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About Cairns

Timber GettersCairns is surrounded by lush rainforest and is the Gateway to the World heritage Great Barrier Reef.

It is one of Australia’s premier tourist destinations and the tourism market largely supports the local economy.

Whether you want to see native tropical wildlife, go fishing in the rich waters around the reef or in the rivers and estuaries, or simply take a most relaxing walk into some of the most beautiful rainforest, Cairns is at your fingertips for an amazing Australian holiday.

Following is a short history of Cairns so you too can understand the origins of this town.

Tin MinersCaptain James Cook is thought to be the first European explorer to make the treacherous journey up the east coast of Australia in 1770 to what is now North Queensland. He passed and named “Trinity Inlet” which was to be the future site of Cairns. Trinity Inlet was rather a difficult place to establish a town being marshy and surrounded by dense vegetation and experiencing long wet seasons and cyclones.

A major impetus to the development of Cairns was the discovery of gold in 1874 in the tablelands behind. Settlements sprang up and Trinity Inlet and the Barron River provided relatively protected waters for transshipment of goods to the tablelands.

Timber GettersIn the early years the settlement was called various names but was finally called Cairns after Sir William Wellington Cairns, Queensland’s first Irish born Governor.

Cairns Kuranda ConstructionThe town stagnated until a decision was made to build a railway to the tablelands to take in supplies and bring out the timber and ore that was being mined. This railway, now better known as the Cairns/Kuranda railway, was built by hand, and established Cairns as the main port for North Queensland.

After the mining boom faded the rich land on the tablelands and the coastal valleys provided new impetus to the town, with sugar cane, tobacco farming and dairying being the main industries. Cairns also hosted a sizeable fishing fleet.

B25 BomberIn World War 2 Cairns and the Tablelands became major army and airforce bases, and the infrastructure left behind added to the development of the region. After the war North Queensland continued to grow and people began to visit Cairns as a base for holidays and exploration of the fabulous natural environment. Once the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef were recognized tourism started to play a major role the development of the city, and today Cairns is recognized worldwide as the gateway to the wonders of the Reef and the Rainforests.