History of Cairns City

Cairns was named after William Wellington Cairns (1828-1888) Governor of Queensland from 1875-77. Before officially being named Cairns, the town was variously known as Dickson River by people who squatted along its banks, Newport by Cooktown residents who saw Cairns as a rival, Thornton after William Thornton and Trinity Bay by people who were unsure of the real name.

Confusion reigned about the time that Cairns was officially proclaimed on 7th October 1876, until the matter was finally put to rest when the Proclamation of the Municipality of Cairns was made in the Government Gazette of May 1885. Cairns was proclaimed a City in 1923.