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⛔ Lake Morris Road closure for tree maintenance
The upper sections of Lake Morris Road will be closed to all traffic, including pedestrians and cyclists, on Thursday 28 May and Friday 29 May, both days from 7am to 4pm.
This closure of the road beyond the new lookout is required to allow urgent vegetation maintenance works to be undertaken.
We apologise for any inconvenience and thanks you for your patience.
The Tanks Markets return this Sunday following their temporary hiatus due to coronavirus restrictions.
Along with reinforcing physical distancing measures and good hygiene practices, we will impose restrictions on attendance, limit the number stalls and use arrows and signage to encourage visitors to “keep left” as they wander the leafy promenade.
Between 10am and 11am has traditionally been the most popular time people to visit the markets. However, with the strict limit on numbers, people are asked to consider visiting at alternative times to decrease the possibility of long queues outside the markets.
Other conditions and restrictions at this weekend’s market include:
✔️ A limit on the number of stalls
✔️ Encouraging people to limit touching of products
✔️ Cashless payments are preferred
✔️ Pack your own reusable bags
✔️ Maximum groups of 10 people
✔️ Stay home if you are unwell
✔️ Limit of two entry points to the markets
✔️ No tables or seating
The Botanic Gardens Café and TANK sixty four café will be open.
💧 Water restrictions lifted! 💧
Water restrictions have been lifted following recent rainfall in the Lake Morris catchment.
More than 150mm of rain since 18 May has brought the dam water level to over 93.3 per cent capacity.
Water usage has also dropped to just under 50 megalitres a day, below the average annual use of 60-70 megalitres a day, and well below the peak of almost 90 megalitres per day recorded in November 2019.
⚠️ Permanent water conservation measures remain in place year-round, using an “odds and evens” system as follows:
💧 Odd-numbered houses permitted to use sprinklers on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday between the hours of 5am - 9am and 5pm - 9pm.
💧 Even-numbered houses permitted to use sprinklers on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday between the hours of 5am - 9am and 5pm - 9pm.
💧 No sprinkler use permitted on Monday.
💧 Hand-held hoses with a trigger nozzle, watering cans and buckets can be used at any time.
⚠️ Muddy’s Playground at the Esplanade has been closed.
Unfortunately far too many people were using the playground and we were left with no choice but to close it.
We remind everyone about social distancing rules and the necessity to adhere to those directions, and we apologise for the inconvenience.
Muddy’s will reopen again tomorrow morning.
⚠️ Rates are due next Wednesday, May 27th.
Contact us now to discuss an interest-free payment plan.
👉 Use our financial hardship form http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/covidhardship
👉 Or contact us via email at covidhardship@cairns.qld.gov.au
👉 Or call 1300 69 22 47 (business hours only)
⚠️ Help us to gauge the extent of under-insurance of homes in the Cairns region by filling out this survey.
Cairns Regional Council has partnered with James Cook University (JCU) to carry out the survey, which is jointly funded by the Queensland and Australian Governments under Commonwealth/State Disaster Recovery Fund.
Having the right insurance coverage is an important aspect of recovery from disaster because it can ease many of the financial and personal stresses of rebuilding.
Data collected will feed into decision-making around insurance and disaster recovery. The survey takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
You can find the survey here:
👉http://jcubusiness.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ezCcEnOGtTqFoIB
📣 Libraries, playgrounds, public barbecues and some public pools will reopen this weekend as coronavirus restrictions are gradually rolled back.
Social distancing measures and limits on numbers must be followed when using these facilities.
🏛️ CAIRNS LIBRARIES
All eight Cairns Libraries branches will open Saturday morning for borrowing only.
The branches will open with regular operating hours and a 10-person limit.
Social distancing measures will be in place and time limits may be in place depending on demand.
To minimise the time spent inside, residents are encouraged to reserve a book online (visit https://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library) and use the self-checkout at the library.
Patrons are also asked to sanitise their hands upon entering the library branch and be patient as there could be extended waiting times and queues outside.
Borrowed items should be returned via the after-hours returns chute and residents are urged to continue using online services where possible to avoid long queues and delays.
The Australian Library and Information Association, as the national peak body, has been providing Council with direction and guidance.
🏞️ FACILITIES, SERVICES & VENUES
Council will reopen a number of facilities and venues on Saturday in line with the relaxation of restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Users are reminded they should adhere to physical distancing measures, good hygiene practices, be vigilant of 10-person limits and follow the direction of any signage.
Council facilities and services opening from this weekend include:
✔️ Muddy’s Playground (wet and dry areas)
✔️ Centenary Lakes Nature Play
✔️ Fun Ship playground
✔️ Bouldering Park
✔️ Barlow Park (open for casual athletics only)
✔️ Public basketball courts
✔️ Public tennis courts
✔️ Lake Morris
✔️ Outdoor gym equipment
✔️ Playgrounds, skate parks and bump tracks.
✔️ Green Space Our Place program will resume from Tuesday 19 May.
🏊 POOLS
✔️ Smithfield, Woree and Gordonvale pools will open with restrictions.
✔️ Babinda pool will open on Monday.
❌ Tobruk Memorial Pool remains closed at this stage.
👨👩👦 GATHERINGS IN PUBLIC PLACES
Gatherings in public places are limited to a maximum of 10 people within one group.
🥩 PUBLIC BARBECUES
Public barbecues across the city will be reopened this weekend following advice from Queensland Health.
Barbecues at the Cairns Esplanade, beaches, Babinda Boulders, and Lake Morris will be open from tomorrow morning.
The remaining barbecue facilities in the Cairns Regional Council area will be reopened by Sunday.
Users are encouraged to bring their own cleaning and sanitising products to give barbecues a clean before and after use in line with good hygiene practices.
🍽️ DINING
From tomorrow, dining in at restaurants, pubs, clubs, RSLs and cafes for a maximum of 10 patrons at one time will also be allowed as part of a gradual re-opening, but bars and gaming remains closed.
For a full list of Council facilities which are reopening and more information in regards to the coronavirus pandemic visit www.cairns.qld.gov.au/council/covid19
Cairns Regional Council is following Australian Government and Queensland Health guidelines to help minimise the transmission of coronavirus.
Stay informed by visiting www.health.gov.au and download the Government’s COVIDSafe app.
👀 Look out … it’s a new lookout!
Views of the Cairns city have never looked better with the upgrade of the popular Lake Morris Road lookout now complete.
The new viewing platform and shelter extends over the embankment, making the panoramic views over the city even more stunning.
The upgrade includes new balustrading, interpretative signage, seating, designated parking and solar CCTV security, along with safety improvements for cyclists and pedestrians.
A new gate system will allow Council to close the roadway to traffic while providing safe access to the upper part of the road and Lake Morris to cyclists and pedestrians.
🚴🚶 Did you know all footpaths in Queensland are shared paths (unless there is a sign that says otherwise)?
On Cairns footpaths you’ll find strollers, walkers, cyclists, joggers, skateboarders, and scooters. Right now, our footpaths are very busy… and everyone needs a little more space. Look out for one another out there!
✔️ Keep to the left if you can
✔️ If you have wheels, give way to pedestrians
✔️ Allow plenty of space when passing someone (and remember, people with headphones in won’t necessarily hear a bike bell)
✔️ Move off the path if you need to stop walking
✔️ Keep animals on short leads and under control
Ratepayers who are experiencing financial hardship as a result of the coronavirus pandemic are being urged to contact Council before half-yearly rates payment deadline on 27 May to review their repayment options.
At today’s meeting, Council endorsed a Financial Hardship Policy to provide rates and charges assistance to those ratepayers experiencing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 by way of extended payments plans and interest waivers.
To access the Financial Hardship Program use this online form:
👉 http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/covidhardship
Alternatively you can contact us via email at covidhardship@cairns.qld.gov.au
⛏ There is still time to get amongst it and create a Minecraft replica of a building in your town for our Regional Minecraft Building Competition.
See the original post from Cultural Services for more details on how to get involved.
🌴 Our next Free Green Waste Drop Off is coming up, from Saturday 23 May to Sunday 31 May 2020.
Check our website for locations, opening times and conditions:
👉 https://bit.ly/2zhTaBi
📅 Don't forget to respond to the Free Green Waste Drop Off event to receive Facebook reminders.
Lastly, remember to bring some loose change for our voluntary gold coin donation in support of Cairns Meals On Wheels.
🙌 Our Buy Back Shop will be open with normal trading hours from tomorrow (9am – 4pm, Wednesday - Sunday). Visitors must obey social distancing rules at all times!
🌱 We have received a special delivery from our nursery. These plants (pictured) will be available for $3 each.
You can find more information about our Buy Back Shop on our website:
👉 https://bit.ly/35xct5x
🚦 Green light for Florence Street traffic signals
Traffic signals at the Florence St/Abbott St intersection are expected to go live from Tuesday May 5.
The intersection is part of stage 1 of the Florence St Link project – an upgrade between the Esplanade and Grafton St – which includes the replacement of two roundabouts with traffic signals (Abbott St / Florence St and Lake St /Florence St intersections). Off-road works such as landscaping, electrical works, storm water relining and the construction of a trellis structure are still in progress.
Stage 2 of the project is now underway, with the Florence St/Lake St intersection to be closed to all traffic from 5 May for four to six weeks in order to accelerate its completion. Motorists are advised to use alternative routes to avoid the area if possible.
Florence St Link is one of a raft of projects being constructed by local contractors, which we have brought forward or accelerated to be ready as Coronavirus restrictions are possibly lifted.
Other fast tracked works in the city include:
👷 Esplanade: Renewal of the plaza area between the Lagoon and the Esplanade.
👷 Esplanade: Road rehabilitation and kerb and channel renewal works along the Esplanade from Charles St to McKenzie St, just north of Cairns Hospital (underway).
👷 Abbott St: Footpath renewal has already started from Spence St towards Shields St on the western side.
👷 Grafton St: Asphalt night works that were postponed due to wet weather, are now underway.
👷 Lake St: Water main and rehabilitation works from Florence St to Minnie St are underway.
👷 Abbott St: Florence St to Aplin St, road rehabilitation works underway.
👷 Grafton St: Footpath upgrades on the western side from 117-121 Grafton St.
👷 Spence St: Footpath upgrades on the northern side from 12-14 Spence St.
👷 Shields St: Footpath upgrades on both sides from Grafton St to McLeod St.
More information on Council works is available at www.cairns.qld.gov.au/works
🚧 Major roadworks start at McGregor Rd
Major roadworks to realign McGregor Rd in Smithfield will begin tomorrow (Thursday 30 April), with detours and road closures required until early June.
Motorists are advised of the following changes:
⛔ Sidlaw St, at the McGregor Rd intersection, will be closed from Thursday 30 April until Wednesday 20 May. During this time, all access to Sidlaw St will be via Cheviot St.
⛔ McGregor Rd, between Sidlaw St and Dunne Rd, will be closed from Thursday 30 April until Wednesday 10 June 2020.
⛔ McGregor Rd, between Cheviot St and Sidlaw St, is expected to reopen on Thursday 21 May 2020.
The new McGregor Rd connection, through the Smithfield Village Estate and connecting to Smithfield Village Dr, is expected to be open to traffic on Thursday 11 June 2020.
More information on Council works is available at
👉 https://bit.ly/2Ycq9kZ
#COVIDCAIRNS PROJECT
Capturing COVID in Cairns.
The Cairns Museum and the Cairns Historical Society want to help future generations understand the experience of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in our particular part of Australia.
What does cabin fever look like at your place? Are you cooking up a storm, cleaning, gardening? Are you getting around to those jobs that you just never had time to before?
Want to share your experiences to help document the impact of the pandemic on life in the Far North?
You can find more information on the project and how to get involved here:
👉 https://www.cairnsmuseum.org.au/covidcairns
📣 Calling Cairns artists, performers and cultural practitioners 📣
Applications are now open for RADF grants. Application guidelines can be found on our website:
👉 https://bit.ly/2Y2wBuS
A quick reminder that Star 102.7 and 4CA (846 AM) will be broadcasting The Last Post at 6am tomorrow.
Alternatively you can tune in from your mobile using one of the following links:
Star 102.7
http://player.listenlive.co/60581/en/songhistory
4CA
http://player.listenlive.co/60571/en/songhistory
🎖️ CAIRNS DURING WORLD WAR 2 - #7
Like many other parts of the world, Cairns knew how to celebrate when the war in the Pacific was over in 1945. It was called VP Day (Victory in the Pacific) and was celebrated globally on 15 August 1945.
Nearly 75 years ago, Cairns residents joined Australian troops to turn out in their thousands in the city centre as the “town went delirious with joy” according to The Cairns Post the next day.
“Dignity was thrown to the winds” as spontaneous celebrations took over the city streets.
“…. The main idea was to create noises – joyous noises … with one accord the people rushed to the streets, linked arms with the nearest passers-by and ran around and around the block shouting to their heart’s content,” the newspaper report said.
For two hours the impromptu procession continued around Shields, Spence, Lake, and Abbott Streets, gathering more trucks and vehicles as it went.
Because coloured streamers were not available, The Cairns Post provided the crowd with large quantities of coloured paper which was draped on cars and trucks. It was noted afterwards that all that was left after the event were littered streets, sore heads and an old dog (1).
An official procession and ceremony was held in Cairns the next day (16 August) which drew one of the biggest crowds ever seen in the city.
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ℹ️ The pictures we used for our #cairnsww2 posts were sourced from The Australian War Memorial website, the Cairns Historical Society and local photographer Bruce Downie (2). Bruce’s photos of the Victory in the Pacific (VP Day) celebrations in Cairns, are the only ones known to exist.
At the time, Bruce was a 19-year-old Adelaide man, who was a wireless operator and was stationed in Cairns from 1944 onwards. He was a signaller with the 41st Squadron of Martin Mariner Flying Boats. He was also one of the few people here with a good camera – and film.
Bruce returned to Adelaide after the war and, many years later, he returned to Cairns with some of the photographs and connected with the Cairns Historical Society.
The Tanks Arts Centre (which was originally used as oil tanks during the war) ran an exhibition of his photographs in 2014. After seeing what had been done in transforming the old oil tanks into art spaces, Bruce offered 209 photographs that were taken in and around World War II and for the first few months afterwards.
We have a lot to thank him for in taking and passing on these photographs, documenting life in the Far North region in the mid 1940s.
🎖️ CAIRNS DURING WORLD WAR 2 - #6
Looking at the beautiful surrounds of Trinity Beach today, you wouldn’t think that it was the location for intense training for thousands of soldiers in World War II.
Between May 1943 and December 1944, the beach was full of Australian and American troops who underwent intensive training – day and night – for all aspects of amphibious warfare before heading off into the war zones north of Australian shores, particularly in Borneo and Papua New Guinea.
Many of the soldiers camped along the Captain Cook Highway, particularly at Deadman’s Gully (near Clifton Beach). Conditions were rough and ready, especially during the wet season.
By late October 1945, the Trinity Beach training headquarters was shut down and the area again became a popular recreational spot for Cairns residents.
Major General George Vasey was the popular Commander of the 6th Australian Division which took part in the training exercises. Unfortunately, he was killed on 5 March 1945 when the RAAF Hudson he and 11 others were travelling in crashed into the sea about 400 metres out from Machans Beach.
To honour the Major General, the Mulgrave Shire Council named the esplanade at Trinity Beach after him. They also erected a plaque in a brick memorial wall to commemorate the loss of the 11 service personnel in this tragic crash.
Colonel Cummings Drive at Palm Cove was named after former Cairns resident Colonel Clem Cummings who was the Commander of the 1st Australian Beach Group based at Trinity Beach.
#cairnsww2
🎖️ CAIRNS DURING WORLD WAR 2 - #5
During the war, Cairns was the base for thousands of Australian and American soldiers involved in the Pacific operations.
That brought the occasional celebrity or VIP to the city, often staying at the Hides Hotel (1).
Even the “Duke” took the trip down under to entertain the troops in January 1944. John Wayne (2) was a big star in those days and is pictured here with a US Weather Squadron member at the Cairns Aerodrome.
Other VIP visitors includes America’s first lady at the time, Eleanor Roosevelt, Australian General Sir Thomas Blamey, and the Supreme Allied Commander of the Southwest Pacific, General Douglas MacArthur.
#cairnsww2
🎖️ CAIRNS DURING WORLD WAR 2 - #4
You might not believe this but during World War II even our region was targeted by the enemy.
Mossman gained its own place in history on 31 July, 1942 when eight bombs were dropped from a Japanese long-range flying boat, around 13km north of the town.
One landed near the home of the Zullo family, with shrapnel piercing the corrugated walls of the house and slicing through the scalp of two-year-old Carmel (Mele) as she lay in her cot.
The incident was formally documented in a report which stated that five or six enemy aircraft had been sighted over Mossman on 31 July and noted that “a bomb was dropped one mile north of the post office at Miallo”.
One chap at the time recalled how, upon hearing the aircraft noise, his father had rushed outside in his pyjamas, rifle in hand. “I yelled for dad to ‘shoot him down’.”
“As the plane flew on, I could hear a rack-racking noise then I saw a black bomb drop down from out of the plane’s belly. We heard other booming noises but could not see anything so Dad pulled on his Voluntary Defence Corps uniform over his pyjamas and went off to investigate.”
A nurse at the Mossman Hospital recalled she was on duty when they heard a plane overhead and went to look outside.
“It looked like a big black hawk circling the mill and right around the town area. It flew so low that in the bright moonlight we could see the pilot’s helmet.
“Then about 5am the superintendent of the Mossman Ambulance walked in wearing his tin helmet and covered in mud and said: We have our first air raid victim. Little Mele Zullo was taken straight to theatre to be treated for head wounds.”
The bombing was even reported in The Bangkok Times and the whole incident gathered more credibility when the logbook of Japanese pilot Sub Lieutenant Kiyoshi Mizukura (1/2) confirmed the bombing.
The logbook states that the crew saw light and, assuming it was Cairns, dropped eight bombs at 3.30am on what they thought was the aerodrome.
A replica bomb and plaque (3) was unveiled by Carmel Emmi (nee Zullo) at the spot on 31 July 1992 to mark the 50th anniversary of the bombing.
Carmel was the only civilian casualty inflicted by the enemy on Australia's east coast during World War II.
#cairnsww2
