Cairns- Australia By Hannah Lodge

Over view of Cairns Cairns 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 gorges of the Gulf Savannah and et cetera.

Local Customs  Cairns have a very large range in different types of markets some of these include; Kuranda Markets (Cairns) Rusty's Markets Mossman Markets  (Nationwide) Harmony Day- day to encourage tolerance and understanding between Australians of all races and cultural backgrounds.  (Nationwide) Anzac Day- Monday 25 th April  Australia day- January 26 th

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)  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.

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) (07)

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