Palm Cove, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Palm Cove is a beachfront resort village on the tropical coast about 25 km north of Cairns, in Far North Queensland. It sits in Djabugay traditional country. A single palm- and paperbark-lined esplanade runs the length of its sheltered beach, backed by low-rise luxury resorts and restaurants, and the village is a popular base for trips out to the Great Barrier Reef and up to the Daintree rainforest. The name simply describes the palms that line the shore; an earlier official name, Buchan, taken from a nearby mountain, has largely fallen out of use. The relaxed, low-key feel sets it apart from the busier Cairns beaches to the south.
More advantaged than the national average
Palm Cove is more socio-economically advantaged than about 65% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1014, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Palm Cove at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,450
- Median age
- 53
- Median weekly household income
- $1,527
- SEIFA score
- 1014
- Coordinates
- -16.7479, 145.6627
Palm Cove demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Palm Cove using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 37%, 30% of homes are rented, and 36% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 271 | 11% |
| Youth (15–24) | 163 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 444 | 18% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 905 | 37% |
| Seniors (65+) | 680 | 28% |
Share of the 2,463 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 398 | 40% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 268 | 27% |
| Rented | 300 | 30% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 657 | 66% |
| Townhouses & semis | 118 | 12% |
| Flats & apartments | 212 | 21% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 999 occupied private dwellings in Palm Cove.
- Median weekly rent
- $365
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,048
- Median weekly personal income
- $797
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 821 (36%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 249 (11%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 46 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,209 (57%)
- Labour-force participation
- 56%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.3%
- Employed full-time
- 657
- Employed part-time
- 438
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Palm Cove
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Palm Cove is February (average daytime high around 30.3°C) and the coolest is July (around 24.3°C). The area receives roughly 1725 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.9°C | 24.9°C | 358 mm |
| Feb | 30.3°C | 25°C | 296 mm |
| Mar | 29.3°C | 24.6°C | 300 mm |
| Apr | 28.1°C | 23.7°C | 176 mm |
| May | 26.2°C | 21.8°C | 68 mm |
| Jun | 24.8°C | 20.3°C | 50 mm |
| Jul | 24.3°C | 19.4°C | 42 mm |
| Aug | 24.9°C | 19.5°C | 27 mm |
| Sep | 26.3°C | 20.7°C | 24 mm |
| Oct | 28°C | 22.2°C | 42 mm |
| Nov | 29.3°C | 23.6°C | 42 mm |
| Dec | 29.8°C | 24.7°C | 300 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Palm Cove
Where is Palm Cove?
Palm Cove is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Palm Cove?
At the 2021 Census, Palm Cove had a population of about 2,450.
Is Palm Cove an advantaged area?
Palm Cove has an ABS SEIFA score of 1014, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 65 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 65% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Palm Cove?
Palm Cove has average daytime highs of about 27.6°C and overnight lows of about 22.5°C, with roughly 1,725 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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