A hipster's paradise in regional Queensland is putting the sword to counterculture capitals such as Sydney and Melbourne by embracing its man buns, skinny jeans and artisanal coffee shops.

What is a hipster? A member of generation Y who aspires to a counterculture status

A member of generation Y who aspires to a counterculture status Embraces health fads, T-shirts with slogans, and a somewhat arcane taste in popular music

Embraces health fads, T-shirts with slogans, and a somewhat arcane taste in popular music Has a laid-back attitude

Has a laid-back attitude Combines hippie values and style with the technology of a digital world Source: Macquarie Dictionary

A study called the Hipster Index published by global relocation company MoveHub named Cairns as the second-most hipster city in Australia behind the Gold Coast, with Melbourne (fifth) and Sydney (10th) lagging behind.

The index pits population density against hipster-friendly touchstones including vegan eateries, coffee shops, record stores, tattoo studios and vintage clothing boutiques.

Founder of Cairns Urban Walking Tours Georgia Babatsikos will launch a guided hipster walk next month, taking in the graffiti-filled alleyways and bearded baristas of the tropical tourism destination.

In addition to being trendsetters, Ms Babatsikos said hipsters were often creative entrepreneurs who benefitted the community's economy.

"They may be maligned because of their appearance and maybe the way they talk about things but they are responsible for making Cairns as cool and groovy as it is today," she said.

"Many hipsters are small business owners. Another aspect of the culture is wanting to be your own boss and doing something you're passionate about.

"They're Cairns businesses that are designing their own shirts, making their own streetwear and coffee and then selling it globally. It's pretty exciting."

Hipsters help small business boom

The Cairns hipster tour starts out the front of a local tattoo parlour. ( ABC Far North: Sharnie Kim )

Many trades have enjoyed massive spikes in business courtesy of hipsters, including tattooing, who have helped changed the way the industry is perceived, Ms Babatsikos said.

"There are eight [tattoo] parlours within two blocks of each other in the Cairns CBD," she said.

"Tattooing came out of the bikie culture to become more of an art form.

"When you go into a tattoo parlour in Cairns there are beautiful handles on the doors, there's artisan coffee available and they're full and busy.

Cairns City Tattoo owner, Duane Cash, said old-style tattoos including the Sailor Jerry genre of inking were becoming more popular.

"I didn't realise it was as big as it is until recently," he said.

"There's definitely hipsters coming in. Generally they tend to like the more traditional styles but it's still up to the individual."

Vinyl record store owner Martin Alison said hipsters were among his best clients.

"I think records are an old format that's come back and is here to stay," he said.

"Hipsters often tend to latch onto those sort of things."

Martin Alison collected vinyls for 50 years before taking over a record store in Cairns. ( ABC Far North: Sharnie Kim )

A local customer base

True to the hipster ethos, Mr Alison said while building loyal customers to his store was important, having a global reach meant his business could withstand any future downturn.

"We're developing our own website and using other databases to sell music," he said.

"You've got to do it to survive otherwise I'd just be a bloke with a lot of records at home.

"I suppose I am a bit of a hipster in that way but I wouldn't call myself one out loud."

According to the Hipster Index there are 153 cafes catering city's burgeoning hipster community.

At Blackbird Espresso cafe, coffee lovers are regularly treated to artistic designs on their morning lattes.

Barista Juan Escobar has been creating designs of hummingbirds, monkeys, poodles and pegasuses to adorn customers' coffees.

Barista Juan Escobar creates latte art at his hipster Cairns cafe. ( ABC Far North: Sharnie Kim )

Ms Babatsikos said she hoped her urban tour would help people look at hipsters differently.

"Originally the word hipster comes from the word hepcat in the 1940s," she said.

"They were people going against society and into jazz music, vintage clothing and didn't care about making a lot of money. They were into enjoying life.

"That culture died off in the '50s but came back in the '90s and was renamed hipsters.

"They're off the beaten path, they're not part of the mainstream but they are actually influencers.

"They want to discover the latest, greatest thing that's unknown to the wider world, but by sharing it actually comes to the mainstream."