Cairns, Queensland
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Cairns is a regional city and Local Government Area located in far north Queensland, Australia. Originally settled to serve as a port for exporting gold and other precious metals from mines west of the city, it later became a center for the crushing and exporting of sugar. The city is rapidly expanding, with an approximate population of 125,000, and is reliant on the tourism industry. The City of Cairns is located about 1700km from Brisbane and about 2500km from Sydney by road.
Cairns is a popular travel destination for foreign tourists because of its 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 are popular areas for experiencing a true tropical rainforest. It is also a starting point for people wanting to explore Cooktown, Cape York Peninsula, and the Atherton Tablelands.
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The city has used its natural surrounds to its full advantage with the construction of many small theme parks for tourists. Among them is the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, and Skyrail, a Gondola Cableway that extends for 7.5km over World Heritage rainforest.
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Urban Layout
Cairns has a linear urban layout that runs from south (starting at Aloomba) to north (ending at Ellis Beach) From north to south is approximately 50 km's in length. The urban layout of Cairns is similar to Honolulu's urban layout.
Climate
Cairns experiences a warm tropical climate in summer with monsoonal rains occurring between November and March. Mild temperatures occur in winter. Many tourists consider Cairns to have a similar climate to Hawai'i. Cairns is also subject to possible cyclone activity during the wet season. Major flooding can occur to the Barron River and the Mulgrave River during the wet season causing the city to be unreachable by all incoming road routes.
Airport
In terms of international and domestic passenger movements, Cairns International Airport is Australia's sixth busiest. In excess of three million international and domestic passenger movements were recorded during 2003-2004. After Sydney and Brisbane, Cairns is the most popular tourist destination in Australia.
Cairns International Airport connects directly to China, Hong Kong, Japan, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Singapore, Guam and the USA.
Airflights are also available to a large number of popular tourist destinations, including twice daily flights to Cooktown (40 Mins).
Schools
St Anthony's Primary, Dimbulah, St Mary's Catholic College, Woree State School, Woree State High School Cairns West State School, Parramatta State School, Edge Hill State School, Trinity Anglican School, Cairns Christian College, Smithfield State High School, Cairns State High School, Freshwater State School and Bentley Park College
External links
- City of Cairns Official Website (http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/)
- Cairns City Guide (http://www.withincooee.com/cairns/default.htm)de:Cairns