The northern part of the suburb near the coast is residential, but the majority of the land use is rural, mainly used for growing sugarcane.

[7] The Finfish Group operate a 17 hectare pond farm (called Ponderosa) which is capable of producing 350 tonnes of fish per annum.

During the off-fishing season, he and his sons farmed pumpkins, sweet potatoes and paddy melons, but not successfully.

Lawson used the mangroves near his homestead for the firewood and water needed for his beche-de-mer smoking station on Green Island.

The park and its facilities were managed the Yorkeys Knob Activities Group until August 2021, when the Cairns Regional Council took control.

[30] Half Moon Bay Golf Club is located at the western end of Wattle Street (16°48′32″S 145°43′00″E / 16.8089°S 145.7168°E / -16.8089; 145.7168 (Half Moon Bay Golf Club)), and is a short but challenging layout which features a number of water hazards.

It is patrolled for six months of the year by Surf Lifesaving Queensland, and has a stinger net to protect swimmers from box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri).

[32] There are a number of parks in the area: The golf club is a very good bird-watching location, with masked lapwings, bush stone-curlews, a range of kingfishers, rainbow lorikeets and sea eagles fairly easy to find.

Between the 12th and 13th holes lies Ray Howarth Park, which is home to a huge colony of flying foxes, which you can see heading out searching for food in the early evenings.

When the melaleucas are in flower you will find them gorging on nectar in the trees at the northern end of Sim's Esplanade.

[citation needed] A small bush track near the State school offers a chance to see a variety of birdlife, monitor lizards, and many skinks.

A direct service, the 113, is available during the peak periods, travelling to Cairns in the mornings and back to Yorkeys in the late afternoon.