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Cairns was the main port for mineral and
timber reserves of the Atherton Tablelands.
Initially goods were carried over the
Kuranda Range along precarious packhorse
routes, until the construction of the
railway over the range. You can trace their
steps by taking the historic rail trip on
the Kuranda Scenic Railway.
Cairns initially suffered from its long
distance from the capital city of Brisbane
until 1879 when the first local authority
was established. Cairns was declared a
municipal borough in 1884, and Mr R A
Kingsford was elected the first mayor in
1885. He was the Grandfather of famous
aviator, Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith.
Today Cairns is a thriving city with a
population of over 135,000 with an
International Airport and Cruising Port
catering for the growing needs of tourism,
outback services and the population drift to
the Far North where a more laid back
lifestyle appears to appeal as a more
acceptable way of life. Major industries
focus on tourism, sugar, tropical fruit
farming, fishing, ship building and shipping
services. Cairns also hosts a Naval Base.
No visit to Cairns is complete without a
visit to the Royal Flying Doctors Base at
Aeroglen where the service has established a
Visitor Centre. A Presbyterian Minister,
John Flynn, who saw the need for a “mantle
of safety” for the people of the outback,
had a vision of the RFDS in 1912. By 1920,
Hudson Fysh, founder of QANTAS, identified a
suitable aircraft to carry a patient,
doctor/pilot. By 1927 a young engineer, Alf
Traeger, provided the missing communications
link with his invention of the pedal radio.
The first flight was made from Cloncurry in
North West Queensland in May 1928 – the rest
is history. RFDS is a service free to all
who need it and continue to operate through
the generous donations from people and
corporations from all over Australia to
supplement Government Grants.
Visit Cairns Australia and stay with
us at
Mid City Luxury Suites
CENTRAL TO EVERYTHING . . . FOR BUSINESS OR
LEISURE
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