QLD · Cairns Council
Portsmith, 4870
Current weather
20.7°CClear sky
85% humidity · 8.1 km/h wind · 25.6° / 17.9° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Portsmith offers a slower smaller community life in Cairns, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
Families and commuters make up much of the community, with family life visible on every street. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play.
The area offers approachable housing costs alongside a lifestyle that still feels complete. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and community and employment lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in housing affordability. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 314
- Median age
- 35
- Median household income / week
- $749
- Dwelling vacancy
- 6.2%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 3 of 48
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,760
- Employment rate
- 21%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 6 / 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.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 41
- Against the person
- 11
- Against property
- 19
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 130.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 29 residents
- State safety percentile
- 94.1th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +1%
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
Amenities
3 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Cairns Cruising Yacht SquadronLicensed Club
42-48 Tingira Street
- Slipway (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
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 1/10
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)
- 6
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
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
- 35.5/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4303rd in Australia
- State rank
- 994th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #330 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #539 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 58%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Cairns Cruising Yacht Squadronamenities42-48 Tingira Streetlicensed_club
- Slipwayamenitiesslipway
- Slipwayamenitiesslipway
- Assaultcrime1152
- Drug Offencescrime1431
- Good Order Offencescrime1187
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime2349
- Unlawful Entrycrime891
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
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.