford Street, Cairns North
- TerryWhite ChemmartPharmacy
Sport & outdoors(65)
- Think FitnessGym
- Apex ParkPark
- John Egan ParkPark
- Les Davie ParkPark
- Mandrusia ParkPark
- Park (3)
- Peace ParkPark
- Playground (3)
- Esplanade Beach Volleyball CourtSports field
- Esplanade Skate PlazaSports field
- McKenzie Street Multi Use CourtSports field
- Sports field
- Swimming pool (47)
- Tobruk FlowriderSwimming pool
- Tobruk Memorial PoolSwimming pool
370 Sheridan Street, Cairns North
Entertainment(1)
- Viewpoint
Transport(13)
13 bus stops
Other(77)
- LiquorlandAlcohol
- 201 Lake StreetApartment
201 Lake Street
- Apartment
- Coral Towers Holiday ApartmentsApartment
249-255 Esplanade
- Edge ApartmentsApartment
- Bbq (2)
- Esplanade BBQ - EgretBbq
- Bench (26)
- Bicycle Parking (3)
- Bleachers
- Bus Station (3)
- Apollo Camper VansCar Rental
- BargainCar Rental
- BritzCar Rental
419 Sheridan Street
- Campervan Australian AUCar Rental
440 Sheridan Street
- Cruisin' MotorhomesCar Rental
399 Sheridan Street
- Cruising Car RentalCar Rental
- East Coast Car Rentals ; sixtCar Rental
- Spaceships Rentals CairnsCar Rental
397 Sheridan Street
- Red cross Blood serviceCentre
- Drinking water (5)
- Fitness Station
- Garden
- Ocean Breeze Holiday ApartmentsGuest House
- North Cairns Barber ShopHairdresser
- Summer HouseHostel
341 Lake Street
- 181 The EsplanadeHotel
- Acacia Court HotelHotel
223-227 Esplanade, Cairns North
- Bay Village Tropical RetreatHotel
Lake Street
- Bohemian Resort CairnsHotel
231 McLeod Street
- Cairns Harbourside HotelHotel
209-217 Esplanade
- Cairns Holiday LodgeHotel
- Cairns Ocean ViewsHotel
221 Lake Street, Cairns North
- Cairns Queens Court AccommodationHotel
- Cairns Queenslander Hotel and ApartmentsHotel
- Cairns Sheridan HotelHotel
- Central Plaza Apartment HotelHotel
- Dunwoody's TavernHotel
Sheridan Street
- Floriana VillasHotel
- GrosvenorHotel
- Northshore TowerHotel
- QCWA Holiday UnitsHotel
- Reef Gateway ApartmentsHotel
- Royal PavillionHotel
- Rydges Esplanade ResortHotel
209-217 Abbott Street
- The BalineseHotel
- Tropical QueenslanderHotel
- Tropicana Boutique HotelHotel
- Information
- Cairns City PalmsMotel
199-205 Sheridan Street
- Koala Court Holiday ApartmentsMotel
- Motel Aspect CentralMotel
- Reef Palms Motel ApartmentsMotel
41-47 Digger Street
- The Reef MotelMotel
- Harley DavidsonMotorcycle
- Parking (63)
- Parking Entrance (2)
- Parking Space (47)
- 7-ElevenPetrol station
- Coles ExpressPetrol station
Sheridan Street
- MobilPetrol station
- UnitedPetrol station
- Picnic Table (3)
- Cairns MosquePlace of worship
- Post Box
- Australia postPost office
- Public toilets
- Recycling
- Spinal Life Healthy Living CentreRehabilitation
2-4 Smith Street
- Seafood MarketSeafood
- Shelter (6)
- National Care SocietySocial Facility
- TelstraTelephone
- Vending machine
- Waste Basket (3)
- Red Cross Wellbeing FacilityYes
- Yes (4)
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Parks & reserves
7 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Apex ParkPark
- John Egan ParkPark
- Les Davie ParkPark
- Mandrusia ParkPark
- Peace ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 10
- Parks (OSM)
- 10
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 — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Places of worship
1 places of worship within ~1.5 km
- Cairns Mosque
From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
- 20
- Nearest hospital
- Cairns North Community Health Facility (0.6 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
- Emergency department in suburb
- On site
- Cairns GP Medical CentreSheridan StreetDoctor
- Cairns Hand ClinicRutherford StreetClinic
- Cairns HospitalThe EsplanadeHospital
- Cairns North Community Health FacilitySheridan StreetHospital
- Dr. Marcia MickleburghDoctor
- Ellipse Skin Cancer Clinic CairnsLake StreetClinic
- FNQ Hand SurgeryRutherford StreetDoctor
- Icon Cancer CentreLake StreetClinic
- QML PathologyMcLeod StreetClinic
- Red Cross Wellbeing FacilityYes
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 126
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 21.2
Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.
For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.
Data sources & freshness
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
Weather
Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.
Summer (Dec–Feb)
- Usual max / min
- 31° / 25°
- Rainfall
- 1,038 mm · ~90 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 29° / 24°
- Rainfall
- 925 mm · ~92 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 25° / 20°
- Rainfall
- 164 mm · ~20 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 28° / 22°
- Rainfall
- 188 mm · ~24 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
- Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated
Future & Planning
Roadworks & transport
1 active roadworks / incidents
- Between Arthur st and Moffat StCaptain Cook Highway (Sheridan Street)28 Jul 2026 – 28 Aug 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated
Heritage
4 heritage places
- Cairns Technical College and High School BuildingState heritage place
- FlorianaState heritage place
- Herries Private HospitalState heritage place
- McLeod Street Pioneer CemeteryState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated
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 · current · Updated
Politics & representation
- Federal electorate
- Leichhardt
- Member of Parliament
- Matt SMITH (Australian Labor Party)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 122,757
- Turnout (2025)
- 83.0%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +9.5 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 43.9%Labor 56.1%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 4.3 km away).
Coalition 34.9%Labor 65.1%
9.1 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +11.9 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- Cairns CityLabor 66.0% · Coalition 34.0% TPP (2025)1.6 km away
- Edge HillLabor 64.3% · Coalition 35.7% TPP (2025)1.8 km away
- ManundaLabor 68.0% · Coalition 32.0% TPP (2025)2.1 km away
- Parramatta ParkLabor 65.2% · Coalition 34.8% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
- Cairns WestLabor 67.2% · Coalition 32.9% TPP (2025)2.7 km away
Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.
Data sources & freshness
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 4/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).
What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?
IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.
IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.
A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
Compare with
Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.
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.