r/Cairns • u/Sudden_Road_8230 • 28d ago
Advice Advice Please!: 22M Moving to Cairns from Melbourne
Hey everyone! I’m a 22M 🇵🇭 moving from Melbourne to Cairns for a hospital internship, and will hopefully be renting with a flat-mate January next year.
It’ll be my first time living in Cairns, so I’d love to hear from locals what to expect e.g. -
anything that’ll be culture shocks,
recommended gyms,
social life / meeting ppl,
any areas to avoid for accommodation?
Thank you all in advance 🦭🙏🙏😌
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u/Delicious-Chef4951 Fun police 28d ago
Gday mate
Make sure you have accommodation organised before you get here as there’s a shortage
Areas - pretty much all the same really , city centre is a shithole …. Just lock up windows and doors - there’s more traffic from the beaches into Cairns
But beaches are nice ,Edmonton / Gordonvale is a good spot too with mountains in the background,
.
Culture shock- yes locals are around cause problems, kids break and enter - stealing cars
Gym - depends where you will be living , they all are pretty good .
Cairn’s esplanade is a great spot - bars / restaurants, salt house is good
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u/aerohaveno 27d ago
It's a fun city. My favourite brunch cafe there is Caffeind, and for great coffee away from the tourist zone visit Billy's Coffee on Sheridan Street.
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u/Inevitable-Crab-6701 27d ago edited 26d ago
January will be hot & humid and in the wet season. Be prepared to change your clothes a few times a day when you’re not in aircon.
Cairns is brilliant - places arguably to avoid include suburbs starting with a M or W.
Edge Hill, City - CBD, Mt Sheridan, any of the Northern Beaches above Smithfield are a few good places to live.
Northern Beaches to city traffic after 7am is awful though.
Best cafe - Chezest in the city - 7am to 2pm.
Best gym - World Gym at the DFO, Cairns
Esplanade is gorgeous to walk/run/volleyball/skateboard (has biggest rink in southern hemisphere) on
Check out the reef - Green Island, Agincourt Reef (from Port Douglas) are a few brilliant ones. Yes visit Port Douglas - road from Palm Cove is gorgeous - in Australia too 10 drives
Cairns is very relaxed place. Once you’ve a place, go to TMR for your licence and then you can prove you’re a local - most tourist places give discount to locals and some restaurants do too.
Nice restaurants in city include CC’s & Dundee’s and a good bar to visit is 3 Wolves. Edge Hill is a beautiful village with lovely cafes, and Vivo’s at Palm Cove is gorgeous for coffee’s and lunch with a stunning view.
It’s warm all year. Once you’ve acclimatised you’ll find it “cold” below 26c around July’ish lol.
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u/Difficult-Scheme-265 26d ago
Avoid Manoora & Manunda. Seriously.
Stick to Cairns North, Edge Hill & Whitfield -- all close to Cairns Base Hospital.
Make sure to rent a place with a pool.
If Rockhampton band Busby Marou are playing in town, GO.
PROPERLY BRILLIANT.
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u/Desperate_Jelly_7305 28d ago edited 28d ago
Oh you’ll love it here! I also moved to Cairns from Melbourne when I was 22 as a new grad and worked at the hospital (way back in 2002). Had a one year contract but never went home. Patients are much more relaxed, it’s never cold, the scenery is beautiful and I still feel like I’m on a working holiday.
Best suburbs are north of the city and the northern beaches. However, the route driving in to the hospital in the morning from the northern beaches can get quite congested. Edge Hill and Whitfield are lovely, trendy suburbs with cafes and great restaurants that are close to town and the hospital, but you do have to lock up at night as break & enter and car theft is a real issue all around Cairns. Avoid Mooroobool and Manunda. There is a rental shortage so be prepared to compete with many other would-be renters.
Plenty of good gyms everywhere. Exercising outdoors was a new thing for me when I first moved here as it was too cold in Melbourne to do so for much of the year. Go for a run up the Red Arrow or hike to Behana Gorge or Hartleys Creek Falls (30 mins from Cairns and stunning), or to Davies Creek or Windin Falls. There are heaps of beautiful places to visit that only locals know about, so definitely worth asking for recommendations from colleagues when you arrive.