| Cairns (pronounced
/'ke?nz/ or /'k??nz/, 16°57'S 145°45'E) is a regional
city and Local Government Area located in Queensland,
Australia. Originally settled in 1876, and named after
William Wellington Cairns (the then Governor of Queensland)
to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield,
the settlement declined when an easier route was discovered
from Port Douglas. However, Cairns' future was secured
as it developed into a railhead and major port for the
exportation of sugar cane, gold, precious metals and agricultural
industries from the surrounding coastal and Tableland
regions. The city is rapidly expanding, with a population
of 128,284 (ABS 23/2/2006), and is reliant on the sugar
and tourism industries.
The City of Cairns lies about 1720 km
(1,069 miles) from Brisbane and about 2500 km (1,553 miles)
from Sydney by road.
Cairns is a popular travel destination
for foreign tourists because of its tropical climate and
proximity to many attractions. The Great Barrier Reef
is only one-and-a-half hours away by boat. The Daintree
National Park and Cape Tribulation, about 130km north
of Cairns, are popular areas for experiencing a tropical
rainforest. It is also a starting point for people wanting
to explore Cooktown, Cape York Peninsula, and the Atherton
Tableland.
The city has used its natural
surrounds to its advantage with the construction of several
small theme parks for tourists. Among them are the Tjapukai
Aboriginal Cultural Park and the Kuranda Skyrail Gondola
Cableway, which extends for 7.5 kilometres over World
Heritage rainforest.
Cairns is located on the east
coast, at the base of Cape York Peninsula on a coastal
strip between the Coral Sea and the Great Dividing Range.
The northern part of the city is located on Trinity Bay
and the city centre is located on Trinity Inlet. Some
of the city's suburbs are located on fertile flood plains.
The Mulgrave River and Barron River flow within the city's
boundary but not through the city itself. The city centre's
foreshore is located on a mud flat. The highest mountain
in Queensland, Mount Bartle Frere, is located within the
city's boundaries.
Cairns
is located on the east coast, at the base of Cape York
Peninsula on a coastal strip between the Coral Sea and
the Great Dividing Range. The northern part of the city
is located on Trinity Bay and the city centre is located
on Trinity Inlet. Some of the city's suburbs are located
on fertile flood plains. The Mulgrave River and Barron
River flow within the city's boundary but not through
the city itself. The city centre's foreshore is located
on a mud flat. The highest mountain in Queensland, Mount
Bartle Frere, is located within the city's boundaries.
Urban Layout
Cairns is a provincial city and has a linear urban layout
that runs from the south, at Aloomba, to the north, at
Ellis Beach). The city is approximately 52 km from north
to south. Cairns has experienced recent urban sprawl,
with suburbs occupying land previously used for sugar
cane farming. Many houses have also been built on hillsides,
partly due to lack of space and partly due to a perception
of prestige living. Building on Cairns hillslopes is extremely
dangerous. According to national geologists and geographers,
Cairns is the most likely place in Australia for a landslide
to occur because of the fertile but weak clay-based soils.[citation
needed]
The Northern Beaches are low in elevation
and consist of a number of beach communities extending
north along the coast. In general, each beach suburb is
located at the end of a spur road extending from the Captain
Cook Highway. From south to north, these are Machans Beach,
Holloways Beach, Yorkeys Knob, Trinity Park, Trinity Beach,
Kewarra Beach, Clifton Beach, Palm Cove and Ellis Beach.
The suburb of Smithfield is located
inland and against the mountains of the Great Dividing
Range and serves as the main centre for the Northern Beaches.
It is located between Yorkey’s Knob and Trinity
Park.
Located inland from the Northern Beaches
along the edge of the Barron River flood plain are the
suburbs of Caravonica, Lake Placid, Kamerunga, Stratford,
and Freshwater. This area is sometimes referred to as
Freshwater Valley. Further up Freshwater Valley is Redlynch
Valley. The suburb of Redlynch is located on the western
side of Redlynch Valley, and Brinsmead lies on the eastern
side. Stratford, Freshwater, Redlynch and Brinsmead are
separated from Cairns city by Mount Whitfield (elevation
365m) and Whitfield Range.
Cairns, view of the foreshore.Cairns City, located on
what once was swamp, is in close proximity to the suburbs
of Cairns North, Manunda, Edge Hill, Whitfield, Kanimbla,
Parramatta Park, Mooroobool, Manoora, Portsmith, Earlville,
Bungalow and Woree. The small suburb of Aeroglen is pressed
between Mount Whitfield and the airport on the Captain
Cook Highway north of the CBD towards Smithfield.
Southside Cairns, which is higher in
elevation and is situated in a mountainous valley, includes
the suburbs of White Rock, Mount Sheridan, Bentley Park,
Wrights Creek, Edmonton and Centenary Heights, and the
townships of Babinda, Goldsborough, Little Mulgrave, Aloomba
and Gordonvale, which is located on the Mulgrave River.
The town of Kuranda is located
upstream on the Barron River on the western side of the
Kuranda Range, part of the Great Dividing Range. Kuranda
is located in the Mareeba Shire local government area
and, due to the geography of the Kuranda Range, is not
part of the Cairns urban area, however it forms part of
the Cairns economic catchment.
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