The Cairns Region is a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf C ...

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 , established_ ...

, Australia, centred on the regional city of

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

. It was established in 2008 by the amalgamation of the City of Cairns and the Shires of

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...

and Mulgrave. However, following public protest and a referendum in 2013, on 1 January 2014, the Shire of Douglas was de-amalgamated from the Cairns Region and re-established as a separate local government authority. The Cairns Regional Council has an estimated operating budget of A$300 million.

History

First Nations

'' Yidinji'' (also known as ''Yidinj'', ''Yidiny'', and ''Idindji'') is an

Australian Aboriginal language The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...

and a traditional Indigenous country. Its traditional language region is within the local government areas of Cairns Region and

Tablelands Region The Tablelands Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia inland from the city of Cairns. Established in 2008, it was preceded by four previous local government areas which dated back more than a century. On 1 January ...

, in such localities as Cairns City (CBD),

Gordonvale Gordonvale is a rural sugar-growing town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality situated on the southern side of Cairns, Queensland, Cairns in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Gordonvale had a populati ...

, and the

Mulgrave River The Mulgrave River, incorporating the East Mulgrave River and the West Mulgrave River, is a river system located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The -long river flows towards the Coral Sea and is located approximately south of . Locatio ...

, and the southern part of the

Atherton Tableland The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. The principal river flowing across the plateau is the Barron River. It was dammed to form an irrigation reservoir named Lake Tina ...

including Atherton and Kairi. '' Tjapukai'' (also known as ''Djabuganydji'', ''Djabugay'', and ''Djabuganydji'') is the traditional Aboriginal country and language north of the Barron River in the Cairns Region, with the traditional group extending west towards

Mareeba Mareeba is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Mareeba in Far North Queensland, Australia. Between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Tablelands Region. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ''meeting of the waters'' ...

and north towards

Douglas Shire The Shire of Douglas is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Far North Queensland, Far North Queensland. It is located on the coast north of the city of Cairns, Queensland, Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Mo ...

and

Port Douglas Port Douglas is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia, approximately 60 km north of Cairns. In the , Port Douglas had a population of 3,504 people. The town's population can often double, however, with the in ...

Post colonialisation

Prior to the 2008 amalgamation, the Cairns Region consisted of the entire area of three previous local government areas: * the City of Cairns; * the

Shire of Douglas The Shire of Douglas is a local government area in Far North Queensland. It is located on the coast north of the city of Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Mossman, covers an area of , and existed as a local government entity f ...

; * and the Shire of Mulgrave. The city, which for most of its existence covered only the central business district and inner suburbs of Cairns, had its beginning in the Borough of Cairns which was proclaimed on 28 May 1885 under the ''Local Government Act 1878''. With the passage of the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', it became a Town on 31 March 1903 and was proclaimed a City on 12 October 1923. The Shire of Mulgrave had its origins in the

Cairns Division #REDIRECT Shire of Mulgrave (Queensland) The Shire of Mulgrave was a local government area surrounding the City of Cairns in the Far North region of Queensland. The shire, administered from Cairns, covered an area of ; it existed as a local ...

, one of Queensland's 74 divisions created under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'' on 11 November 1879. The Douglas Division was created on 3 June 1880. They became the

Shire of Cairns Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...

and the

on 31 March 1903. On 20 December 1919, it grew to include some territory from the abolished

Shire of Barron The Shire of Barron is a former local government area in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. It existed between 1890 and 1919. History Under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'', the Cairns Division, Hinchinbrook Division and Woothak ...

, and on 16 November 1940, the shire was renamed Mulgrave. On 21 November 1991, the

Electoral and Administrative Review Commission The Electoral and Administrative Review Commission (1989–1993) was an agency of the Government of Queensland, Australia to investigate the electoral system and public administration of the state and local government authorities of Queensland. ...

, created two years earlier, produced its second report, and recommended that local government boundaries in the Cairns area be rationalised, and that the Shire be dissolved and amalgamated with the City of Cairns. The ''Local Government (Cairns, Douglas, Mareeba and Mulgrave) Regulation 1994'' was gazetted on 16 December 1994. On 22 March 1995, the Shire was abolished and became part of the new City of Cairns. In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that Cairns amalgamate with the Shire of Douglas, and that the new Cairns Regional Council be undivided with 10 councillors and a mayor. On 15 March 2008, the City and Shire formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council. In 2012, a proposal was made to de-amalgamate the Shire of Douglas from the Cairns Region. On 9 March 2013, the citizens of the former Douglas shire voted in a referendum to de-amalgamate. The shire was re-established on 1 January 2014.

Wards

The Region is divided into nine divisions, each of whom elects one councillor to the Cairns Regional Council. The mayor is elected by the entire region. Division 1 covers the southern districts which were part of the Shire of Mulgrave prior to 1995. At the time of the 2008 amalgamation, Division 10 contained all of the former Shire of Douglas.

Towns and localities

The Cairns Region includes the following settlements:

Central area: * Aeroglen * Bungalow * Cairns City *

Cairns North Cairns North is a coastal suburb of Cairns in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Cairns North had a population of 5,191 people. Geography The suburb is bounded to the north by the Cairns Airport, to the east by Trinity Bay ( ...

* Earlville * Edge Hill * Kanimbla * Manoora *

Manunda TSMV ''Manunda'' was an ''Australian'' registered and crewed passenger ship which was converted to a hospital ship in 1940. During the war ''Manunda'' saw service in both the Middle East and Pacific Campaigns, specifically New Guinea. She resum ...

* Mooroobool * Parramatta Park * Portsmith * Westcourt * Whitfield Northern Mulgrave area: * Barron * Barron Gorge * Brinsmead * Buchan Point * Caravonica * Clifton Beach * Ellis Beach *

Freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

* Holloways Beach * Kamerunga * Kewarra Beach *

Lamb Range Lamb Range is a locality in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Lamb Range had a population of 0. Geography The locality takes its name from the mountain range Lamb Range. The locality that lies to the west of most of the south ...

* Macalister Range * Machans Beach *

Palm Cove Palm Cove is a suburb of Cairns in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Palm Cove had a population of 2,059 people. It is named after the palm trees that line the beach. Geography Palm Cove is located in Far North Queensland ...

* Redlynch * Smithfield * Stratford * Trinity Beach * Trinity Park * Yorkeys Knob Southern Mulgrave area: * Aloomba *

Babinda Babinda is a rural town and locality in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Babinda had a population of 1,253 people. Geography Babinda is located south of Cairns. The town is noted for its proximity to Queensl ...

Bartle Frere Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, 1st Baronet, (29 March 1815 – 29 May 1884) was a Welsh British colonial administrator. He had a successful career in India, rising to become Governor of Bombay (1862–1867). However, as High Commissioner for ...

* Bayview Heights *

Bellenden Ker Mount Bellenden Ker is the second-highest mountain in Queensland, Australia, with a height of . It is named after the botanist John Bellenden Ker Gawler. Located south of Cairns near Babinda, it is adjacent to Mount Bartle Frere, the state' ...

* Bentley Park * Bramston Beach * Deeral * East Russell * East Trinity *

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

* Eubenangee¹ * Fishery Falls * Fitzroy Island * Glen Boughton * Goldsborough *

* Green Hill * Green Island *

Kamma Kamma may refer to: *Kamma (caste), a caste or social group found largely in Southern India *Kamma, India, village in Punjab, India *The Pali and Ardhamagadhi term for karma *Bava Kamma, a traditional Jewish civil law procedure (1st volume of Nezi ...

* Little Mulgrave *

Meringa ''Meringa'' is a genus of Polynesian araneomorph spiders in the family Physoglenidae that was first described by Raymond Robert Forster in 1990. Originally placed with the Synotaxidae, it was moved to the Physoglenidae in 2017. Species it contai ...

* Miriwinni * Mount Peter *

Mount Sheridan Mount Sheridan el. is a prominent mountain peak overlooking Heart Lake in the Red Mountains of Yellowstone National Park. The peak is named in honor of General Philip H. Sheridan, U.S. Army, one of the early protectors of the park. History ...

* Ngatjan¹ * Packers Camp * Waugh Pocket * White Rock * Woopen Creek *

Wooroonooran Wooroonooran is a locality split among the Cairns Region, the Cassowary Coast Region and the Tablelands Region in Queensland, Australia. In the , Wooroonooran had no population. Geography The locality is entirely within the Wooroonooran Nati ...

² * Woree * Wrights Creek ¹ – shared with

Cassowary Coast Region The Cassowary Coast Region is a local government area in the Far North Queensland region of Queensland, Australia, south of Cairns and centred on the towns of Innisfail, Cardwell and Tully. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire ...

² – shared with

and

Libraries

The Cairns Regional Council operate public libraries at

, Cairns City, Earlville,

, Smithfield and Stratford.

Population

The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008. The only census in which the Cairns Region included the Douglas Shire was conducted in 2011.

Mayors

Council members

The Council members elected in 2020 were: The Council members elected in 2016 were: The Council members elected in 2012 were: On 1 January 2014, Julia Leu ceased to be a Councillor upon the de-amalgamation of the Shire of Douglas. On 31 January 2015,

Rob Pyne Robert John Pyne (born 23 April 1967) is an Australian politician, currently serving as a Cairns Region councillor as a member of the Socialist Alliance. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from January 2015 until Novem ...

was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembl ...

and resigned as a Councillor. Cathy Zeiger was appointed on 12 March 2015 to replace Rob Pyne by a panel comprising Mayor Bob Manning and former Councillors Fran Lindsay and Jeff Pezzutti. The Council members elected in 2008 were:

References

External links

Cairns Regional Council
{{coord, 16, 55, 24, S, 145, 46, 26, E, display=title, region:AU_type:adm2nd_source:GNS-enwiki Cairns, Queensland Local government areas of Queensland 2008 establishments in Australia