Jump to content

Clifton Beach, Queensland

Coordinates: 16°46′19″S 145°40′06″E / 16.7719°S 145.6683°E / -16.7719; 145.6683 (Clifton Beach (centre of suburb))
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clifton Beach
CairnsQueensland
Clifton Beach, 2013
Map of Clifton Beach in the Cairns Region
Clifton Beach is located in Queensland
Clifton Beach
Clifton Beach
Map
Coordinates16°46′19″S 145°40′06″E / 16.7719°S 145.6683°E / -16.7719; 145.6683 (Clifton Beach (centre of suburb))
Population3,192 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density414.5/km2 (1,074/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4879
Area7.7 km2 (3.0 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Cairns Region
State electorate(s)Barron River
Federal division(s)Leichhardt
Suburbs around Clifton Beach:
Macalister Range Palm Cove Coral Sea
Macalister Range Clifton Beach Coral Sea
Macalister Range Kewarra Beach Coral Sea

Clifton Beach is a coastal suburb in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2021 census, Clifton Beach had a population of 3,192 people.[1]

Geography

[edit]

Clifton Beach is located about 22 kilometres north of the city centre of Cairns on the Coral Sea. To the west, the mountains of the Macallister Range form the border with the Kuranda State Forest (→ Kuranda). The suburb of Kewarra Beach lies to the south and Palm Cove to the north. The Captain Cook Highway runs through the suburb.

To the east, the suburb is bordered by a long sandy beach, also known as Clifton Beach.[3] The beach, which is affected by erosion, is not very wide, especially in the south, and is almost completely submerged at high tide. Rocky groynes protect it against erosion damage. It is only suitable for bathing to a limited extent, as it is often visited by crocodiles. In the first half of the calendar year, so-called "stinger" jellyfish also appear. Contact with their tentacles typically causes considerable pain and occasionally even danger to life. In the north of the beach there is a bathing facility protected by nets, which also offers sufficient protection from crocodiles. There are also some barbecue areas.[citation needed]

History

[edit]

Clifton Beach is situated in the Djabugay (Tjapukai) traditional Aboriginal country. [4]

Sugar cane farmer William Fairweather laid out an access road to his farm. The Mulgrave Shire Council at the time named the area after the birthplace of his wife, who was from Clifton in the Darling Downs of southern Queensland.[5] Alternatively, it is believed that the suburb was named after Clifton in Perthshire, Scotland, the birthplace of Mary Hunter Smart, a settler around 1880s.[6][7]

Clifton Beach was officially declared a suburb on 2 May 1959.[2]

In 1969, a post office was opened. In the 1970s, construction and road improvements began. By the 1980s, there were three trailer parks and a jellyfish-safe swimming facility. Clifton Beach was a mixture of residential and holiday resort with a rural atmosphere.[citation needed]

There are older houses and tourist facilities from this period on Arlington Esplanade running along the beach. A community centre was built a short distance back from the esplanade and local shops sold everyday goods, arts, and crafts. The Wild World Zoo, later called the Cairns Tropical Zoo, opened on the Captain Cook Highway and attracted traffic.[citation needed]

In the second half of the 1980s, the population increased by about two-thirds.[citation needed] Growth continued into the 2000s. A middle to upper class suburb emerged with many retirees. The area between the highway and the beach was almost entirely built up, while the other side of the highway, which borders the Kuranda State Forest and accounts for about two-thirds of Clifton Beach, remained largely undeveloped.[citation needed]

A shopping centre was built on Captain Cook Highway. A 2004 expansion added a supermarket operated by the national Coles chain.[citation needed]

Demographics

[edit]

In the 2016 census, Clifton Beach had a population of 3,146 people.[8]

In the 2021 census, Clifton Beach had a population of 3,192 people.[1]

Education

[edit]

There are no schools in Clifton Beach. The nearest government primary school is Trinity Beach State School in Trinity Beach to the south-east. The nearest government secondary school is Smithfield State High School in Smithfield to the south-east.[9]

Amenities

[edit]

The post office is in the shopping centre, the Clifton Village Shopping Centre on Captain Cook Highway, which is accessible via Endeavour Road.[10]

There are a number of parks in the suburb, including:

Images

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Clifton Beach (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ a b "Clifton Beach – suburb in Cairns Region (entry 48571)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Clifton Beach – beach in Cairns Region (entry 39692)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  4. ^ "First people cultural history". Cairns Regional Council. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Clifton Beach". Queensland Places. University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  6. ^ Queensland place names search
  7. ^ "Clifton, Perthshire Archived 2 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine" (Historical Description), UK Genealogy Archives (per March 2023)
  8. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Clifton Beach (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018. Edit this at Wikidata
  9. ^ "Layers: Locality; Schools and school catchments". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  10. ^ "Clifton Beach LPO". Australia Post. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Land for public recreation - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
[edit]

Media related to Clifton Beach, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons