Cairns is a regional city and located in Queensland, Australia. Originally settled in 1876, and named after William Wellington Cairns (the then Governor of Queensland) to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield., Cairns' future was secured as it developed into a railhead and major port for the exportation of sugar cane, gold, precious metals and agricultural industries from the surrounding coastal and Tableland regions.

The city is rapidly expanding, with a population of 128,284 (as of June, 2005). Expected growth is calculated to be 1.5% per annum giving the city and shire a population of 160,000 by 2008. These figures do not take into account annual visitors but permanent residents only.

The City of Cairns lies about 1720 km (1,069 miles), or a 2 hour flight, from Brisbane and about 2500 km (1,553 miles), or a 3 hour flight, from Sydney. Cairns International Airport (link) is 7.5 hours from Tokyo and 6.5 hours from Singapore.

Cairns is a popular travel destination for tourists because of its tropical climate and proximity to many attractions. The Great Barrier Reef can be reached in less than an hour by boat. The Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation, about 130km north of Cairns, are popular areas for experiencing a tropical rainforest. It is also a starting point for people wanting to explore Cooktown, Cape York Peninsula, and the Atherton Tableland.

Our place in the world…

Cairns is located on the east coast, at the base of Cape York Peninsula on a coastal strip between the Coral Sea and the Great Dividing Range. The northern part of the city is located on Trinity Bay and the city centre is located on Trinity Inlet. The Mulgrave River and Barron River flow within the city's boundary but not through the city itself.

Cairns is a provincial city and has a linear urban layout that runs from the south, at Aloomba, to the north, at Ellis Beach). The city is approximately 52 km from north to south. Cairns has experienced recent urban sprawl, with suburbs occupying land previously used for sugar cane farming.

The Northern Beaches consist of a number of beach communities extending north along the coast. In general, each beach suburb is located at the end of a spur road extending from the Captain Cook Highway. From south to north, these are Machans Beach, Holloways Beach, Yorkeys Knob, Trinity Park, Trinity Beach, Kewarra Beach, Clifton Beach, Palm Cove and Ellis Beach.

Located inland from the Northern Beaches along the edge of the Barron River flood plain are the suburbs of Caravonica, Lake Placid, Kamerunga, Stratford, and Freshwater. This area is sometimes referred to as Freshwater Valley. Further up Freshwater Valley is Redlynch Valley. The suburb of Redlynch is located on the western side of Redlynch Valley, and Brinsmead lies on the eastern side. Stratford, Freshwater, Redlynch and Brinsmead are separated from Cairns city by Mount Whitfield (elevation 365m) and Whitfield Range.

Cairns City, located on what once was swamp, is in close proximity to the suburbs of Cairns North, Manunda, Edge Hill, Whitfield, Kanimbla, Parramatta Park, Mooroobool, Manoora, Portsmith, Earlville, Bungalow and Woree.

Southside Cairns is situated in a mountainous valley, includes the suburbs of White Rock, Mount Sheridan, Bentley Park, Wrights Creek, Edmonton and Centenary Heights, and the townships of Babinda, Goldsborough, Little Mulgrave, Aloomba and Gordonvale, which is located on the Mulgrave River.
The town of Kuranda is located upstream on the Barron River on the western side of the Kuranda Range, part of the Great Dividing Range.

Moments in time…

1770 - On June 10th, English maritime explorer Captain James Cook became the first official person to visit and give a European name to the inlet. Writing in his journal at the time he commented “The shore between Cape Grafton and Cape Tribulation forms a large but not very deep bay which I named Trinity Bay after the day - Trinity Sunday - on which it was discovered”. He hauled his ship into Mission Bay, at the southern end of Trinity inlet between Cape Grafton and False Cape, let out a sigh, and sent a boat ahead to do depth soundings. After which he went ashore for a couple of hours with Sir Joseph Banks at a place approximately near the present site of the Yarrabah aboriginal community. They then returned to the ship and set sail at midnight for the north west continuing on their journey up the east coast.

1876 - In March 1876, an extensive gold field, The Hodginson River, was discovered on the tablelands 122km west of Trinity Inlet. The site was of sufficient size to warrant serious consideration being given to establishing a coastal wharf and settlement. The first officials on their arrival in Cairns pitched their tents opposite the site of the present day Pacific International hotel. On October 7th 1876, the Governor of Queensland, William Wellington Cairns, proclaimed a new northern port at Trinity Bay. On November 1 the township was inaugurated at a luncheon given by Captain Lake on board the Government ship the Victoria. This is the date regarded as the birth of Cairns.

1915 - After some intense public debate a local harbour board was established in 1915. Most of the currently listed heritage buildings were constructed during this decade, many designed by harbour board engineer E Gregory Waters.

1942 - During the 1942 Pacific Phrase of World War II, Cairns was used by the Allied Forces; in particular, the United States stationed troops through the region to supply the Pacific fleet. Furthermore, it was a strategic point to hold to prevent the Japanese from entering into Australia through Cape York Peninsula. The fall of Singapore precipitated a mass evacuation of local residents to the south. Many homes were sold cheaply and a year later the local population had been reduced by nearly 7000 people.

1980’s - The construction of Tuna Towers and Lyons Vacation Inn during 1981 heralded the start of an ongoing local high rise era and the opening of the Cairns International Airport in 1984, made Cairns and its attractions more accessible to the world.

Man, what about this heat?

Cairns experiences a warm tropical climate. It experiences a dry season between April and November and a wet season with tropical monsoons between November and March. It has hot humid summers and milder temperatures in winter. The temperature varies from a mean temperature of approx 25 °C in July to approx 32 °C in January. Many tourists consider Cairns to have a similar climate to Hawaii.

What do we do here?

Cairns serves as the major commercial centre for the Far North Queensland and Cape York Peninsula Regions. It is a base for the regional offices of many government departments. Tourism plays a major part in the Cairns economy. According to Tourism Australia, Cairns is the fourth most popular destination for international tourists in Australia after Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The city's proximity to the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics of Queensland makes it a popular destination. The city contains hundreds of hotels, resorts, motels and backpackers hostels.

Activities in the region include golf, white water rafting, snorkeling, diving and hiking.
The land around Cairns is still used for sugar cane farming, although this land is increasingly under pressure from new suburbs as the city grows. Within the Cairns City Council area, sugar mills operate in Gordonvale and Babinda.

Cairns International Airport is operated by the Cairns Port Authority and is located 7km north of Cairns City between the CBD and the Northern Beaches. It is Australia's sixth busiest in terms of international and domestic passenger movements. The Cairns airport is also a base for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The Cairns Seaport, located on Trinity Inlet, is operated by the Cairns Port Authority. Cairns Port is a port of call for cruise ships, such as Captain Cook Cruises, cruising the South Pacific Ocean, and it provides freight services to coastal townships on Cape York Peninsula, the Torres Strait and the Gulf of Carpentaria. There is also a marina that houses private yachts and boats used for tourist operations.
The Royal Australian Navy has a base in Cairns (HMAS Cairns) where 5 Fremantle Class patrol boats are based.
The Trinity Wharf has recently been subject of a major redevelopment to improve the area for tourist and cruise ship operations. The freight wharves are located to the south of Trinity Wharf further up Trinity Inlet.

Education

See List of schools in Cairns

Cairns has numerous primary and secondary schools. Separate systems of private and public schools operate in Queensland. There are 20 state primary schools and 16 state high schools operated by the Queensland state government Department of Education within the Cairns City Council area,
The Cairns Campus of James Cook University is located at Smithfield. The city is also home to a TAFE college, and a School of the Air base, both located in the inner suburb of Manunda.

Hey there ‘Sport’…

As in the rest of Queensland, Rugby Union and rugby league are popular in Cairns. Cairns is unusual among Queensland cities in that Australian rules football is also very popular. Other sports such as cycling, mountain biking, martial arts, dance, soccer and cricket are also popular. Cairns also has a National Basketball League (NBL) team, the Cairns Taipans. Notable sporting grounds include Smith Park Velodrome, Barlow Park and Cazaly's Stadium (cricket, Australian rules football and rugby league), the Cairns Convention Centre (basketball), and the Cairns Hockey Centre. 

Cairns is a major international destination for scuba diving due to its close proximity to the Great Barrier Reef. Other recreational activities popular with tourists include whitewater rafting, snorkelling and drinking…