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Table of Contents
Cairns is a city in tropical Far North Queensland in Australia. It is a famous tourist destination because of its tropical climate and access to the World Heritage-listed sites, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Wet Tropics.
See the fact file below for more information on the Cairns or alternatively, you can download our 27-page Cairns worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
About Cairns
- Cairns city can be found on the east coast of the Cape York Peninsula. It encompasses 1687 sq. km. of land on a narrow coastal strip between the Coral Sea and the Great Dividing Range and extends from the Eubenangee Swamp in the south to the Macalister Range in the north.
- The Cairns region consists of mountains, beaches, tidal wetlands, mudflats, mangroves, swamps, rivers, bays, freshwater lakes, and rich coastal plains. It is part of Australia‘s Wet Tropics, recognized as a World Heritage site, making it a world-renowned tourist destination.
- In June 2019, the city’s population was 153,952, growing on average 1.03% annually over the preceding five years. It is approximately 1700 km north of Brisbane, Queensland’s state capital. It has also become a significant business hub of Far North Queensland.
- The southern part of Cairns is a grouping of suburbs that can be accessed through the Bruce Highway. These suburbs are popular with tourists because of the city’s beautiful beaches, such as Yorkeys Knob, Trinity Beach, and Palm Cove.
History
- Cairns’ original inhabitants were the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji people, who were believed to have entered Australia at least 60,000 years ago. They were said to live in the rainforest.
- Tribal groups speak the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji language in the south, and Yirrganydji groups generally speak dialects of the Djabugay language in the north. Currently, about 9 percent of Cairn’s population is indigenous. This is one of the highest populations of First people in Australia.
- Cairns was officially founded in 1876. It was named after the State Governor, Sir William Wellington Cairns.
- European and Chinese settlers established an agricultural community in the 1870s to 1880s and produced a large enough population to be declared a municipality. They elected their first mayor, RA Kingsford, in 1885.
- In 1903, it was formally declared as a town with a registered population of 3500.
- The Cairns to Herberton Rail lines, constructed in 1886, catalyzed the region’s further development. It made travel on the challenging terrain easier and attracted many immigrants, establishing the sugarcane industry and fruit orchards.
- In 1909, The Cairns Post started publishing six days per week, and continues today.
- The town’s first water supply opened in 1911, and was described by the local publication as a valuable aid to sanitation. The brick and timber Cairns District Hospital located on the Esplanade, which took two years to construct, and started accepting patients in July 1912.
- It replaced the basic bungalow-style hospital, the office in which i was sometimes used as an operating theatre. In the early 1900s, the Malay Town around Alligator Creek was developed, becoming the center for the area’s first migrants.
- After World War I, Cairns underwent a period of reconstruction and quiet growth. On October 12, 1923, Cairns was listed as a city. The city opened Daradgee Bridge in 1924, which strengthened its connection to the rest of Australia.
- A public electrical supply was introduced, and Cairns High School and Technical College were opened.
- The city’s first council Chambers was inaugurated in 1930, and Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, the grandson of Cairn’s mayor and an aviation pioneer, made an aerial visit in 1932.
- During the Pacific Phase of World War II, the Allied Forces, particularly the United States, used the region to station their troops throughout the region to supply the Pacific Fleet.
- The Australian Army conducted extensive anti-malaria experimentation after suffering from numerous fever outbreaks at the end of the war. This research contributed significantly to the knowledge, control, and treatment of insect-borne infectious diseases.
- The development of Cairns resumed with different improvements in infrastructure which also contributed to the development of its tourism industry. A locally funded film called “There’s a Future For You in Far North Queensland” encouraged more tourists to visit Cairns, as it was shown for many years in London at the British Office of Immigration.
- Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Cairns in March 1954 further boosted the city’s tourism industry. Forty thousand people, twice its population, enthusiastically attended the event. The scene from the Queen’s visit increased the international awareness of the district.
- The producer of “There’s a Future For You in Far North Queensland”, Bob Bolton, released the first issue of printed glossy large-format color tourism magazine, The North Queensland Annual, in 1966, promoting Cairns to the world.
Tourist Attractions
- Cairns offered a tropical and convivial vacation atmosphere. Some of the places most popular with tourists are Cairns Esplanade, idyllic beaches from Trinity Bay to Port Douglas, a cruise to the Great Barrier Reef, and scenic trips to the rainforest village of Kuranda.
- World Heritage-listed sites including The Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest are found in Cairns.
- Tours in Cairns also offer white water rafting, bungee jumping, and skydiving.
Cairns Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Cairns across 28 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Cairns which evolved from a simple agricultural land to one of the most progressive cities in Australia. Despite its growth, about 9 percent of Cairn’s population is indigenous, the highest population of First people in Australia.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Cairns Facts
- Basic Facts about Cairns
- Cairns Was Born
- Two Wonders
- Cairns City
- After the Wars
- Where’s Cairns?
- Amazing Cairns
- Perfect Weekend
- Unscramble Me
- Visit Cairns!
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Link will appear as Cairns Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 11, 2021
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.