| Cairns is a remote coastal community located in Far North Queensland. Cairns is bordered to the west by a steep coastal escarpment that forms the eastern edge of the Atherton Tablelands. The Cairns urban area is located on a low-lying coastal plain, that widens to the south and extends into the Mulgrave corridor between the Malbon-Thomson Range and McAllister Range. The linear nature of the coastal range, combined with the desire for beach frontages, restricts urbanisation to a north-south corridor along the coast. |
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The northern beach suburbs of Cairns are generally low lying. They consist of a number of beach communities extending north along the coast. Each suburb is located at the end of an access road extending from the Captain Cook Highway including Machans Beach, Holloways Beach, Yorkeys Knob, Trinity Beach, Kewarra Beach, Clifton Beach and Palm Cove. The suburb of Smithfield serves as a main centre for the Northern Beaches. The southside of Cairns, which is higher in elevation, is situated in a mountainous valley and includes the suburbs of White Rock, Mount Sheridan, Bentley Park, Wrights Creek, Edmonton and Centenary Heights. Yarrabah is an independent Aboriginal community situated approximately 7km from Cairns on Cape Grafton. Although Yarrabah’s proximity is close, it is approximately 50km by road from Cairns. Goods and services are available in the community, but there is an extensive reliance on Gordonvale and Cairns to meet the needs of this small community. |
Cairns City looking north showing the coastal range and central business district and a 3D visualization for the same area. (Zerger et al 2002)
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Cairns Climate Cairns has a moist tropical climate with fairly uniform temperatures throughout the year. Typical daytime min/max temperature ranges in Cairns are 23ºC/31ºC in mid-Summer and 18ºC/26ºC in mid-Winter. The sub-tropical ridge dominates the months from May to October, with Cairns under the influence of the southeast trade winds. The prevailing winds are east to south-easterly with strongest winds (tropical cyclones excluded) usually occurring during April and August. The monsoon trough is close to Cairns from December to March, during the wet season and brings with it the hot humid conditions. This is when Cairns receives more than 80 percent of the annual precipitation. During this season the coastal areas of North Queensland are frequented by extreme climatic conditions such as tropical cyclones, which cause severe wind damage and extensive flooding.
Impacts of Tropical Cyclone Hazards on Cairns Region Tropical cyclones pose a major threat to Cairns due to their extreme winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge inundation. This risk is significant and increasing since much of the Cairns population inhabits the low-lying coastal region. The urban setting and the locality of Cairns increases the susceptibility of the city in a major event with a likelihood of massive losses of infrastructure, housing and possible loss of life if an event were to occur. Since 1876 (first European settlement of Cairns) there has been an average of one tropical cyclone every 2 years that has had some affect on the City. Cairns itself has experienced a direct tropical cyclone impact every 4 years with a major tropical cyclone impact every 12 years.
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Economic and Population Growth With the increase of employment opportunities in Cairns generated by the diversification of industries, rapid population growth has resulted especially during the latter half of the 20th Century. Since 1976, Cairns has had a percentage increase in population of 60 per cent. Cairns City recorded the largest amount of growth of any Local Government Area outside South East Queensland in the year to June 2004 (Department of Local Government, Planning, Sport and Recreation, 2006). The population growth in Cairns City in the year to June 2004 (2 804 people) was more than double the annual average of the five years to June 2001 (1 232 people). The estimated resident population for Cairns City at 30 June 2004 was 125,132 (Department of Local Government, Planning, Sport and Recreation, 2006). Economically, Cairns is growing rapidly. The region has seen the development of numerous multi-million dollar projects, helping to expand the economic and population base of the region. The major cause of the rapid growth of the Cairns economy has been the expansion of the tourist industry. However, the urban economy of Cairns is based on its role as a commercial, retailing, business services and transportation. Cairns has also attracted a large amount of capital investment. Recently completed in 2003 were the Cairns Esplanade Redevelopment by the Cairns City Council, the Queensland State Government and the Federal Government at an estimated cost of $32 million and the Cityport Development by the Cairns Port Authority at an estimated cost of $100 million with the urban redevelopment still in progress. Cairns growth in the last century has taken it from a remote sleepy regional town to one of the most dynamic urban economies in Australia. With the improvement of transportation to the city, Cairns tourist industry has become the leading growth industry for the city. The employment opportunities this region offers coupled with the favourable climate and the location of the city next to the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics has resulted in a continual rise in population. This boom in population and economy has concentrated people and complex infrastructure into the tropical cyclone prone coastal area.
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