Smithfield in brief
Quick growth
The population went from 3,707 in 2011 to 5,303 in 2016 and 6,664 in 2021. Smithfield sits about 15 km north of Cairns City on the Captain Cook Highway, where the Kuranda Range Road branches off.
A university suburb
The Cairns campus of James Cook University is in Smithfield. The median age was 34 in 2021.
Houses, with plenty rented
91.0% of occupied homes were separate houses, 6.0% flats and 2.7% semis or townhouses. 42.4% were owned with a mortgage, 22.9% owned outright and 32.2% rented.
Tropical climate zone
The ABCB puts Cairns in climate zone 1. The Queensland Government's aim there is to cool the home all year, with air-conditioned rooms well insulated and sealed. February afternoons at the Cairns station average 71% humidity.
Newer houses and share houses
In a recent build, check what's already there before adding more. Some homes come with a split in the living area and nothing in the bedrooms. A small, properly sized split per bedroom keeps everyone comfortable without cooling empty rooms. Rinnai says an oversized system short cycles and dries the air less well, so resist going big.
In a share house, each bedroom on its own split also means each person controls their own room. If there are four or five bedrooms, a multi-split can cut down the number of outdoor units on the walls, though Mitsubishi Electric says all indoor units on one outdoor unit must share a mode.
If you rent, the owner decides on fixed systems. Ask your property manager in writing, room by room.
Signs your unit needs a service, not just a filter clean
- A musty smell at start-up. Dust and dirt inside an indoor unit can feed mould and block the drain, according to Mitsubishi Electric's manual.
- Water dripping from the indoor unit. Mitsubishi Electric's advice in that case is to stop running it and call the dealer.
- The room stays clammy even though the air coming out is cool.
What we'd do
How we'd handle a Smithfield house
We'd fit right-sized reverse cycle splits in the bedrooms first, keep doors and windows shut while they run, and clean the filters at least monthly in summer, as Daikin suggests. Then a yearly service in Cairns with a proper coil and drain clean, because in this humidity mould comes back fast.
