Sally Simpson

I am at work tomorrow & ask specifics for you. Unfortnately there are a couple of large construction firms up here who have gone bust. There are some big jobs coming up through the stimulus package but don't know specifics.
Meantime, have a look at this thread, very positive & some good pics!
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...t=Tripawaymars

Dean_Helen_May-Rose

cheers will do.

ShawnMcCrea

I was there backpacking so dont have a true representation at all of what it would be like to live there. To vacation definately, thinking back I would love to be able to live there but there are a few factors that would stop me. To hot in summer and im in the design industry and the population is just to small to support a large design industry.

As for likes I didnt find it rough around the edges at all, we stayed in a flat for a month right across from the police station and found it awesome the city wasnt run down, beat up, crime ridden at all. The things I loved about the area where of course how tropical it was, the proximity to the great barrier reef was a huuuuge sell. Some little things I liked where the rainbow parakeets(lorikeets) not to sure everywhere, the boats at the docks, the late night chinese markets, etc. Downtown Cairns is definately backpacker city by the way.

Anyhow would check it out for a place to visit and see if its a place that you could actually live. Daintree and all that to the north is incredible as well.

Burbage

I think the key is that visitors have very different experiences of cities compared to those who live there. I know this applies to my impression of the other Australian cities. But I think if I couldn't live in FNQ I'd be leaving Australia altogether. If I was going to live in a big city it would be Paris, London or Barcelona well before any of the Australian cities. But that's me of course. Being single is very different to being a family.

lastere

what's the creepy bugs/bird-eating frogs situation?

http://tools.cairns.com.au/photo_gal...=6095&offset=0

framac67

Well said Burbage. Mackay took a bit of getting used to with the shitty public transport system, bogans etc but the slowness of life is now something I'd recommend to anyone. FNQ RULES PEEPS.

Life for kids is second to none.

garyp

I visited recently and liked it. If you could put Townsville's strand there it would be even better.
negative for me was the rainforest mountains on top of you and I live in the valleys of Wales. Sure the summer months, wet season, humdity would have been a problem for me.
gary

oz miller man

regional qld, if cairns falls into this category in the view of getting state sponsorship you should jump at the chance, cant think of a more beautiful place to be tied too for the duration of the state visa..

my sister has lived up at port douglas for 15 years and loves it. the only thing thats stoped me moving up there is the fact you cant jump in the sea in summer
the heat is something else when your working outside in it, i spent time working in grounds of a hotel in port, id go through 3 work shirts in a day, drink about 10 litres and still be cramping up at the end of a shift...you soon realise you have to slow your work pace down, still not as bad as a cold building site in a uk winter for discomfort.

good place for cheap property, my sister has just bought an investment property...2 year old 4 bed with pool in mossman 20 mins from port 330,000 .
you can pick up a older style 3 bed for 240,000 right on the beach at wonga

id say port douglas is better than cairns, but id say cairns is better than perth.. imo

Dean_Helen_May-Rose

wow guys great in depth feed back! Thank you so much! I'm relaying the info to my wife and she's shining to the place more.

wanderingwombat

Hi,
The question about Cairns has been asked before a number of times. Do a search of the forum. Bix has made some excellent posts.

Cairns is a great place to live. Recently named !5th largest city in Australia (bigger than Darwin). Population is about 135k.

Its easy to get around and what is locally amounts to a traffic jamb probably wouldnt rate a comment anywhere else.

Tourists make the city interesting, but they hardly take over the CBD.

There seems to be a problem with some people wandering around some parts of town alone in the early hours of the morning. The Cairns Post reports these incidents as they need to have something to report on.

The wet season is just that. Wet and humid (that's why it is so green). You adjust your lifestyle to suit. Air con makes it bearable. Autumn, winter & spring are mainly blue skies and sunshine. By Cairn's standards a really cold night in winter would be less than 18ºC At those temps you may have to consider putting something on your feet.

There have been some building company failures in Cairns, as well as a number of other places (both bigger & smaller). Might have something to do with the GFC.

Do your research for comments by those who live there.

WW

tripawaymars

Blimey, First time I have been on here in months!

I adore Cairns. Have lived here for 17 months now from the UK.

It is hot in the summer but not humid every day, 3 months is the worse but I can honestly say that there were only 4 times last summer I thought "this is too hot" and that was my first summer. It isn't raining everday or humid every day as locals told us it would be. We were told you wont cope coming from UK but we have and the winters are perfect from May to october..virtually no rain and endless blue skies.

Cairns isn't a huge city but has everything you need. It isn't what I would call run down and the Marina area is beautiful with a shopping centre, bars, restaurants and great views..we don't eat at the esplanade that much although there are some good restaurants there, but also a lot of hostels. There are backpackers pubs but they are easily avoided for nice wine bars at Marina or you can go to Northern Beaches where I live for fab beaches, restaurants etc.

Plenty of live music if you into that and Cairns Festival every year which lasts a month or so with lots going on.

great if you have kids, huge free lagoon and kids water park on the esplanade, and skate park and loads of kids activities. Free BBQ areas by sea at all beaches and on Cairns Esplanade, great markets, live music free every Sat.

Then you have rainforest, barrier reef, tablelands (always a good retreat in summer as bit cooler), beautiful port douglas and cape tribulation.

There are some great areas to live around the city and a few not so good (avoid ones beginning with M)!! Then the beaches are only a 15 minute ride away.

We go to Brisbane or Sydney now and again for a concert and have BIT OF RETAIL THERAPY BUT WOULDN'T WANT TO LIVE THERE.

Cairns is relaxed, friendly, multi cultural and the wet season is what makes it so green and beautiful.

We were worried about the wildlife and have seen snakes etc and a few big hairy spiders but only one spider in house since living here, and that was taken care of with fly spray and a boot!!

Swimming pool is essential in the summer.

Good luck with your decision.
Liz

isgraham

Just got back from Cairns after a visit and my refreshed opinion is that it's a small town with lots of backpackers and I am glad I didn't spend more that a couple of days there.

tripawaymars

Thats what happens when you only spend a few days somewhere and only stay near the centre of cairns..i,e the esplanade which is full of backpackers..if you venture out of the CBD to Palm Cove or Northern beaches or to Cairns Marina bars and restaurants then you won't see many backpackers there...there is a lot more to cairns than the lagoon and esplanade area. I have lived here 17 months now and it has never felt backpacker to me!! It's a shame you didn't stay long enough to explore the real beauty and surrounds of Cairns..lakes, markets, beaches, marinas,great barrier reef, deserted islands, rainforest, treks, live music, fantastic restaurants, beautiful beaches, swimming holes, waterfalls, etc etc. It isn't Sydney but everyone to their own, I like Sydney but would never live there over Cairns....too busy, too expensive, not lid back enough and people are definately more relaxed and happy up here..at least thats the impression I get when I go to visit Sydney..good for shopping though!

It's just as well not everyone likes the same place...

Sally Simpson

Which just goes to prove that the OP should listen to those that live here & not those who have only stayed a few days & not even scratched the surface!

Andy n Georgina

hi weve lived here for over 2 years....in winter (uk summer) weather great but from nov till may is wet season, floods and cyclone threats..is extremely humid and if u dont love extreme heat its not for you. no major crimes hardly though plenty of petty thef etc more in city centre. cabs are a wee bit over priced , house prices n wages reasonable...not half as many spiders snakes and bugs ad you may expect though being mindful they are around is the way to go... southside imo is a little out the way . beaches end of cairns is nice and quiet.x the beaches and rainforest are first class though the sea isnt that crystal clear until you get out onto the reef.xx
town centre and palm cove can be touristy but locals get discount on pretty much everything ...up to 40% off reef trips etc.
we moved here and never looked back...go cairns.com.au for more info or realestate.com.au for house prices.xx