Holloways Beach is a northern coastal
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
of
Cairns
Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people.
The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...
,
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia. It is located about 10 kilometres north of the city of Cairns between the suburbs of
Machans Beach and
Yorkeys Knob. In the , Holloways Beach had a population of 2,398 people.
[
Holloways Beach is impacted by noise from ]Cairns International Airport
Cairns Airport is an international airport in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Formerly operated by the Cairns Port Authority, the airport was sold by the Queensland Government in December 2008 to a private consortium. It is the seventh busies ...
, which keeps real estate prices in check. From October 2023 to September 2024 the median price for houses has been $587,500 and for units $281,500. In 2022 the values were $540,000 and $259,000 respectively. However, waterfront properties come also here at a premium, with house well above the million dollar mark.
Geography
The southeastern border with Machans Beach roughly follows Barr Creek, the opposite northwestern border with Yorkeys Knob is formed by Richter Creek. The southwestern border with the suburb of Barron follows the Captain Cook Highway
The Captain Cook Highway is a short, regional highway in Queensland that originates in Cairns and terminates in Mossman, where it joins Mossman-Daintree Road, continuing to Daintree. It is a state-controlled regional road (number 20A).
The ...
. Directly on the other side of the highway is a sand quarry. The northeastern border is formed by the beach from which the suburb derives its name. It is approximately 1.8 kilometres long. About midpoint on the beach there is a stinger-resistant swimming enclosure. Stingers, more formally known as box jellyfish
Box jellyfish (class Cubozoa) are cnidarian invertebrates distinguished by their box-like (i.e., cube-shaped) body. Some species of box jellyfish produce potent venom delivered by contact with their tentacles. Stings from some species, including ' ...
, pose a danger in the first half of the calendar year.
The beach s subject to heavy erosion. Since ca. 2020 several million dollars have been invested to save the beach. This includes the creation of two 30-metre rock groyne
A groyne (in the U.S. groin) is a rigid aquatic structure built perpendicularly from an ocean shore (in coastal engineering) or a river bank, interrupting water flow and limiting the movement of sediment. It is usually made out of wood, concrete ...
s. This has not helped a lot, therefore more money is spent to replace the sand ("sand nourishment").
On the coast the land-use is mostly residential. From about 1300 metres inland farming is predominant.
History
Holloways Beach is situated in the traditional Djabugay (Tjapukai) Aboriginal country.
Richard Holloway came to Cairns in 1910 and was farming in the area in 1926. The area was officially named Holloway in 1951 by the Queensland Surveyor-General, renamed Holloway Beach in 1971 and then Holloways Beach in 1981. In 2002, the area was gazetted as a suburb of Cairns rather than as a rural locality.
Land was acquired in October 1951 for a school. However, in December 1951, a school bus service was established to take the students to Cairns Intermediate School and Cairns North State School. In October 1954, the Queensland Government allocated £2341 to relocate Woree's school buildings to Holloway's Beach and then repair and repaint the buildings. Holloway's Beach State School opened on 23 May 1955. It closed on 13 June 1966.
Demographics
In the , the suburb of Holloways Beach had a population of 2,347 people.
Education
School children now attend Machans Beach State School or other schools further away. Holloways Beach is in the catchment area for Cairns High School.
Holloways Beach has also a Environmental Education Centre.
Amenities
Holloways Beach is served by a convenience store
A convenience store, convenience shop, bakkal, bodega, corner store, corner shop, superette or mini-mart is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as convenience food, groceries, beverages, tobacco products, lotter ...
on Holloways Beach Road. The closest major shopping centre is in Smithfield.
Holloways Beach has a Community Hall capable of seating up to 80 people.
A boat ramp into Richters Creek on the northern boundary of the suburb at Acacia Street is managed by the Cairns Regional Council
The Cairns Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, centred on the regional city of Cairns. It was established in 2008 by the amalgamation of the City of Cairns and the Shires of Douglas and Mulgrave. ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Cairns Region
Suburbs of Cairns
Beaches of Queensland