Educational resources
We provide many low-cost and free educational resources, learning activities and services to complement curriculum delivery. Find out how to connect your classroom or community group to Council's facilities and activities.
- Events: throughout the year, Council delivers many events suitable for pre-school and school-aged children. To find upcoming events, visit our What's On page or download the free MyCairns app.
- Facilities: many of Council's facilities and public spaces are available for use by school and community groups. These include parks and gardens, libraries, sporting facilities, community centres, beaches and foreshores. You can find a venue and make a booking online.
- Grants: schools, students and community groups may be eligible to apply for certain grants offered by Council. View our community grants page to see available grants, criteria, terms and conditions.
More information and contact details are listed under each program, activity or resource.
Water education
We offer a free-of-charge, engaging and interactive water education program to all schools (Prep to Year 12) throughout the Cairns region. The Smarter With Our Water online education program is designed to encourage a greater appreciation for Cairns water and a deeper understanding as to why our water is too precious to waste.
- Read more about our Smarter with Water education program.
- For all enquiries, email watered@cairns.qld.gov.au.
Our Waste Education Program helps schools and community groups reduce, reuse their waste and recycle right. These include presentations for students, teachers and community groups, free Waste & Resource Recovery facility tours (via the Rediscovery Centre) and free school recycling services. Free programs and services are provided to schools to better educate our younger generation and encourage them to make sustainable choices well into the future.
Free recycling service for schools
Council offers free recycling service to all schools within the Cairns region.The allocation of 240L recycling bins is been based on the number of students per school, serviced during the school terms.
If your school does not have recycling, please contact Customer Service on 1300 69 22 47 or email the waste services team: wasteservices@cairns.qld.gov.au
Waste and resource recovery tours
Our excursions to Council waste and resource recovery facilities (such as the waste education facility, the Rediscovery Centre) and in-school waste education sessions are suitable for students, teachers and administration staff. The interactive and entertaining sessions are suitable for prep to year 12 and can be presented to individual classes, cohorts and school assemblies.
- Visit our Waste Education web page for more information or email wasteservices@cairns.qld.gov.au.
Tanks Arts Centre School tours and workshops
Take your students on a free, guided tour of the Tanks Arts Centre – and let us tailor this to suit your specific age group needs and curriculum objectives, with topics covered including:
- History - exploring the role the Tanks played in WWII and how the oil storage facility was used
- Visual Art - with a curator’s talk about a current exhibition
- Venue Management - with a behind-the-scenes tour of a multi-arts centre
- Architecture - with a talk about the design challenges and solutions for the Tanks Arts Centre and/or the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre
Tours include up to half an hour with a Tanks Arts Centre staff member plus self-guided inspection of the current exhibition and site. School visits are welcome any time during opening hours, but guided tours must be booked.
- To book a tour, email info@tanksartscentre.com or phone 4032 6600
Performing arts events
Council presents many shows each year that are suitable for children and students of all ages. We aim to make it as easy as possible for teachers to organise group excursions to our venues: Cairns Performing Arts Centre, Munro Martin Parklands and Tanks Arts Centre. Tickets to shows at Council's venues are sold through our Ticketlink service. You can also access information on show synopsis, teachers' notes and links to support material (where available) well in advance of performance dates.
- See our What's On event calendar or download the free MyCairns app for details of upcoming shows.
Cairns Performing Arts Centre (CPAC)
CPAC hosts a variety of events including theatre, music, dance, contemporary circus, opera, film and comedy. The venue is committed to providing every opportunity for children and students of all ages to be exposed to the performing arts. We take pride in the number of shows we are able to present each year that are suitable for various age groups. We aim to make it as easy as possible for teachers to organise excursions to our venue and we also provide information on our web site detailing show synopsis, teachers notes and links to further support material well in advance of shows performance dates.
- Visit the CPAC website for more information and details of upcoming performances.
The Court House
Throughout the year, the venue presents a vibrant program of shared arts experiences, suitable to a diverse audience with maximum engagement in mind. The Court House building is a key component of Council’s proposed Cairns Gallery Precinct.
School of Arts building
The Cairns Museum contains four permanent and one temporary gallery showcasing the story of Cairns from the Indigenous landscape through to the tourist gateway, the Great Barrier Reef. It has a range of programs designed to bring local history to your students and to complement the programs of International education providers. It also runs an outreach program that can bring local history to your school. Museum opening and closing times can be adapted to accommodate student groups.
The Cairns Historical Society Research Centre is located within the Cairns Museum. The collection contains more than 60,000 items of personal, professional and Government papers and ephemera; books; unpublished reports; newspapers; photographs; journal articles and maps covering Cardwell to Normanton and north to the Torres Strait, with Cairns a particular focus. Email queries are welcome and researchers can pull together materials from the collection, copy or digitise if you are unable to visit in person.
Visual Arts
Tanks Arts Centre Visual Arts Program
Tanks Arts Centre hosts a variety of local and touring exhibitions, artist residencies and studio activities. The Tanks main exhibition space (Tank 4) is a multi-functional exhibition and performance space catering for all art forms. These spaces are available for hire to individual artists and art organisations.
- Visit the Tanks Arts Centre website for more information on hiring the gallery space.
Energy Exhibition
Energy is a must-see exhibition held in September each year, showcasing visual art produced by school students across the Cairns region. Energy presents the best young and emerging artists of the Cairns region with a level of professionalism and maturity well beyond their years. There is the opportunity for featuring pieces to be submitted to the Creative Generations Awards.
- For more information on program dates and timing, please visit www.tanksartscentre.com
Community Murals Program
Council supports a range of community-based mural projects - especially those that contribute to revitalising and restore our neighbourhoods, communities and public spaces. If you would like to install a mural on Council owned or controlled land, please read and complete the Community Murals Program application form ( DOC, 1.13 MB ). Applications will be assessed by a panel against a range of criteria, including location, process and project management, the proposed artwork and budget.
- For more information, contact the Curator at Tanks Arts Centre on 4032 6609 or email TanksCurator@cairns.qld.gov.au
Cairns Art Gallery
The Cairns Art Gallery welcomes school groups that are accompanied by teachers. A range of tour options are available, offering an enriching and rewarding experience for children of all school ages. Tours are conducted by experienced Gallery staff and educators.
- Visit the Cairns Art Gallery website for full details and contacts.
Film
Understory Film Festival
The annual Understory Film Festival encourages local independent, student, emerging and professional film makers in the North Queensland region to create short films to enter a competition for screening opportunities, awards and prizes. It aims to showcase local talent, build local industry capacity, award achievement and develop the short film culture appetite and audience.
Cairns Libraries
Educational Resources
Library membership provides you with free access to many premium online subscription-only resources including:
- Story Box Library – An online ‘reading room’ featuring Australian stories for primary school age children, read by Australian and New Zealand storytellers.
- BUSYTHINGS - An educational tool designed for children aged from 3 to 11 years. Includes over 230 new online resources, games, and activities.
- Levelled Readers – Access an extensive range of levelled readers to compliment and encourage reading for school age children and youth.
- Mango Languages – Access 70 foreign language courses and 17 English courses online or by downloading the app.
- Spineout – An Online magazine that encourages young adults to share book reviews, poems, short stories, music lyrics and more.
- eBooks and eAudiobooks from Bolinda: Students can access eBooks and eAudiobooks online through Bolinda and the BorrowBox app. This collection consists of a large range of junior and youth fiction and non-fiction items.
Beamafilm: An independent movie streaming site specialising with Australian documentaries and indie features from around the world. This resource features complimentary films and documentaries on Australian history, events, and historical figures.
Library tours
Includes story times, membership talks and resource overviews that are tailored to suit various age levels and interests. The tours are delivered in a Cairns library branch, the classroom or at your school library. Here are two examples of school tours:
Primary school groups – 1 hour
- Membership overview
- ‘Show and Tell’ of library resources
- Storytime
- Free time to explore/borrow
- Small gift or library show bag to take home
High school groups – 1 hour
- Membership overview
- Accessing library resources
- Overview of online database
- Demonstration of online reservations
- Free time to explore and borrow
Literacy programs
First5forever supports stronger language and literacy environments for young children aged 0-5 years and their families. The program directly supports parents and primary caregivers to be confident as the child’s first and most important teacher.
Sustainability is a cross-curriculum priority in the Australian Curriculum which includes,
- understanding the ways social, economic and environmental systems interact to support and maintain human life
- appreciating and respecting the diversity of views and values that influence sustainable development
- participating critically and acting creatively in determining more sustainable ways of living.
Nature based learning
Nature Based Learning Grant: This Council grant provides up to $2000 for school excursions that connect children with nature in a way that results in a greater awareness and appreciation of sustainable living and the natural world.
- The Nature Based Learning Grant is open for application from Schools from 1 July to 31 July annually.
Community Sustainability Grants
Not-for-profit groups - including community kindergartens and school P&Cs - can apply for up to $5,000 for projects that deliver renewable energy, waste reduction, low carbon travel, sustainable food production, biodiversity improvements or community education.
- The Community Sustainability Grant is open annually from 1 July to 31 July.
Tools
To borrow, order or find out more, contact sustainability@cairns.qld.gov.au
- Solar Tool Kit: Schools can borrow this portable solar panel briefcase to help students learn about renewable energy. The kit features a fan, radio, fluorescent lamp, buzzer and energy monitor.
- Reef Stencils: Made from old street signs, these can be used for chalk art or reverse graffiti (pressure cleaning) to encourage responsible litter disposal. The stencils include messages such as ‘bin your butts’ and ‘only rain down this drain’. The stencils help badge your school drains and gutters with turtle and fish stencils to create a visual connection between the land and the sea.
- Cool Homes Guide: Assists students to learn about tropical building design principles, crucial for emerging builders and architects in the region. The Guide may also assist students entering the Tropical Architecture Awards facilitated by the Business Liaison Association.
Holloways Beach Environmental Education Centre
The centre offers day visits and camps. Staff can help design your program to align with desired learning outcomes. Education Queensland facilities are the main priority, but the centre also services a small percentage of local private schools and community groups.
- Visit the Holloways Beach Environmental Education Centre website for full details and contacts.
Natural hazards and disasters
Council has created a suite of education resources focused on the natural hazards that can impact the Cairns region. The materials include classroom activities, experiments, background information and lesson plans aligned to the Australian Curriculum. Council's Disaster Management team staff can visit your school to discuss natural hazards either as one-on-one sessions with teachers or classroom discussions. School excursions to the Local Disaster Coordination Centre are also possible.
- Contact the Disaster Management Unit on 1300 69 22 47 or by email to disaster@cairns.qld.gov.au
School programs and networks
- Reef Guardian Schools: This Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority program fosters awareness, understanding and appreciation for the Reef and its connected ecosystems. It helps connect students with community projects and has a suite of resources available.
- Australian Association for Environmental Education: Australia's peak professional body for Environmental Educators, with resources, professional development and networking opportunities available.
- Sustainable Schools Network: Provides opportunities for networking between students, business managers and teachers to embed sustainability in schools.
Resources
- Cool Australia: Curriculum materials for teachers, video library for homes and classrooms and ways to get your school involved in sustainability.
- Getting Started with Sustainability in Schools: A portal of 500 free K-10 classroom ready resources linked to the Australian curriculum.
Clean Ups
A community Clean Up is a great way to bring your community together for a cause that boosts community pride and creates a litter-free environment. Council supports:
- Great Northern Clean Up: held every September, the Great Northern Clean Up is timed just before the wet season to reduce the risk of litter entering our marine environment. Council coordinates sites across Cairns, and schools, businesses or community groups are also encouraged to register additional events.
- Clean Up Australia Day: This national event is held in March, visit the Clean Up Australia Day website for details.
- Everyday Clean Ups: Can't wait for one of the annual Clean Ups? You can hold a community Clean Up any time of year, just register your site with Clean Up Australia and contact Council two weeks ahead of the event for support.
To access support, simply:
- Register your site with Clean Up Australia to receive planning checklists and volunteer insurance.
- Email sustainability@cairns.qld.gov.au for promotion, extra equipment and to arrange rubbish collection.
Marine Debris Groups
Join these passionate local organisations reducing marine debris through art, education and clean ups in some of the region's more hard to reach, beautiful environments.
Litter data can be entered into the Australian Marine Debris Database at anytime, supporting improved litter management. To learn more about the impacts of litter on the marine environment, head to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park website.
Sporting and leisure facilities
Council provides a range of sport and leisure facilities for Cairns residents to get outdoors and be active. We maintain over 500 parks and reserves, 200 playgrounds, and more than 500km of walking paths and cycleways.
Green Gyms
Green Gyms are outdoor exercise stations usually installed in parks or on foreshores. Please see the instruction panels on how to use each piece of equipment to avoid injury. Happy exercising!
Go Clubs
Go Clubs is our professionally-managed club development program. It links existing programs from various agencies and provides professional assistance for all aspects of running a successful local community organisation, including support from Club Development Officers, information on grants and assistance with grant applications, and templates and resources.
Active Living Program - free fitness program
Our Active Living program offers free exercise and wellbeing classes across Cairns. All classes are delivered by qualified trainers.
- Visit the Active Living web page for a listing of upcoming classes
Civic citizenship - Council handbook
Council is one of the three tiers of government in Australia. It has a specific set of functions and responsibilities, and plays an important role in improving the liveability of local communities. Our Council Handbook ( PDF, 6.07 MB ) ( PDF, 1.36 MB ) explains:
- What Council does
- How we fund Council work
- The type of jobs available within Council
- What our Councillors do
- The structure of Council
- Information about Cairns including history and population, to our parks and gardens, sustainability, industry, and arts and culture.
Printed copies of the Handbook are available on request. Email us at marketing@cairns.qld.gov.au to request copies for your students.
Council administration tours
We can host school visits to Council’s administration building where one of our Councillors will take students through the Council Chambers. Visits vary in length depending on your requirements and we can adapt tours to your specific needs (including requests for presentations from specific Council departments). Tours are not available on Wednesdays due to Council meetings, and requests must be made at least one month in advance.
- Phone 4044 3390 or via email marketing@cairns.qld.gov.au
STEAM water activities
Our Water Education program offers easy-to-manage projects all about water. These will encourage critical thinking skills and scientific processes all while having lots of fun along the way!
- See the activities for downloadable activity cards and worksheets.
Natural hazards and disasters
Council has created a suite of education resources focused on the natural hazards that can impact the Cairns region. The materials include classroom activities, experiments, background information and lesson plans aligned to the Australian Curriculum. Council's Disaster Management team staff can visit your school to discuss natural hazards either as one-on-one sessions with teachers or classroom discussions. School excursions to the Local Disaster Coordination Centre are also possible.
- Contact the Disaster Management Unit on 1300 69 22 47 or by email to disaster@cairns.qld.gov.au
Cairns Minecraft Servers
Join over 500 local Minecraft players in workshops, creative projects and region wide building competitions. With two family friendly servers, Cairns Minecraft has something for everyone. From vanilla survival to building Cairns city to scale, players get to create, compete and socialise in a supportive community environment.
- To find out more and to join in visit the website: www.cairnsminecraft.com
Cairns Libraries
S.T.E.A.M. and Robotics & Coding: Cairns Libraries provides a range programs and events for young people with a focus on collaboration, exploration, creativity and informal learning. Our activities are often delivered during the school term and school holidays, and may include robotic and coding workshops, STEAM events and after-school programs. Visit the Cairns Libraries website for upcoming activities.
Online resources: Membership of Cairns Libraries gives you free access to these premium online subscription-only resources.
- Busythings is a collection of online learning resources for children aged 3 years and older. It features fun activities and games which target core maths, literacy and phonics skills and stimulate creative work with colours, shapes and sounds. Log in using your Cairns Libraries membership for access to hundreds of games and activities.
- 10 Monkeys is an online maths learning tool to help 6-10 year old kids learn basic mathematical skills in a fun game-like environment. Features logical progression and easy navigation, four easily adjustable skill levels, fun jungle, beach, safari and space themes.
- Rainforest Coding is an interactive adventure game for children from 5 years old. Students can learn the programming language ‘Scratch’ as they explore the Crystal Rainforest. A fun activity with lots of robots and extra activity pages under the resources section.
Cairns Botanic Gardens
The Gardens and Visitor Centre are a great resource for students, featuring information on Aboriginal plant use, the evolution of the plant kingdom and birds of the Botanic Gardens.
Guided walks: The Friends of the Botanic Gardens group runs free, guided tours of Flecker Gardens each weekday. Private guided walks for groups can also be arranged; bookings are essential and charges may apply.
Green Space Our Place: This volunteer program that encourages residents to get involved in enhancing and maintaining public spaces. Contact Council (phone 4032 6648 or email the Volunteers Supervisor Louisa Grandy) to find out about the types of activities that may suit your school and the process of becoming a registered volunteer in the Green Space Our Place program.
Cattana Wetlands
The Cattana Wetlands is around 80 hectares of formerly degraded land which Council has rehabilitated into a nature conservation park. Cattana Wetlands volunteer program Jabirus meet at Cattana each Tuesday from 9am until noon and are involved in the general maintenance of the wetlands such as weeding, planting, and re-vegetation. This provides a great chance for schools to get involved in projects that benefit the local environment. Please note that dogs are prohibited at Cattana Wetlands.
Visit our facts, figures and history web page for information on:
- Cairns historic milestones
- Street names and suburb history
- Council timeline
- Indigenous culture and history
- Heritage trails
Library heritage resources
The Regional Resources Collection at the City Library contains titles which relate to Cairns and the FNQ area, including information on the history, culture, environment, and the development of the region. This collection, which may not be borrowed, includes:
- Books relating to the history, culture, geography and development of the region, including locally authored and published material.
- Material published by local organisations
- Street directories
- Profiles, reports and studies produced by local government
- The Cairns Post (1884-1893, 1909-present) on microfilm
- Maps (including topographical, nautical, cadastral, and aerial)
The City Library also holds an extensive collection of books, microfiche, microfilm, and CD-ROMS to assist with researching family history. The collection mainly focuses on Australian material with an emphasis on Queensland.
- Birth, Death and Marriage indexes for all Australian states and territories accessible through ancestory.com or any of our seven Cairns library branches.
- The Cairns Post newspaper on microfilm
- Cemetery indexes and monumental inscriptions, including theCairns Cemeteries database
- Early directories, electoral rolls,
- naturalisations and convict indents
- Guides to researching cultural and ethnic groups as well as specific countries
- Pre - 1856 NSW Birth, Death and Marriage certificates are available on microfilm
- Pre - 1900 Tasmanian Birth, Death and Marriage certificates available on microfilm* Immigration and shipping records
Tanks Arts Centre history tours
Take your students on a free, guided tour of the Tanks Arts Centre – and let us tailor this to suit your specific age group needs and curriculum objectives, with topics covered including:
- History - exploring the role the Tanks played in WWII and how the oil storage facility was used
- Visual Art - with a curator’s talk about a current exhibition
- Venue Management - with a behind-the-scenes tour of a multi-arts centre
- Architecture - with a talk about the design challenges and solutions for the Tanks Arts Centre and/or the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre
Tours include up to half an hour with a Tanks Arts Centre staff member plus self-guided inspection of the current exhibition and site. School visits are welcome any time during opening hours, but guided tours must be booked. Email info@tanksartscentre.com or phone 4032 6600.
Cairns Museum
The Cairns Museum contains four permanent and one temporary gallery showcasing the story of Cairns from the Indigenous landscape through to the tourist gateway, the Great Barrier Reef. It has a range of programs designed to bring local history to your students and to complement the programs of International education providers. It also runs an outreach program that can bring local history to your school. Museum opening and closing times can be adapted to accommodate student groups.
- Phone 4051 5582 or contact via email info@cairnsmuseum.org.au or via the Museum's website.
McLeod Street Pioneer Cemetery
This heritage registered Pioneer Cemetery is located alongside the Kuranda-Cairns railway line. It holds a wealth of information about the early residents of the district.
Guided walks: Cairns and District Family History Society, in conjunction with Council, offers guided walks through McLeod Street Pioneer Cemetery. During the walk, students will learn about the history of the cemetery, interpretation of the headstones and stories of some of the early pioneers and what life was like in their time. The Cairns and District Family History Society will provide support to ensure the walk is tailored to specific curriculum objectives.
- For bookings, contact the Cairns and District Family History Society Inc at secretary@cdfhs.org
Educational resources:
- Teachers notes ( PDF, 0.71 MB )
- Student worksheets ( PDF, 0.8 MB ) developed by the dedicated Council staff and the District Family History Society Inc.
- McLeod St Pioneer Cemetery Conservation Plan information ( PDF, 2.1 MB )
Disaster management education
Council has created a suite of education resources focused on the natural hazards that can impact the Cairns region. The materials include classroom activities, experiments, background information and lesson plans aligned to the Australian Curriculum.
Council's Disaster Management team can visit your school to discuss natural hazards either as one-on-one sessions with teachers or classroom discussions. School excursions to the Local Disaster Coordination Centre are also possible. All sessions are tailored to meet individual needs.
- Read more about disaster management education resources.
- Please contact the Disaster Management Unit on 1300 69 22 47 or by email to disaster@cairns.qld.gov.au
Last Updated: 28 April 2022
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