Cairns. Rydges Esplanade Resort Hotel.
James Cook visited Trinity Inlet in 1770 and named it. But the town started much later as a frontier town to support the ongoing gold rush in the area in 1876. The main access into the surrounding area was via the Barron River up to the Atherton tablelands. The main reason for Cairns being established was that it had a sheltered port and a relatively flat hinterland.
It was named after QLD’s third Governor, Sir William Cairns. Cairns only looked like becoming a permanent town when it was chosen as the starting point for a railway line to the Atherton Tablelands, taking up workers and supplies and bringing back tin, gold and timber. The Cairns to Herberton railway began in 1886, only reaching the future site of Kuranda in 1891. (The railway reached Mareeba in 1893.) Today the railway up to Kuranda is a tourist attraction in its own right as it was a feat of engineering to get a rail line up the steep mountains. The gold soon was exhausted but the rich volcanic soils of the Atherton Tablelands attracted farmers- dairy farmers, coffee growers, tobacco and fruit growers. Sugar cane farms were developed closer to Cairns and the fledgling town survived. Many of the first settlers and workers on the flats around Cairns were Chinese. As the railway pushed further westward the township of Cairns grew and prospered as the port facilities expanded. Gradually the large local Aboriginal population moved into an Anglican mission near Cairns. By 1900 the local Chinese population was producing rice, corn, bananas and pineapples. A local tramway went south of Cairns to Mulgrave and opened up those areas to the port of Cairns. By 1903 Cairns had a population of 3,500 people.
In the 20th century major changes have been the start of the hydroelectric power station on the Barron River Falls in 1936 and the introduction of cane toads about the same time! The new power supply began the industrial development of the Cairns region. Earlier the arrival of a rail line from Brisbane finally linked the city with its southern counterparts in 1924. This happened one year after Cairns became a city. But the big growth came with World War Two when the American and Australian fleets and troops were based in the city because of its proximity to the South Pacific war arena. To combat the disastrous effects of cyclones the major historical structures of the city that have survived were all built solidly in concrete. Look for: the School of Arts (Lake St and Shields St) we can visit the Cairns Historical Museum there for a $5 admission fee; and Cairns City Council Offices, the Court House, and the Catholic convent – all in Abbott Street. By the mid 1970s tourism became increasingly important to the city and the international airport opened in 1984 beginning an influx of overseas, especially Japanese tourists.
Cairns. Rydges Esplanade Resort Hotel.
James Cook visited Trinity Inlet in 1770 and named it. But the town started much later as a frontier town to support the ongoing gold rush in the area in 1876. The main access into the surrounding area was via the Barron River up to the Atherton tablelands. The main reason for Cairns being established was that it had a sheltered port and a relatively flat hinterland.
It was named after QLD’s third Governor, Sir William Cairns. Cairns only looked like becoming a permanent town when it was chosen as the starting point for a railway line to the Atherton Tablelands, taking up workers and supplies and bringing back tin, gold and timber. The Cairns to Herberton railway began in 1886, only reaching the future site of Kuranda in 1891. (The railway reached Mareeba in 1893.) Today the railway up to Kuranda is a tourist attraction in its own right as it was a feat of engineering to get a rail line up the steep mountains. The gold soon was exhausted but the rich volcanic soils of the Atherton Tablelands attracted farmers- dairy farmers, coffee growers, tobacco and fruit growers. Sugar cane farms were developed closer to Cairns and the fledgling town survived. Many of the first settlers and workers on the flats around Cairns were Chinese. As the railway pushed further westward the township of Cairns grew and prospered as the port facilities expanded. Gradually the large local Aboriginal population moved into an Anglican mission near Cairns. By 1900 the local Chinese population was producing rice, corn, bananas and pineapples. A local tramway went south of Cairns to Mulgrave and opened up those areas to the port of Cairns. By 1903 Cairns had a population of 3,500 people.
In the 20th century major changes have been the start of the hydroelectric power station on the Barron River Falls in 1936 and the introduction of cane toads about the same time! The new power supply began the industrial development of the Cairns region. Earlier the arrival of a rail line from Brisbane finally linked the city with its southern counterparts in 1924. This happened one year after Cairns became a city. But the big growth came with World War Two when the American and Australian fleets and troops were based in the city because of its proximity to the South Pacific war arena. To combat the disastrous effects of cyclones the major historical structures of the city that have survived were all built solidly in concrete. Look for: the School of Arts (Lake St and Shields St) we can visit the Cairns Historical Museum there for a $5 admission fee; and Cairns City Council Offices, the Court House, and the Catholic convent – all in Abbott Street. By the mid 1970s tourism became increasingly important to the city and the international airport opened in 1984 beginning an influx of overseas, especially Japanese tourists.