History of Cairns from the 1870s
Local history and heritage are important aspects of any community, and the Cairns region has a rich and diverse history.
Heritage places provide a tangible connection to the people and events that have shaped the Cairns region. They help us appreciate the social and technological changes that have gone before us and give a point of reference for the changes to come. Council is committed to protecting and managing the region's cultural heritage for current and future generations.
Council's library service offers an extensive suite of tools and databases to assist you in researching local and regional heritage as well as your own family history.
This page covers the history of Cairns after European settlement in the 1870s. The much-longer history of Cairns First Nations people can be found by clicking on the button.
Cairns was officially founded in 1876 and named after the State Governor of the day, Sir William Wellington Cairns. It was formally declared a town in 1903 with a registered population of 3500. Initial European settlement in the region in the 1860s was driven by beche de mer fishing, and the discovery of gold to the north (Palmer River field) and Atherton Tableland (Hodginkson River field) saw the population begin to climb.
Throughout the 1870s and early 1880s European and Chinese settlers opened up the region to agriculture generating a large enough population base for the borough of Cairns to be declared a municipality. The first mayor, R.A. Kingsford, was elected in 1885.
The development of the Cairns to Herberton rail line in 1886, and subsequent expansion from Redlynch to Myola, is widely considered the catalyst for the City's expansion. The rail line made travel through the difficult terrain easier and attracted a large number of immigrants during construction. Many of these immigrants settled in the region, establishing the sugarcane industry and extensive fruit orchards.
During World War II, Cairns was at the forefront of the Battle of the Coral Sea (1942) and the Pacific offensive (1943). Anti-aircraft gun emplacements were established along the Cairns Esplanade and Trinity Beach was used as a major training ground for defence forces for amphibious landings.
1885 | Municipal government in Cairns began with the creation of a borough. Richard Ash Kingsford was the first Mayor. By 1887, the town had a population approaching 1,500. |
1886 (10 May) | Premier of Queensland, Sir Samuel Griffith, turns first sod on Cairns-Kuranda Railway. |
1891 | Cairns-Kuranda Railway opens for goods traffic and passenger travel |
1895 | Mulgrave Central Mill Company Ltd first registered. |
1896-98 | Construction of tramway from Cairns to Mulgrave linked agricultural lands to the port. It was the first public tramway in Australia to be constructed and worked by a local authority. (The tramway was taken over by Queensland Railways at the beginning of 1911.) |
1899 | Natural gas supply company established |
1903 | Cairns declared a town. Registered population of 3,500. |
1905 | Cairns Harbour Board constituted by an Act of Parliament. |
1909 | The Cairns Post newspaper opened |
1911 | Cairns Water Board established. First water supply opened. |
1912 (July) | Brick and timber Cairns District Hospital started accepting patients |
1913 | Mulgrave Shire Council Chambers built at 51 The Esplanade (now used as TTNQ Visitor Centre) |
| 1915 | Babinda Sugar Mill constructed. |
1923 | Queensland’s first mechanical sugar loading facility installed at Cairns Port (in what is now known as White’s Shed). |
1923 (October 12) | Queensland Government approves Cairns being listed as a city |
1924 | Gillies Highway over the range to Atherton opens |
1925 | Public electricity supply switched on |
1925 | Cairns High School and Technical College opens to students |
1927 | Cyclone Willis causes widespread destruction |
1930 | The first Cairns City Council Chambers is built in Abbott Street (now houses the Cairns City Library) |
1933 | Cairns’ population recorded as 11,993 in the 1933 Census |
1933 | Cook Highway to Port Douglas was opened |
1935 | Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations releases South American cane toads (imported from Hawaii) near Gordonvale as a biological control for beetle pests. The number of toads quickly increased and the species became a well-established pest. Today the cane toad is listed as a key threatening species. |
1935 (November) | Barron Falls Hydro Electricity scheme begins providing power for a major industrial expansion. The Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Station came on line in 1963 |
1936 | 4CA becomes the City's first radio station |
1936 | Cairns City Council buys 162ha of land for Cairns Airport and constructs three runways made of cinders, red earth, rock and sand. |
1942-1945 | Cairns served as a base for Australian and Allied, especially American, troops destined for the Pacific arena. It was also used by US and Australian military forces as a trans-shipment port for northern Australia and New Guinea. A Catalina airbase operated from Trinity Inlet. The fall of Singapore heralded a mass evacuation of the north with more than 7000 people leaving the region; many never returned. |
1943 | Cairns Airport runway first sealed. |
1947 (September) | The corvette HMAS Warrnambool collided with a sea mine killing 3 crew and injuring 86 others. 2000 mines were cleared from shipping lanes over the next 2 years. |
1948 | Clock tower installed at Cairns Port. The clock was silenced in 1953 and restored in 1986. |
1954 (March) | Queen Elizabeth 2 visited Cairns. A crowd of 40,000 turned out to welcome Her Majesty, more than twice the city’s official population at that time. |
1956 | Strong winds from Cyclone Agnes damage vegetation and property |
1956 (November) | Olympic torch passed through on its way to the Melbourne Games |
1958 | Sewering of the City began |
1961 | The city’s first drive-in cinema opened on the Bruce Highway at Woree. (It closed in early 2000.) |
1961 (May 26) | Green Island Jetty was opened as a highlight of the inaugural Cairns Tourist Festival. The event was renamed Fun in the Sun in 1963, and has since evolved to become the annual Cairns Festival. |
1962 | Tobruk Memorial Pool opened. The facility was built at a cost of £85,000 upon a proposal by returned servicemen to commemorate the contribution of the Rats of Tobruk during World War II. Cairns Mayor S.D.E. Chataway officially opened the complex. |
1963 | Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station was commissioned. |
1964 | Bulk sugar terminal was opened on the Cairns waterfront |
1966 (July) | ABC becomes the first local television station, closely followed by FNQ10 (September). |
1970 | Cairns Council was the first municipality to have a Burroughs mainframe computer. It was the size of a domestic freezer and had a memory of 200 words |
1973 | HMAS Cairns naval base established. |
1974 (May 31) | Prime Minister Gough Whitlam officially opened the much-awaited Cairns Civic Centre. |
1975 | Local identity Emrys "Rusty" Rees formalised the "hippie" market. Rusty’s Markets continue to operate from the same site today, as a predominantly fruit and vegetable market |
1976 | Supply of city’s water from Copperlode Dam begins. |
1979 | Residents could borrow books from the newly-constructed Cairns Public Library |
1980 | Drive-in shopping centre opens at Earlville |
1981-83 | The city's first high-rise buildings, apartments and a hotel complex, dominated the skyline |
1984 (March 31) | Official opening of dual International and Domestic Airport terminals. In its first year as an international airport, there were more than 45,000 international passengers through Cairns. |
1986 | Smithfield Shopping Centre opens |
1987 | Tjapukai Dance Theatre opened in Kuranda bringing attention to Indigenous tourism. The Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park at Smithfield opened in July 1996 |
1988 | Wet Tropics was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list |
1989 | Sugarworld Waterpark first opened. The facility was subsequently redeveloped in a $5.5 million project by Cairns Regional Council in 2011. |
1990 | Cyclone Joy caused $6 million damage in the Cairns area. |
1990 (September 3) | New dedicated Cairns International Airport Terminal officially opened by then Queensland Premier Wayne Goss. |
1992 | Court and police complex in Sheridan Street opened |
1994 | Construction began on SkyRail rainforest cableway. It officially opened on 31 August 1995. |
1995 | Mulgrave Shire and Cairns City Council amalgamated |
1995 | The first public internet café in Cairns opened |
1995 | James Cook University opened its Smithfield campus |
1996 | Work began on the Cairns Convention Centre. The Centre hosted its first major conference in 2000, and it has since won many prestigious awards for its innovative architecture and congress excellence. |
1996 (May) | Cairns Railway Station demolished to make way for Cairns Central Shopping Centre which incorporated a new train station |
1998 | Cairns Port Authority commences construction of a cyclone wave barrier around the Marlin Marina. |
2000 | Olympic Torched visited the region on its way to the Sydney Games. Vision of the torch travelling on SkyRail and on the Great Barrier Reef was beamed around the world. |
2003 (March 29) | The multi-million dollar foreshore redevelopment of the Cairns Esplanade, featuring the 4800sqm saltwater swimming lagoon, was officially opened in the “Big Splash” event. |
2004 | Cairns Convention Centre names as World’s Best Congress Centre by the International Association of Congress Centres. |
2006 (March 20) | Cyclone Larry (Category 5) crosses the coast near Innisfail, south of Cairns. Cairns airport and harbour were closed, and all flights were suspended. |
2008 | Formation of new Cairns Regional Council through amalgamation of Cairns City Council and Douglas Shire Council |
2010 | Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal redevelopment completed. |
2011 (February) | Cyclone Yasi (Category 5) crosses the coast 150km south of Cairns |
| 2014 (1 January) | Deamalgamation of Douglas Shire from Cairns Regional Council. |
| 2016 (14 May) | Tobruk Memorial Pool opens after $23.7 million redevelopment. The new facility features a FINA-accredited competition pool, two 25m heated pools and a FlowRider. |
| 2016 (19 August) | Munro Martin Parklands officially opens. The $10 million parkland redevelopment created a new open air entertainment space and lush landscaped gardens. |
| 2018 (15 December) | Cairns Performing Arts Centre officially opens. The $71 million project replaced the former Cairns Civic Theatre. |
The Cairns region has an interesting local government history. The first local government of Cairns, the Cairns Divisional Board, was established in 1879. Since then there have been amalgamations and deamalgamations.
Cairns Divisional Board
1879: Cairns Divisional Board formed
1885: Cairns Divisional Board divided into Divisional Board and Cairns Municipal Council
1902: Cairns Divisional Board becomes Cairns Shire Council
Mulgrave Shire Council
1940: Cairns Shire Council (formed 1902) becomes Mulgrave Shire Council
1995: Mulgrave Shire Council amalgamted with Cairns City Council
Cairns City Council
1923: Cairns Municipal Council (formed 1885) becomes Cairns City Council
1995: Cairns City Council amalgamated with Mulgrave Shire Council
Cairns Regional Council
2008: formed from the amalgamation of Cairns City Council and Douglas Shire Council
2014: Douglas Shire reforms after de-amalgamation with Cairns Regional Council
Let’s look back and see how Cairns and the Far North region was involved in World War II. It was a time of ration cards, restricted areas, censorship and backyard bomb shelters as the city was at the forefront of the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942 and the general Pacific offensive during 1943.
When the Japanese started to make their way down the Malay Peninsula, the Commonwealth Government called for voluntary evacuation of the population. About half of Cairns’s 15,000 population dropped everything and headed inland or to the south, some selling everything they had for a pittance.
Schools closed and authorities, including both Cairns and Mulgrave Councils and the Cairns Harbour Board, busied themselves devising a secret plan to demolish key sites like the wharves, oil tanks and reservoir if the enemy made it to Cairns.
Anti-aircraft gun emplacements were established along the Cairns foreshore and at False Cape, and every Sunday night, police would sound the siren so residents would practice air raid procedures including wearing gas masks. Bombs were dropped at Mossman and a Japanese submarine was reported off the coast near Yarrabah.
Trinity Beach was used as a major training ground for defence forces for amphibious landings (pictured below).
The Americans opened their own Post Office in Abbott Street and thousands of soldiers were housed in a massive transit centre built in Sheridan Street before being transported to New Guinea.
There are four time capsules located in and near Cairns city.
Cairns Performing Arts Centre
This capsule was originally located in the gardens of the former Cairns Civic Theatre (on the same site), having been positioned to mark the completion of that project in 1973. The capsule was removed and securely stored during construction of the new Cairns Performing Arts Centre, and was installed in its new location in the foyer prior to the building's official opening in December 2018.
It contains history on people who served in World War 2, the 51st RQR, the Mayor at that time and other notable people of Cairns. This capsule is due to be opened in 2073.
Cairns Esplanade
This time capsule is buried on the Cairns Esplanade, adjacent to Fogarty Park.
It was placed to mark the completion of the Esplanade redevelopment project in 2004. This capsule is due to be opened in October 2024.
Council administration building
This time capsule is under the specially designed paving square immediately outside the gate at the southern end of the Cairns Regional Council administration building in Spence Street.
The capsule was sealed on 4 June 1999 to commemorate Queensland Day celebrations. It contains 45 items contributed by a wide cross-section of the community, with special messages to the people of Cairns and district to be opened in the year 2099.
Cairns Cenotaph
In 1925, the Cairns Cenotaph was unveiled at the intersection of Abbott and Shields Streets. It was relocated to its current location on 21 April 1972, forming part of the Cairns War Memorial site, dedicated to the memory of those who served.
In line with redevelopment of the site, the time capsule was unearthed and additional items were included. The time capsule containing 148 objects from the Cairns RSL Sub Branch, Cairns Regional Council and the former Cairns City Council was encased and buried here in commemoration of the Centenary of Armistice 2018. It is intended to be unearthed on Remembrance Day, 11 November 2068.
Explore Cairns through our heritage trails around the Cairns CBD, along the Cairns Esplanade and the character-filled suburbs of Stratford and Freshwater.
Anzac Trail
Explore the Anzac Trail. Sites relating to the Cairns region’s war efforts extend from Trinity Beach, south to Bartle Frere and include many within Cairns city. The trail includes war memorials, cemeteries, memorial parks and buildings, each with a poignant reminder of the invaluable contributions made by the men and women of the Cairns region.
- Anzac Trail brochure ( PDF, 2.89 MB )
- Map of Anzac Trail sites in central Cairns ( PDF, 3.92 MB )
- Anzac Trail site information document ( PDF, 4.97 MB )
Cairns CBD Heritage Walk
The Cairns CBD Heritage City Walk takes in historic buildings and sites such as the former Post Office and Court House, Hide's Corner, The School of Arts and Palace Theatre. Learn why Lake Street got its name and the Chinese connection to Grafton Street.
Cairns Esplanade Heritage Walk
The Cairns waterfront has changed dramatically over the past 150 years. This 1-hour walk along the Cairns Esplanade takes in historic buildings, landmarks and sights that make this city so interesting.
Cairns Southern Trail (Tropical Coast drive)
Explore tropical nature, history and culture on the spectacular Tropical Coast drive from Edmonton to Gordonvale and Babinda.
Freshwater Heritage Trail
Freshwater was founded in 1880 thanks to its permanent freshwater creek that provided the first drinkable water north of Cairns. You can explore the hamlet with this series of heritage walks. The base route is 1.4km with additional circuits of 1km to 2km in length. Among the sights are the Freshwater Station, Freshwater Primary School and examples of early architecture.
Stratford Heritage Trail
There are 29 historic sites on the Stratford Heritage Trail. Along the way you will find the oldest marked European grave in the Cairns area, the State Heritgage Listed powder magazine, the first crossing places on the lower Barron River, the story of Chinese festivals and Billy Jaggar's king-plate.
or you can view the Stratford Heritage Trail online.
Search a street or suburb name to find out more about your address or a local place of interest.
This street and suburb name information was initially compiled for a Council project in 2007, with minor updates in subsequent years. We do not actively maintain this data and more recently-named streets are not listed.
Last Updated: 1 April 2022
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