City guide · Cairns
Cairns
Gateway to two natural World Heritage Sites: the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics rainforest
Cairns is a tropical town in far north Queensland: east out to sea is the Great Barrier Reef, to the north the Daintree rainforest, and to the west a scenic railway or cable car climbs to the mountain village of Kuranda. The town is small; the Esplanade boardwalk and man-made lagoon pool are part of everyday local life.
History
How the city came to be
From 1770 to the early 1870s the British simply called this area 'Trinity Bay' — Captain Cook passed here in 1770 as he sailed north along Australia's east coast, then ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef. In 1876 a port town was founded to ship out gold from the Hodgkinson goldfield on the tablelands to the west, and named after Sir William Cairns, then governor of Queensland. In the Second World War the Allies used Cairns as a staging base for operations in the Pacific; today's airport was then an air-force base.
- 1770Captain Cook passed Trinity Bay and ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef
- 1876Cairns was founded to ship out gold from the goldfields
- 1939–1945A staging base for Allied operations in the Pacific
- 1981The Great Barrier Reef became a World Heritage Site
Stories
Stories of the city
History · Great Barrier Reef
The Endeavour runs aground
In May 1770 Captain Cook sailed the Endeavour north along Australia's east coast into the shallow, treacherous waters of the Great Barrier Reef. At high tide on 11 June the Endeavour struck the reef and ran aground. After the crew made the ship float again, Cook found a beach at the mouth of today's Endeavour River, hauled the ship ashore and spent seven weeks repairing it. This episode was the first time the Great Barrier Reef appeared in European navigation records.
People
People connected with Cairns
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Before you go
Rules to know in Cairns
Australian beaches: swim between the red and yellow flags
- Swim only between the red and yellow flags where lifeguards are on duty
- If you don't know the conditions, ask a lifeguard
- Swimming at unpatrolled beaches or outside the flags
Outside the flags there may be rip currents, and lifeguards cannot reach you in time.
Not yet verifiedSource: Surf Life Saving Australia: beach safety signs
Uluru: climbing is not allowed
- Walk the base track around Uluru and learn about Anangu culture
- Climbing Uluru
The climb closed permanently on 26 October 2019; climbing breaks the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and is punished.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park: climb closure
Entering Australia: food, plant and animal products must be declared
- Truthfully declare all food (even small, packaged snacks), plants and animal products on your arrival card
- If in doubt, declare it
- Bringing fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, seeds or wooden souvenirs without declaring them
You can be issued an infringement notice; your visa may be cancelled, you may be refused entry and barred from returning for up to 3 years.
Not yet verifiedSource: Australian Department of Agriculture: travelling to Australia
Australia: tipping is not required
- When service is especially good, round up or leave a small tip
- Feeling bad about not leaving a tip
There is no penalty; Australian wages do not depend on tips.
Not yet verifiedSource: Mozo: tipping in Australia