Top 10 trendiest suburbs in the Far North
Real estate insiders weigh in on the trendiest suburbs in the Far North based on demand, aesthetics and liveability. Here is the list of the top 10 best places to live.
Cairns
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FROM Cairns and Gordonvale to Kewarra Beach and Yorkeys Knob, the Far North’s real estate insiders have done a deep dive and identified the region's top 10 trendiest suburbs.
Michelle Champion, principal at Champion’s Real Estate, said she defined ‘trendy’ suburbs as those with attractions, amenities and stores/cafes which generated the most customer demand.
“Edge Hill, Whitfield have always been trendy, Redlynch has been performing amazingly because they’ve been creating their sort of township, so many amenities, schools, shops, parks,” she said.
“Also Holloways Beach is up and coming, everyone’s starting to renovate, they’ve got trendy coffee shops, it’s beachfront and still close to the town.
“Earlville has some up-and-coming coffee shops too, it’s an attractive suburb.”
Ms Champion said home buyers were shopping for the suburb rather than the house in the Far North.
“The trending ones all offer something a bit different,” she said.
Thomas Quaid, sales manager at Quaid Real Estate, said the outer Cairns suburbs were the ones that experienced the greatest growth as the area presented new opportunities for home and business owners.
Mr Quaid said that while areas like Stratford and Freshwater have spurted over the years, it was these outer suburbs that present the most appeal for new residents.
“Bentley Park, Edmonton, Mount Peter … and then you have Machans Beach and Yorkeys Knob that all have new restaurants and shops,” he said.
Two Blocks Cafe owner Daniel Williams said his bustling cafe has opened the suburb up for people all around Cairns to visit and enjoy Holloways Beach.
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“We get customers travelling from suburbs all over Cairns, they come from Palm Cove, Edge Hill and even down from Gordonvale,” he said.
“It’s very cool.”
Cafes like Two Blocks helped contribute to emerging Holloways’ identity as Mr Williams said he had known it to be a chilled and relaxed suburb since buying into the area three years ago.
“We get lots of dog walkers down at the beach when the weather’s good,” he said.
“There’s now a couple of restaurants in the area, it’s 10 minutes from the city and airport, it’s an all round quiet suburb, it’s great.”
With data extracted from the ABS 2021 Census and Real Estate, here is a deep dive into what makes these Far North suburbs stick out from the pack.
Trendiest Far North suburbs revealed
Bentley Park
Risen by 14.7 per cent in the past 12 months, Bentley Park has sold 209 of its properties to buyers at a median house price of $430,000.
The median age of residents are 32-year-olds who are earning $1,831 in weekly household income.
Neighbouring two other upcoming suburbs, Mount Sheridan and Edmonton, Bentley Park has appealed to buyers with its high school, a variety of specialist shops, and parks like Wegert and Fretwell Park.
Its local and boutique restaurants like Caffe Crema, Loveleighs Cakery and Songkran Thai spruce up the convenient and accessible neighbourhood.
Earlville
New restaurants, community centres and the Earlville Shopping Town renovations has elevated the once unassuming and adolescent suburb.
Today, house prices in the area are a median of $481,500 which represents growth of 23.1 per cent over the past 12 months. The average age of a buyer entering Earlville is a 44-year-old with a weekly household income of $1,166.
The suburb is renowned for features and businesses such as the Lions Club, Henleys Hill Park and restaurants like Hopscotch Cairns and Sushi Train, which is why 46 Earlville houses have been sold in the past year.
Edge Hill
With a 24.1 per cent growth over the past 12 months, houses in Edge Hill now go for $720,000 with 61 properties sold in the same period.
The suburb has emerged rapidly over the past few years and has made a name for itself among Far Northerners as a ‘trendy’ place to live.
Edge Hill has skyrocketed from the amenities like the Botanic Gardens, Chinese Friendship Garden and Tanks Art Centre.
On average, 42-year-old residents were buying into the suburb and were earning a median weekly household income of $1,674.
Edmonton
One of the booming outer suburbs that has had 274 sales, Edmonton has rocketed to the top of new buyers’ lists by 14.5 per cent as houses have gone for a median of $415,277.
A younger demographic has moved in with 33-year-olds earning $1,643 a week comprising the average buyer.
Buyers and businesses alike are becoming increasingly interested in Edmonton which has become more easily accessible with the new Cairns Southern Access Corridor opening up the suburb and featuring attractions like Isabella Falls, two state schools, parks, an array of shops and restaurants like Zarraffa’s Coffee and Joes Pizza.
Holloways Beach
Holloways Beach has become up and coming area to live as residents renovate their dwellings. The location has become attractive being both beachfront and close to town and has enjoyed an influx of younger buyers.
Accordingly, the suburb has grown by 7.5 per cent in the past 12 months with median house prices of $482,500. Average Holloways residents were 46-year-olds who were earning a median weekly household income of $1,342.
In a 12-month-period, 28 houses were sold in the area.
Helping with its growth were Two Blocks Cafe, a bustling breakfast place, Strait on the Beach and parks like Willow and Poinsettia Reserve.
Kewarra Beach
Kewarra St in Kewarra Beach was referred to as millionaire’s row so it’s not a surprise why the area is attracting residents.
It experienced a 24.6 per cent growth over the past 12 months with house prices averaging $595,000. The demographics of the area were 43-year-olds with a weekly household income of $1,748.
Kewarra Beach had a whopping 150 sales in the last 12 months.
The beachfront town has key community features like Crocodile Park and the new Paradise Palms development and restaurants such as The Takeaway and Ducks Pizzas and Burgers.
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Redlynch
Redlynch is booming with their average house price at $615,000, an increase of 18.3 per cent over the last 12 months.
The surging area had 193 sales as people itched to secure a house in the trendy suburb.
The area has a younger vibe with an average buyer’s age of 37. The median weekly household income is $2,317.
The mountain side suburb is complimented by Freshwater Creek, Mount Boiboi, Crystal Cascades and Redlynch Central Shopping Centre.
Trinity Beach
Topping the list with the highest growth, Trinity Beach rose by a median 31.3 per cent with house prices averaging$637,000 and 153 houses sold.
The median 42-year-olds occupants lived in households with an average weekly income of $1,681. Another beach location, it wasn’t difficult to see why it has surged in popularity with shops, multiple parks, Earl Hill and its lookout, and Trinity Beach State School.
Dressed up beachfront restaurants like L’Unico Trattoria Italiano and Tuk Tuk By The Sea add lustre to an already polished diamond.
Whitfield
Whitfield had a 9.7 per cent growth rate with a median price of $650,000. Its residents, on average, were 45-years-old earning $1,681 a week. Eighty-seven people bought into the suburb in the past 12 months.
Parks are in no short supply as the area boasts its own state high school and boutique breakfast eateries such as Woodward St Bakery and The Nest which have helped bring new residents to Whitfield.
Yorkeys Knob
Nestled between two other trendy suburbs, Yorkeys Knob has emerged as a standout village as cafes, restaurants and shopping centres have enticed buyers.
The suburb experienced 10.2 per cent growth over the last year as median house prices rose to $510,000.
Twenty-eight sales in the area have been made in the past 12 months as occupants normally are 46-years-old earning a combined $1,234 a week.
With amenities like its own state school, golf club, resort, beachfront apartments and restaurants like hidden@yorkeys and Ten 06 Cafe Bar, it’s easy to see why the suburb has attracted residents.
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Originally published as Top 10 trendiest suburbs in the Far North
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