Homes in Machans are an attractive and eclectic mix of the old, the new and the post-modern. They range from grand million dollar,  architecturally designed beachfront properties  to a wide variety of old and new Queenslander Style cottages and shacks.

 We bought our first beachfront property (a fisherman's shack) on the Esplanade over 27  years ago when Machans was still largely unloved - its views then amazingly  unrecognized. We sold it 5 years ago to investors from NSW, who foresaw its inherent beachfront value and capital gain. They on sold it in early 2007 to its current  owners who have since demolished the ancient "cottage" to make way for yet another new, water-front home taking advantage of Machans magnificent sea and mountain views.

 So far there are no high rise development blocks in Machans although several new and exciting architecturally designed homes are slowly blossoming  along the esplanade. The once "Cinderella of the North" is quietly morphing into a tropical beauty.

If you drive slowly (and carefully) along O'Shea Esplanade while the sun is rising over the Coral Sea - or setting behind the mountains to the west - you will witness her unique charm - much as we did more than a quarter of a century ago - and others long before that. You will also better understand the mystical attraction of this small strip of paradise that sits quietly and defiantly - as it has done since "time before" - between the Great Dividing Range and the Coral Sea

 At low tide, when Barr Creek is open, you can walk to Holloways Beach along the sand - and on rare tidal occasions you can traverse the dry creek beds to reach as far as Yorkeys Knob to the north. To the south it is a short pleasant walk to the Barron River either via the beach or across the newly constructed Redden Creek Bridge. Once over the bridge you can meander through a tranquil and shady Redden Island until you reach the river a short distance to the south

 Redden Island is owned primarily by Cairns Port Authority, has no access restrictions and  is a haven for bush lovers and ornithologists whose surveys have turned up 132 species over a few years - including the colourful Paradise Kingfisher which migrates down from southern Papua New Guinea around November each year. This bird's  annual migration is not unlike the migration of many Machans residents - who wandered here from all points of the compass to discover their own nirvana  ..  and then, once bewitched by the sea, were compelled to  stay .... or to return.

 If you're too tired to drive the 10 kilometres into Cairns for lunch or for an evening meal you can always wine and dine alfresco on the beachfront. Or you can grab great burgers from the takeout on Marshall Street - or a snack from the Servo on Machans Street - and sip Shiraz  on your verandah as the moon shimmers across the Coral Sea.

 Unlike some of the other tourist beaches in the north Machans has its own Post Office and Primary School. The Post Office, which is locally owned by Russell and Wendy, acts as a hub for the local community, the Machans Beach Green Pages and the local paper.

 If you want high density, high rise, over development  and an homogenous tourist experience then you'll have to look further north to Palm Cove. If, on the other hand, you want to be close to the City of Cairns - and to the Cairns that once was - but still desire a natural, scenic beauty - then check out Machans Beach. Feel for yourself the special mystique that is Machans.  Please hurry, though, before it's too late.

Already she is a- morphing  ..

 N B -  Although it is the closest beach to Cairns and to the Airport, Machans Beach is offset from the Runway Centreline (33/15). As a result it experiences less aircraft noise than Cairns North, Holloways Beach, Yorkeys Knob - or even Edge Hill.