Wednesday 3 March 2010

Where to live or not to live in Cairns, that is the question

Just like the enthusiastic response about good and bad service from the region's eateries, I'm sure this will fire you up.
Tony Lam is relocating to Cairns in September, and has asked through the readers of CairnsBlog, where he should live.
"I move to Cairns in six months time and would appreciate some feedback on which suburb to live and which one to avoid," Tony says.
To this end, I thought I'd seek the moral, spiritual and uncanny honesty from my readers.
If you've been a local here for a while, more than say 5 years, then you've probably heard the stories about the "M" suburbs to avoid, a theory much debunked now, or is it?
South into the old sugar canefields development, on on the northern beaches? Where's your favourite pick? Now that we're in the dept of a property buying glut, where are the bargains and the places to avoid?
An apartment in Woree, or your own chunk of dirt? A rainforest retreat in Kuranda or a beachside bach at Machans? Where would you recommend to a newbie to live?

25 comments:

stinhambo said...

You have a great choice of hugely inflated energy inefficient concrete blocks built in low density, car dependent ghetto suburbs all across Cairns.

I'd live in Gordonvale.

CBD Warrior said...

Why the world someone would move to a coastal community, and then live in some inland 'burb like Edmonton, Gordonvale, or other locations nowhere near the sea, is a mystery to me.

Edmonton is little different than Ipswich.

Your Name said...

Buy within the 6klm radius of the CBD and watch your investment grow.Buy in the outer suburbs and watch prices go nowhere.

Frank said...

The city, most of inner Cairns, and the beaches of the Barron delta are on a flood plain and, given what we know now, should never have been established. Parts of the inner suburbs of Edge Hill, Stratford and Freshwater are elevated but overpriced. Suburbs south of Earlville may not flood, but are car dependent and will become increasingly so if the proposed ten-lane motorway is built. So, take your pick!

Oliver (the hermit) Redlynch said...

Oh, this one should run and run.

If you want a nice relatively affordable property in a beach resort not too far from town - try Yorkeys Knob (so long as you don't mind aircraft noise, being cut off once or twice a year and potentially underwater in the next 20-30 years).

If you want hillside properties, older style still with a bit of space around them, with access to most civilised ammenities, and are pretentious and have money to burn, then try Whitfield or Edge Hill.

If you want access to television, internet, reliable phone service and a bus, or anything else from the 20th nay 21st century - DO NOT BUY IN REDLYNCH VALLEY.

Cairns Resident said...

From Yorkeys Knob north. Southside is gross.

And yeah, avoid M's and W's - with the exception of Whitfield.

Out Redlynch etc is good too.

Southside is still gross.

And I'm not going to bother reading this again, so don't bitch at me, cause it's a waste of time.

Morning poster said...

I just moved from Gordonvale to Redlynch and I have to say, the improvement was monumental. Gordonvale is going to the pack IMO.

Sammy Jaye said...

Why on earth would anyone buy (or live in) an apartment from Hedley - GlenCorp etc...??? They ALWAYS cram way too many into a block of land.

I'm sure there's other mad developers that do the same.

These are now just in some particular suburbs.......but right across Cairns. Horrible and this new Council are still approving this.

PALM cove is next on their list!!!

Living next door to Alan said...

I'm a high-rise Lake Street apartment dweller... not that far from Blakies balcony actually................. in fact we can both hear him in the evening....and can see him coming and coming (usually in his car) even when he's going down the the Esplanade for a meal....lazy bugga.

The pleasure of living in the city is that you don't need a car to move around the CBD

Unknown said...

I am writing this from 1985. There's a new development on the inland side of Clifton Beach that looks promising. It used to be a cane field, but the bastard developer stripped the topsoil so you're gonna spend years gardening. I hear there's a plan to extend Smithfield Shopping Centre and build a JCU campus just north of it, but I'll believe that when I see it. Other than that, I hear some RE agent just bought up a heap of empty land just West of the House on the Hill and is going to sell land so you can build houses 30cm apart from each other. They're going to call it City View or some shit.

Tony's cousin and future wife said...

Tony Laing is jealous as he obviously lives in the past ... and can't afford to live in City View.
On your budget Tony, try Babinda, bogans like you will fit in just fine.

Light on the Hill said...

Mike forgot to include the new suburbia of East Trinity, yes East Trinity!
With Bligh on the nose, the LNP will reign for at least 10 years in Queensland. Add the possible loss of the 5 State Labor seats in and around Cairns and Entsch about to win back Leichhardt, there will be a Motorway built from Wrights Creek, south of Edmonton to the Southern Access Road - Ray Jones Drive. This will open up East Trinity for residential development.
The existing Bruce Highway will not be upgraded to the extent that is proposed by the Bligh Government. Nor will there be any major dislocation of household residents in Edmonton, White Rock or Woree.
The Greens will froth up at the mouth with the talk of East Trinity but will be to no avail. Their preferences will not stem the tsunami of primary votes to the LNP. After all it is fringe sugar cane land and useless for anything else agriculturally, therefore prime land for development.
The Inlet will be via ducted with a bridge, as should have happened 15 years ago. Minor short term disruption to the wetlands at the time of construction will occur but is a small price to pay in the light of the major trauma to human habitation that would arise if home resumptions were to occur along the route of the Bruce Highway.

mick said...

Clifton Beach, hands down. If you can avoid the ugly ghettos, the place actually opens up into quite a nice bit of paradise. It's quiet, has a very low crime rate and few bogans. Great place to raise a family or for singles to relax.

Diogenes said...

Let me take you further and higher in your orgasmic outburst Light on the Hill. The heavens will open and manna will pour forth in the shape of limitless piles of cash. The LNP, the most wonderful of the wise will have Cairns at the top of their economic priority list unlike the nasty evil Labor Party. And all these things shall come to pass as we walk hand in hand into the bright warm light of right wing society with Workchoices under our arms guided -as we should- by those who know were born to rule. Oops Damn!

stinhambo said...

I'm considering buying land in Mareeba or Malanda and building my own Queenslander before the council makes them illegal.

Cairns is a bloody mess ruled by cars and roads and suburban ghettos.

Al said...

Make sure the issue of 'sandflies' is factored into your descision of where to buy/live. Holloways (parts thereof): Unbearable!

nocturnal congress said...

Yer, and not forgetting the ubiquitous dengue mosquito....

Russ of Trinity said...

We lived at Mooroobool for years and loved it. Great neighbours, handy to Stockland and never had any crime committed against us. This adage of "avoid the M suburbs" might just see you missing out on a great place to live. My suggestion is to have a look at the neighbourhood in the vicinity of the property that interests you and have a chat to a few of the locals. Every suburb has it's shabby bits - just the same as every suburb has some little pearls. Seek them out!

Neckdog said...

You're not a local until you have a relative buried in the local cemetery

R Hall said...

North of the city but back from the beach on higher ground. Canopy's edge at Smithfield is at the foot of the ranges close to beaches, city and shops. Forget the south - although I would prefer if people didnt move into my heavenly patch to the north

Jude Johnston said...

Beware buying next to open spaces, camping grounds or caravan parks (are there any left) or vacant blocks or you will soon understand what a MCU is. As for doing due dilligence and researching the Cairns Plan before purchasing, ROTFLMAO.

Nick said...

Edge Hill - if you want to be fancy.
Bungalow/Westcourt - some surprisingly cute streets near the city.
Clifton Beach/Palm Cove - too far from the city.
Machans/Holloways/Yorkeys - flood!
Anything south of Woree - seriously bogan.
The M subs - don't go there.

Paul said...

Westcourt is full of sociable people in and out of each others houses all day and night....with each others property.

Alison Alloway said...

Heeeeeey, I live in Westcourt! Five minute drive to the CBD, short walk to supermarket, doctors, dentists, gym, bowls club, accountants, Church. Some unsavoury types of people in the area, true, but not in every street. Talk to the residents first before buying.

Unknown said...

Want to see what Cairns used to be like ? Go and have a look in the back streets of Earlville. Quiet wide streets lined with row after row of beautifully maintained Queenslanders. The whole place breathes an atmosphere from a different era, when people did not need fences or air conditioning.