Clifton Beach

Clifton Beach is one of the northern-most beaches within the Cairns Local Government Area. It is a residential area with a mix of residential and holiday units, which attract both visitors and permanent residents. The commercial nature of Clifton Beach has increased with the completion of the Clifton Beach shopping centre adjacent to existing smaller scale shops and services on the highway that physically dissects the suburb. Clifton Beach is about 29mins drive north of Cairns CBD.

The people

The population of Clifton Beach consists mainly of families with some living on semi-rural blocks of land and others on the beachfront. This is considered an ‘up-market’ suburb.

Medical

There is a medical centre, pathology and a dentist at the Clifton Beach shopping centre. The closest hospital is Cairns Base Hospital in Cairns city, about 20min drive south.

General facilities

Clifton Beach has a community hall that is attached to a tennis club, and has a number of neighbourhood parks, and beach facilities, including a stinger net enclosure. There is a caravan park in Clifton Beach. The area is also serviced by a post office at the shopping centre. The closest library is at Smithfield, about 10-15mins drive south and the public swimming pool is in the same area.

Shopping

The Clifton Beach Shopping Centre has a Cole’s outlet, a chemist, a bakery, a newsagent, a hair salon and a number of homewares stores. There are also a couple of convenience stores and petrol stations. The closest major shopping centre is Smithfield Shopping Centre, about 15mins drive south.

Childcare

There is a large child care centre in Clifton Beach and more located nearby at Kewarra Beach, Trinity Beach and Smithfield.

School

Trinity Anglican School has a primary campus at Kewarra Beach, about 5mins drive south of Clifton Beach. The adjacent suburbs of Trinity Beach, Trinity Park and Smithfield have primary schools and a state high school. Redlynch offers a number of Catholic / Christian colleges and is about 15-20mins drive south.

Public transport

Sunbus provides the public transport service in the area and taxis are available.