Stratford vs Machans Beach

Stratford is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 47 in Machans Beach. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Stratford: a median of $880,000, against $659,000 in Machans Beach, though rent is higher in Machans Beach. On these figures, Machans Beach tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Machans Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (90% vs 76%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Machans Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($659,250 vs $880,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Stratford sits closer to the CBD (1706 km vs 1709 km)
  • Machans Beach is more walkable (42/100 vs 32/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Stratford has more units and townhouses to downsize into (24% vs 10%)
  • Machans Beach is more walkable (42/100 vs 32/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Stratford

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (5.3% vs -10.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Stratford and Machans Beach drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Stratford Machans Beach
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Stratford Machans Beach
Walkability 32 / 42
Stratford — Walkability: 32/100 Machans Beach — Walkability: 42/100
Safety 29 / 26
Stratford — Safety: 29/100 Machans Beach — Safety: 26/100
Low fire risk 35 / 100
Stratford — Low fire risk: 35/100 Machans Beach — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Stratford has more residents (1,198 vs 943); Machans Beach skews older (47 vs 41).

Stratford Machans Beach
Population 1,198
+21% vs other
 943
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.3% -10.3%
Median age 41 47
Median household income $93,236/yr
+10% vs other
 $83,720/yr
Median weekly rent $345/wk $370/wk
+7% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Stratford Machans Beach
0-4 6.4% / 5.0%
Stratford — 0-4: 6.4% Machans Beach — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 12.8% / 12.2%
Stratford — 5-14: 12.8% Machans Beach — 5-14: 12.2%
15-19 7.0% / 4.3%
Stratford — 15-19: 7.0% Machans Beach — 15-19: 4.3%
20-24 4.7% / 3.2%
Stratford — 20-24: 4.7% Machans Beach — 20-24: 3.2%
25-34 9.9% / 9.0%
Stratford — 25-34: 9.9% Machans Beach — 25-34: 9.0%
35-44 13.9% / 12.6%
Stratford — 35-44: 13.9% Machans Beach — 35-44: 12.6%
45-54 15.6% / 15.8%
Stratford — 45-54: 15.6% Machans Beach — 45-54: 15.8%
55-64 14.6% / 18.9%
Stratford — 55-64: 14.6% Machans Beach — 55-64: 18.9%
65-74 9.4% / 13.3%
Stratford — 65-74: 9.4% Machans Beach — 65-74: 13.3%
75-84 4.8% / 4.9%
Stratford — 75-84: 4.8% Machans Beach — 75-84: 4.9%
85+ 0.8% / 1.1%
Stratford — 85+: 0.8% Machans Beach — 85+: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Stratford 40.2% couple families
Stratford — Couple Families: 40.2% Stratford — Lone Person: 35.6% Stratford — One Parent Families: 14.1% Stratford — Group Household: 8.9% Stratford — Other Families: 1.1%
Machans Beach 31.7% couple families
Machans Beach — Couple Families: 31.7% Machans Beach — Lone Person: 36.0% Machans Beach — One Parent Families: 21.6% Machans Beach — Group Household: 8.3% Machans Beach — Other Families: 2.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Stratford 29.2% renting
Stratford — Owned Outright: 30.3% Stratford — Mortgage: 40.5% Stratford — Renting: 29.2%
Machans Beach 28.2% renting
Machans Beach — Owned Outright: 31.8% Machans Beach — Mortgage: 40.1% Machans Beach — Renting: 28.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Stratford Machans Beach
Certificate III & IV 15.5% / 16.9%
Stratford — Certificate III & IV: 15.5% Machans Beach — Certificate III & IV: 16.9%
Bachelor Degree 16.3% / 12.6%
Stratford — Bachelor Degree: 16.3% Machans Beach — Bachelor Degree: 12.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.1% / 9.4%
Stratford — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1% Machans Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4%
Postgraduate Degree 7.3% / 5.3%
Stratford — Postgraduate Degree: 7.3% Machans Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.7% / 2.9%
Stratford — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7% Machans Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.9%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Stratford Machans Beach
England 4.3% / 5.0%
Stratford — England: 4.3% Machans Beach — England: 5.0%
New Zealand 3.2% / 3.6%
Stratford — New Zealand: 3.2% Machans Beach — New Zealand: 3.6%
Germany 0.6% / 0.8%
Stratford — Germany: 0.6% Machans Beach — Germany: 0.8%
Philippines 0.6% / 0.3%
Stratford — Philippines: 0.6% Machans Beach — Philippines: 0.3%
Scotland 0.8% / —
Stratford — Scotland: 0.8% Machans Beach — Scotland: not among its largest
France 0.7% / —
Stratford — France: 0.7% Machans Beach — France: not among its largest
Italy — / 0.7%
Stratford — Italy: not among its largest Machans Beach — Italy: 0.7%
China — / 0.6%
Stratford — China: not among its largest Machans Beach — China: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Stratford 75.5% houses
Stratford — Houses: 75.5% Stratford — Townhouses: 16.3% Stratford — Flats / Apartments: 8.2%
Machans Beach 90.4% houses
Machans Beach — Houses: 90.4% Machans Beach — Townhouses: 7.7% Machans Beach — Flats / Apartments: 1.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Stratford Machans Beach
Median house price $880,000 $659,250
Median unit price $462,500 —
Median land price — $270,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 12 sales
 31 days
from 19 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Stratford Machans Beach
3 bed $800K / $672K
Stratford — 3 bed: $800K (11 sales) Machans Beach — 3 bed: $672K (22 sales)

11 vs 22 sales

4 bed $900K / $630K
Stratford — 4 bed: $900K (13 sales) Machans Beach — 4 bed: $630K (7 sales)

13 vs 7 sales

Development activity

Stratford Machans Beach
New dwellings approved 767
across Cairns
same for both
Approvals change year on year -81%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Stratford Machans Beach
Houses — 3.9%
$740/wk on $989K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Stratford Machans Beach
House price —
same for both
Income — Higher than 55% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 82% of QLD Higher than 85% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 75% of QLD Higher than 76% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of QLD Higher than 82% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 47% of QLD

Liveability

Machans Beach is more walkable (42 vs 32); Machans Beach scores higher overall (44 vs 38).

Stratford Machans Beach
Grade C
same for both
Score 38/100 44/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Stratford carries more bushfire risk (65 vs 0).

Stratford Machans Beach
Bushfire Moderate
65/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
71/100
 High
74/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 High
83/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 5
within 5 km
 4
within 5 km

Schools

Stratford Machans Beach
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
James Cook University - Cairns, 7.4 km
 1
James Cook University - Cairns, 7.2 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.3% 0.5%

Schools in Stratford

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Machans Beach

  • Machans Beach State School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Stratford Machans Beach
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 5 2
Parks & reserves 2 4
Childcare 0 1
GPs 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 1
same for both
Waterways 0 2

Mobility

Machans Beach sits further from the CBD (1709 km vs 1706 km).

Stratford Machans Beach
Walkability score 32/100 42/100
Distance to Brisbane 1706 km 1709 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 1180 min 1183 min
Public transport score 47/100
Bus
 49/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 11.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 9.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 4870
 0.7%
postcode 4878
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 45
postcode 4870
 64
postcode 4878

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Stratford Machans Beach
Car (driver) 66.2% / 68.6%
Stratford — Car (driver): 66.2% Machans Beach — Car (driver): 68.6%
Worked from Home 21.0% / 20.0%
Stratford — Worked from Home: 21.0% Machans Beach — Worked from Home: 20.0%
Car (passenger) 4.9% / 5.4%
Stratford — Car (passenger): 4.9% Machans Beach — Car (passenger): 5.4%
Bicycle 4.3% / 2.2%
Stratford — Bicycle: 4.3% Machans Beach — Bicycle: 2.2%
Walked Only 2.1% / 1.6%
Stratford — Walked Only: 2.1% Machans Beach — Walked Only: 1.6%
Bus 1.5% / 2.2%
Stratford — Bus: 1.5% Machans Beach — Bus: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.6%).

Setting

Stratford Machans Beach
Elevation 34 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 10 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.3 km 345 m

NBN connectivity

Stratford Machans Beach
Connectivity score 71/100 73/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 47%
649 premises
 52%
500 premises

Climate

Stratford Machans Beach
Annual rainfall 2,121 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 31.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 18.1°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Stratford Machans Beach
PM2.5 5.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 18.6 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Stratford Machans Beach
Average residential rate $1,354/yr
same for both
Council Cairns
same for both

Federal electorate

Stratford Machans Beach
Division Leichhardt
same for both
Member Matt Smith
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Stratford Machans Beach
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Stratford

Professionals

Machans Beach

Acreage Affordable Coastal Quiet River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Stratford

Stratford vs Brinsmead Stratford vs Whitfield Stratford vs Freshwater Stratford vs Aeroglen Stratford vs Barron

Other comparisons with Machans Beach

Machans Beach vs Holloways Beach Machans Beach vs Aeroglen Machans Beach vs Coral Sea Machans Beach vs Barron
Full data on Stratford Full data on Machans Beach
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or