Cairns- AustraliaBy Hannah Lodge

Over view of CairnsCairns is a bustling tourist center with countless excursions to the Great Barrier Reef, one of the world's most popular diving sites, and Daintree Rainforest departing daily. While the beach no longer exists, locals and travellers congregate in and around the central man-made lagoon on The Esplanade, which has room for 1,000 swimmers and is surrounded by pleasant grassy areas perfect for relaxing on.

History Cairns was named for Sir William Wellington Cairns, and was

founded in 1876, following the discovery of gold in a surrounding area. Captain James Cook had 'discovered' the area more than a century earlier, on his first voyage of discovery in 1770 aboard HM Bark Endeavour.

With the establishment of large agricultural concerns on the Atherton Tableland and further development of the lands around Cairns, the town continued to grow during the early 20th century.

Cairns is now a city with an estimated population of more than 130,000, about 3.3 per cent of Queensland’s population.

Climate The tropical climate of Cairns provides for hot and humid

summers and mild, dry winters The wet season lasts from November to May. With some

months averaging over 400 mm of rainfall. The dry season runs from June to October with rainfall averaging approximately 35 mm. During the wet seasons tropical cyclones (hurricanes) can influence the weather, but Cairns is built to survive the elements and has weathered scores of cyclones in the past.

Geographical locations & features Cairns, lies between the Coral Sea and the Great Dividing

Range on the east shoreline of Cape York Peninsula. The highest Mountain Range of Australia- Mt Bartle Frere also

lies within the boundary of the city. There are a large number of beaches,

freshwater lakes, bays, estuaries, mangrove swamps, mudflats, tidal wetlands, the tropical Atherton Tablelands, the hinterland and the gorgesof the Gulf Savannah andet cetera.

Local Customs Cairns have a very large range in different types of markets

some of these include;Kuranda Markets(Cairns) Rusty's MarketsMossman Markets

(Nationwide) Harmony Day- day to encourage tolerance and understanding between Australians of all races and cultural backgrounds.

(Nationwide) Anzac Day- Monday 25th April Australia day- January 26th

Economy Tourism is the number one industry in Cairns. Industries that

service tourism have grown proportionally over the years with the most notable being the building industry.

Cairns is home to a large commercial fishing fleet that catch prawns in the rich waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria and Torres Strait

Local facilities Beaches in cairns-

Machan's Beach, Holloways Beach, Yorkey's Knob, Trinity Beach, Kewarra Beach, Clifton Beach, Palm Cove Beach

Cairns shopping center- Phone: (07) 4041 4111 Holiday activities- go scuba diving at the great barrier reef,

reef cruises, snorkelling and fishing tours. Cairns dinning- The Esplanade, there are many great places

along shields street. Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park-presenting the history and

the culture of the original inhabitants of the region.

http://www.cairnsweb.com.au/cairns_beaches/default.asp

Health and Safety advice Marine Stingers- found in tropical waters all over the world

during the Months November to May Crocodiles- Crocodiles prefer to hide in the warm, brackish

estuarine waters of northern rivers, Warning signs are often placed on beaches and along rivers just to make visitors aware.

Knowing about beaches before you enter them is a good thing to do as you may be faced with rips or other things that the beach may present and not knowing about them may put yourself in extreme danger.

Major gateway for transport to Cairns Cairns Airport is the main gateway to Tropical North

Queensland. It boasts international, domestic and general aviation terminals

By train Tilt train- QR's high-speed Tilt Train connects visitors to major

tourist destinations from South East to Central Queensland By boat- A rising number of overseas cruise ships call at the

Cairns Seaport regularly By road-From Brisbane, 2700 km from Sydney, 2800 km from

Darwin, 3100 km from Melbourne.

Transport options avaliable Charter Coach Companies

Sun Bus

Taxi Services Bakers Taxi Service (Gordonvale)

Tel: 61 (0) 7 4035 5566

(07) 4057 7411

0408 773 797

Location of major towns/city Cairns is located 1729 km north of Brisbane Cairns to Townsville- 281km (roughly three hours) Cairns to Port Douglas- 57km NW