OUR BEST STREETS
THE TOP PLACES TO LIVE IN CAIRNS
THOUSANDS of residents and tourists stroll down it every day and it is home to some of the city’s best dining options, so it is not surprising The Esplanade has been voted Cairns’ best street.
The 2.5km waterfront strip has taken out top honours in the vote by 20 of Cairns’ leading real estate agents.
The Cairns Post asked 20 agents to nominate the best five streets in Cairns.
Their picks were then rated from 1-5, with the top pick achieving five points, then down to the fifth pick achieving one point.
But the Esplanade wasn’t the only thoroughfare to stand out in the survey.
The short, leafy, but wide, Hall St in Edge Hill, with its gorgeous Queenslanders, friendly residents and proximity to Collins Ave’s cafe precinct, came in second.
The Peak, Brinsmead, came third and Williams Esp, Palm Cove, came fourth.
Absolute waterfront locations on the northern beaches, surprisingly, came in later.
Hibiscus Lane at Holloways Beach, in fifth place, commands high prices for homes that offer a rare lifestyle.
Bob and Vicki Godfrey know they’ve made a sound investment, buying their Cairns Esplanade home more than 10 years ago.
Their two-storey abode was completed in 2008 after they demolished the original property.
“There is a lot of history around the Esplanade,” Mr Godfrey said.
“The Esplanade is great — it can’t be built out. 10 years ago you could see the water but now the trees have grown.
“My wife’s a regular walker on the Esplanade and heads down to the marina for a morning coffee. I play golf at Paradise Palms but also join her a few times a week for a walk.”
The Esplanade was one of Cairns Property Office agent Donna Waldman’s top picks.
“Cairns Esplanade speaks for itself with incredible luxury units boasting amazing views over the ocean, a fantastic boardwalk and cycle paths and restaurants featuring cuisine from all over the world,” she said.
“There is free entertainment, the Lagoon, free exercise classes from yoga to Zumba, markets on a Saturday morning and free barbecues for anyone to use.
“Cairns Esplanade is always a hive of activity — and is without a doubt the most photographed area in the tropical north.”
It came in at number 20, but LJ Hooker Cairns Marlin Coast sales agent Michael Skuse put his money on Clifton Beach’s Arlington Pde.
He said the beachfront street embodied everything Far North Queensland had to offer.
“The houses that front the beach are a mix of modern contemporary homes and 60s beach houses. The street had been popular since the 60s when the Sister of Mercy Nuns established their holiday retreat there,” he said.
“Clifton Beach as a suburb has everything you need in terms of facilities without the tourist hustle of Palm Cove.”
But what makes a street a favourite is very subjective, according to Belle Property principal Nicholas Slatyer.
“It is different horses for courses with what people like. You have newer streets like The Peak in Brinsmead or Blue Water in Trinity Park, which has a very different feel to some of the older streets around Stratford or Edge Hill, for instance,” he said.
“I think any land that can’t be repeated or easily replaced is always worth more.”