Country living near Cairns
Rural, tropical and close to the city
If the country or rural lifestyle is the change you crave, Cairns can offer you acreage less than 30 minutes out of the CBD in Gordonvale or the nearby Goldsborough Valley.
Beautiful rural locations for country living near Cairns include:
- the small country town of Babinda, which is famous for its rainfall and its Boulders;
- the tiny town of Mirriwinni;
- the oceanside Bramston Beach where you need to be on the lookout for cassowaries as you approach your destination;
- and localities like Aloomba, Deeral and Bellenden Ker, popular with anglers because of their easy access to the Russel and Mulgrave Rivers and offshore islands.
Some of these small towns have country schools, where students study in multi-age classrooms and total student numbers are below 100. Mirriwinni and Aloomba both have primary schools.
Median house prices in Cairns rural and semi-rural suburbs
| Suburb | Approx. driving time to city* | Median house price** |
|---|---|---|
| Gordonvale | 30 minutes | $567,000 |
| Goldsborough | 35 minutes | $800,000 |
| Babinda | 51 minutes from Cairns and 23 minutes from Innisfail | $415,250 |
* source: Google Maps, January 2025 ** source: realestate.com.au, January 2025
Fun facts
- Gordonvale has the highest proportion of tradies of any Cairns suburb at 19 per cent and also has lots of families.
- Babinda has a slightly older population than most of Cairns with a median population age of 47 years.
- Although Babinda is part of the Cairns region, many of the town's 4500 residents will be doing their grocery shopping or working in the nearby regional town of Innisfail, which is 23 minutes' drive away
- Gordonvale: A country town with an edge, nestled beneath Walsh’s Pyramid (Djarragun), one of the world’s tallest freestanding natural pyramids. It has several schools.
- Babinda: Known for the Boulders swimming hole, a claim as Australia’s wettest town, and its famous cream buns. A country hospital and growing local businesses add charm.
- Goldsborough Valley: Tranquil and friendly, just 30 minutes from Cairns. Rural enough for animals, yet with modern conveniences like pizza delivery.
- Deeral and Bellenden Ker: Ideal for fishing, with rivers like the Russel and Mulgrave, plus access to the Frankland Islands National Park.
- Bartle Frere & Mirriwinni: Quiet, remote towns near Innisfail, with Bartle Frere sitting at Queensland’s highest peak. Mirriwinni is known as triathlete Brad Bevan’s home.
- Aloomba
- Deeral
- Eubenagee
- Fishery Falls
- Goldsborough
- Mount Peter
- Mirriwinni
- Packers Camp
- Woopen Creek
Suburbs and localities where you can find a quiet life or acreage in the Cairns region:
What locals love about living in Gordonvale
It's the peace and quiet we like here in Gordonvale. And the people are friendly; there is a great community spirit. It's more like a country town, but we are just over 20 minutes drive from Cairns. The Atherton Tablelands are a short drive up the range and one of the ways you can tell the change of seasons is by the molasses smell in the air when the mill is crushing cane. Great fishing nearby too.
Dave, Gordonvale
Rural centres near Cairns
Cairns is part of northern Australia's food bowl with the rich agricultural lands of the Mareeba and Atherton areas just over an hour away from Cairns. Innisfail and surrounds are also just an hour away from Cairns. The drive from Cairns to Mareeba is less than an hour and Atherton is just over an hour to Cairns.
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