[1] Clifton Beach is located about 22 kilometres north of the city centre of Cairns on the Coral Sea.

[citation needed] Clifton Beach is situated in the Djabugay (Tjapukai) traditional Aboriginal country.

The Mulgrave Shire Council at the time named the area after the birthplace of his wife, who was from Clifton in the Darling Downs of southern Queensland.

[5] Alternatively, it is believed that the suburb was named after Clifton in Perthshire, Scotland, the birthplace of Mary Hunter Smart, a settler around 1880s.

[citation needed] There are older houses and tourist facilities from this period on Arlington Esplanade running along the beach.

A community centre was built a short distance back from the esplanade and local shops sold everyday goods, arts, and crafts.

[10] There are a number of parks in the suburb, including: Media related to Clifton Beach, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons