Cairns North is a coastal
suburb of
Cairns in the
Cairns Region
The Cairns Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, centred on the regional city of Cairns. It was established in 2008 by the amalgamation of the City of Cairns and the Shires of Douglas and Mulgrave. H ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
, Australia.
In the , Cairns North had a population of 5,191 people.
Geography
The suburb is bounded to the north by the
Cairns Airport
Cairns Airport is an international airport in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Formerly operated by the Cairns Port Authority, the airport was sold by the Queensland Government in December 2008 to a private consortium. It is the seventh busiest ...
, to the east by Trinity Bay (),
and to the west by Lily Creek (). As the name ''Cairns North'' suggests, it is immediately north of the
Cairns central business district.
Sheridan Street enters the suburb from the south-east (
Cairns City) and exits to the north (
Aeroglen). It is part of
Highway 1 (the main route around the Australian coast). The
Tablelands railway line
The Tablelands railway line is a railway line in North Queensland, Australia. It was opened in a series of sections between 1887 and 1916. It commences at Cairns and at its maximum extent, reached Ravenshoe at the southern end of the A ...
also enters the suburb from the south-east (Cairns City) and follows close to the south-western boundary of Cairns North before exiting to the north (Aeroglen), with Edgehill railway station (also known as Cairns North railway station) within the suburb ().
The suburb is flat land just above sea level. Parkland and an
esplanade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cl ...
separate the developed areas of the suburb from the sea. At high tide there is a small sandy beach but low tide reveals an extensive mudflat.
The suburb has a mix of uses having both permanent and holiday residential (the latter being mostly close to the shore), commercial buildings and community facilities.
History
Cairns North is situated in the
Yidinji traditional
Aboriginal country.
Edge Hill State School opened in Cairns North on 19 February 1917. It was renamed Cairns North State School in 1939 (just prior to the opening of a separate Edge Hill State School in neighbouring suburb of Edge Hill in 1940). Cairns North State School closed on 31 December 2004.
The school was 381 Sheridan Street ().
Cairns State High School opened on 28 January 1924, having commenced operation as an annex to Cairns Central State School in 1917.
Mother of Good Counsel School opened on 29 March 1936 with 19 students, after Father Phelan (an
Augustinian Augustinian may refer to:
*Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine
*Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs
*Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo
* Canons Regular of Sain ...
priest) saw the need for Catholic education in the area. The school was operated by the
Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...
.
The North Cairns parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns was established in 1952.
Although Cairns North has a beach, in 1962 concerns about
marine stinger
Box jellyfish (class Cubozoa) are cnidarian invertebrates distinguished by their box-like (i.e. cube-shaped) body. Some species of box jellyfish produce potent venom delivered by contact with their tentacles. Stings from some species, including ' ...
s in the seawater resulted in the establishment of the Tobruk Memorial swimming pool (not to be confused with the
similarly named pool in
Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
).
In the , Cairns North had a population of 5,191 people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 7.0% of the population. 47.8% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were India 4.9%, England 4.1%, New Zealand 3.4% and Japan 2.5%. 56.6% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Punjabi 3.2%, Japanese 2.8% and Mandarin 2.5% The most common response for religion was No Religion at 32.5%.
Heritage listings
![Herries Private Hospital (former), Cairns (2015)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Herries_Private_Hospital_%28former%29%2C_Cairns_%282015%29.jpg)
Cairns North has a number of
heritage-listed sites, including:
* 127–145 McLeod Street:
McLeod Street Pioneer Cemetery
* 180 McLeod Street: former
Herries Private Hospital
* Sheridan Street:
Cairns Technical College and High School Building (now Block A of the Cairns State High School)
* 183–185 The Esplanade, Cairns North:
Floriana
Floriana ( mt, Il-Furjana or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana ...
Education
![Cairns Technical College and High School Building, 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Cairns_Technical_College_and_High_School_Building%2C_2013.jpg)
Mother of Good Counsel School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 394 Sheridan Street ().
In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 374 students with 25 teachers (21 full-time equivalent) and 13 non-teaching staff (9 full-time equivalent).
Cairns State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls on the corner of Sheridan Street and Upward Street ().
In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1,673 students with 131 teachers (123 full-time equivalent) and 67 non-teaching staff (52 full-time equivalent).
It includes a
special education
Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...
program.
There is no government primary school in Cairns North. The nearest government primary schools are
Edge Hill State School in neighbouring
Edge Hill to the west and
Parramatta State School in neighbouring
Parramatta Park to the south.
Facilities
Cairns Hospital (formerly Cairns Base Hospital) is a public hospital at 165 The Esplanade ().
It has an
accident and emergency centre. It has a heliport on the foreshore opposite for emergency helicopter transport to the hospital ().
The
Royal Flying Doctor Service
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...
has one of its nine Queensland bases at nearby Cairns Airport.
Cairns North Community Health Facility is a public health centre providing a range of outpatient services at 381 Sheridan Street (), the site of the former Cairns North State School.
The Cairns Clinic is a private mental health facility at 253 Sheridan Street (). It has a 30-bed facility for in-patients as well as out-patient programs. It is operated by
Ramsay Health Care
Ramsay Health Care Limited is an Australian multinational healthcare provider and hospital network, founded by Paul Ramsay in Sydney, Australia, in 1964. The company operates in Australia, Europe, the UK, and Asia, specialising in surgery, rehab ...
.
McLeod Street Pioneer Cemetery is bounded by McLeod Street, Grove Street, and the railway line ().
It is an historic cemetery and now closed for burials but is open to the public to visit between 6am and 6:30pm. An information kiosk has details of those buried and the location of their grave.
Amenities
The Cairns branch of the
Queensland Country Women's Association
The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...
meets at 264 Grafton Street, Cairns North ().
Mother of Good Counsel Catholic Church is at 394 Sheridan Street () on the same site as the Mother of Good Counsel Catholic School. It is within the North Cairns Parish of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns is a diocese of the Catholic Church located in the state of Queensland, Australia. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Brisbane. The diocese was erected as a vicariate apostolic in 1877 and was ...
.
St Luke's Anglican Church is at 335 McLeod Street ().
It is part of the Cairns Aboriginal and Torres Strait Ministries (CATSIM).
Tobruk Memorial Pool is at 370 Sheridan Street (). It has a 50-metre pool, a 25-metre pool, a heated therapy pool, a toddler shallow pool, and Flow Rider (a surf-board riding experience).
Cairns Hockey Centre is in Rutherford Street ().
References
Further reading
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External links
{{Cairns Region
Suburbs of Cairns