Tropic boom: New population data reveals Cairns is on the rise following post pandemic doldrums

Cairns has beaten its northern neighbours with the city boasting the fastest growing population among the state’s four largest towns north of the Tropic of Capricorn.

Sarah Taylor and her partner Lucas Cosgrove moved to Cairns four years ago and decided to to settle, welcoming their first child, Tallulah, seven months ago. The young family are part of the city’s growing population. Picture: Brendan Radke

Cairns’ population is outpacing Townsville, Rockhampton and Mackay with the garden city expected to eclipse a major milestone just in time for the Brisbane Olympics.

New data from Cummings Economics has revealed that the Far North city achieved its highest growth rates in more than a decade with more than 3,400 new residents settling in the area last year.

Sarah Taylor and her partner Lucas Cosgrove moved to Cairns four years ago and decided to to settle, welcoming their first child, Tallulah, seven months ago. Picture: Brendan Radke

The two per cent growth rate pushed Cairns beyond 175,000 inhabitants for the first time with the city expected to reach the important 200,000 benchmark by 2032.

The post-Covid comeback was an encouraging sign for the city’s economy with population growth driving investment in the region, principal economist Bill Cummings said.

“It had been worrying me that we’d gone into a slump,” Mr Cummings said.

“So it’s most pleasing to see the numbers come back up again. There are a lot of positive things population growth does for smaller cities.

“In the past, it enabled us to get a uni campus, the airport upgraded and increased the number of health specialists in the region as well as improved our hospital.”

Securing greater investment in basic services as the city surges forward would be critical, including Cairns Regional Council’s $472m water security project and upgrades to the Kuranda Range, Mr Cummings said.

“It’s important that the infrastructure keeps up with growth. You don’t want to reach a crisis point before that infrastructure is put in place.”

For Stratford couple Sarah Taylor and Lucas Cosgrove, the tropical lifestyle has been a welcome change of pace from their English roots.

The pair have travelled all over Australia but settled in Cairns four years ago, where they have found plenty of job opportunities as a nurse and commercial diver.

The couple are now raising their first baby Tallulah Cosgrove in the Far North despite being more than 15,000km from their family, who live on Jersey Island in the UK.

“Even though we are far from home, we have decided to make a new home in Cairns and raise our daughter here because we love the tropical living and outdoor lifestyle,” Ms Taylor said.

“Cairns is like an adult playground with the endless waterfalls, hikes, rainforest and reef.”

Mr Cummings said he would be interested to see how the region’s economy responded following Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

“The vacancy rate has been extremely low and that’s been worsened by the cyclone,” he said.

“There’s also been a lot of stimulus post-Covid when there were supply chain problems.

“We ended up with skyrocketing property prices, building costs have gone up by about 30 per cent since 2019.

“That sort of event can turn people off living in an area. Cairns has had a pretty good image as a place to live but that’s made people less confident. We need to get that back on track.”

Northern Cities Estimated Residential Population Growth 2022-23

Cairns – 3,413

Townsville – 3,299

Rockhampton/Gladstone – 2,454

Mackay – 1,957

Wider Regional Areas Estimated Residential Population Growth 2022-23

Cairns – 5,097

Townsville – 4,142

Rockhampton/Gladstone – 3,516

Mackay – 3,440

Originally published as Tropic boom: New population data reveals Cairns is on the rise following post pandemic doldrums