samr10
Reviews
"Small somewhat backward town with a lot of tourism"
Pro's: beautiful dry season from april to november, affordable housing although it's getting more expensive rapidly, sea or tree change, it's all possible here. Gateway to daintree and GBR, and a lot to see and do in the area, perfect for weekend trips. Esplanade area and lagoon are amazing. Northern beaches are beautiful to live in, traffic is fine compared to the big smoke , although locals think it's terrible. Tablelands are gorgeous for day trips. If you have your own boat and love fishing than this place can't be beaten.
Cons: Huge (youth) unemployment rates, many jobs/careers (especially mid career jobs) are non existent and if they do they are impossible to land due to competition from all over OZ , especially SA people seem to love Cairns. If you haven't lined a job up already or don't have a network in Cairns don't even bother of coming. Small town mentality, a lot of bogan and small minded people. It's not what you know but who you know here. Not easy to get fully accepted as an outsider here. Service levels are poor and very slow compared to big(ger) cities, wherever you go: doctors, car dealers and what not, its all dreadful. Drivers are crazy and uneducated here, never felt so unsafe anywhere in the world on the road as I do here. (Compared to other civilised western countries that is). Wet season is an absolute disaster, hot and humid and you sweat 24/7. everything goes mouldy even with use of aircon it's harsh. You need a pool to cool off in. Safety is an issue here, especially in the M suburbs and in and around the city. Youth unemployment causes a wave of petty crimes like car theft for joyriding and break ins. Council does well to keep the tourist zones safe but you can tell the town clearly has issues. Don't go out at night in most areas except from the northern beaches. Avoid some schools on the south side. I forgot to mention the (car) insurance and rates are much much higher than the rest of Australia. thank the youth car theft and tropical cyclone hazard for that.
Conclusion: if you are retired, a tradie or work in healthcare or government, or have a job lined up already and love the heat and humidity and the outdoor lifestyle, it's a fine place to live if you pick your spot right. Otherwise, there are much better options troughout OZ. Careerwise it's not a smart move for a LOT of people. Do your research properly before coming would be my advise.
Who lives here?
- Singles
- Families with kids
Samr10 the only thing I agree with from your "small minded" post is the mad drivers. True. I'm from Melbourne, lived in Broome 4 years (terrible place to live), came from Broome to Cairns. Love it here. There's unemployment and crime everywhere. Re rates in Cairns. They are higher than Melb but much lower than Broome. If buying a unit the cost of body corp is the killer. Extremely high but again not as high as Broome generally. Jobs are there if you want them. Took me 3 months, longer than norm, however I was looking for specificalky 3 days werk. Full time would have been quicker. Doctors and prof services are same as anywhere else. Don't know what you're on about there. Customer service can be a bit slower than say Melbourne but it's a much more laid back place. I guess some people come here and they just don't like it therefore posts like samr10 above.
I fully agree with samr's observation of Cairns. It's a beautiful place to visit but a very different story if you come to live here. You'll tear your hair out very soon when you'll meet the bogans and experience the 'local' service, i.e. lack of it. Yes, it's a very laid back lifestyle, i.e. nobody gives a stuff about anything but their own little world. If you don't think it will bother you by all means come here. Otherwise give it a big miss as I will soon. I also like warm weather but have fun here in summer! And yes, you'll get cheap accommodation that will most likel;y come with many problems. You'll find out what hell is like if you get somewhere managed by body corporate. Try to avoid it if you must come here. If you do come, be sure not to burn your bridges to wherever you come from as you're likely to go back there. Trey to come and rent for a while to see if this lifestyle and weather will suit you, before you make the big move that you're likely to regret.
Hi I've visited Cairns many of times, love it there, beautiful place with an abundance of things to do, I visited Holiday Collection Cairns Beaches located in Trinity Beach (Northern Beach suburb) they looked after all my accommodation, travel & tour bookings. highly recommend seeing the team at Holiday Collection Cairns Beaches if ever visiting Cairns or Far North Queensland in general. You can see all of what they do here: www.cairnsholidayhouses.com.au