Cairns
Cairns is located approximately 1700km north of Queensland’s capital city Brisbane. Located on the east coast 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 city centre is located on the Trinity inlet. The Mulgrave River and Barron River flow within the city’s boundary but not through the city itself. The city’s foreshore is located on a mud flat Cairns is situated on the Indigenous Australian’s people’s tribal lands of the Irukandji.
Cairns has developed into an international port of cultural diversity. With an annual population growth of more than 3 per cent, the Cairns region now has a population of more than 120 000. Cairns serves as the major commercial centre for Far North Queensland and Cape York Peninsula Regions. It is a base for the regional offices of many government departments.
The Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station is located nearby in Kuranda and provides green power for some of the city’s needs.
The region has an enviable tropical climate, allowing for a range of outdoor activities year round. Winter, the dry season is between May and October and brings low humidity and cool breezes. Summer, between November and April, is predominantly the wet season. Monsoonal activity during the wet season occasionally causes major flooding of the Barron and Mulgrave Rivers, cutting off road and rail access to the city.