The Cairns Post
TROPICAL DIG FOR RICHES
Miners are working to transform the Far North into a critical minerals powerhouse that supplies the high-tech resources the world needs. While tourism has longbeen the bedrock industry of the region, the mining sector is poised to do some of the heavy...
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‘EXPLOSIONS’ IN BUSH HOME BLAZE
Neighbours say they heard loud explosions before flames consumed a reclusive man’s rainforest home south of Cairns. Police later found a body at the scene, believed to be that of John Dunford, 68, who had lived alone at the Deeral property for more...
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CAPS OFF FOR RECORD GRADUATION
The next generation of pilots, engineers, nurses and educators have graduated from Central Queensland University at a special ceremony at the Cairns Convention Centre. Nearly 200 students graduated from multiple faculties on Wednesday including...
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FASHION THAT NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE
Sustainability and saltwater storytelling underpin Cairns fashion designer Nicole Enoch-Chatfield’s latest collection of one-of-a-kind threads, proving high-end couture can still carry a powerful message. The Yirrganydji and Nughi woman’s timeless...
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JAIL, BUT WHERE?
Three Far North members of the Crisafulli Government are urging their parliamentary colleagues to back new “breach of bail, go to jail” laws for repeat juvenile offenders. “I’ve had enough and I’m sure you’ve had enough,” Mulgrave MP Terry James...
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STAGE SET FOR GUY’S ‘WARM HUG’ TOUR
Celebrating life, love and family is at the heart of Guy Sebastian’s latest album and subsequent tour 100 Times Around the Sun. Speaking to this masthead ahead of his April 24 show at the Cairns Convention Centre, Sebastian admitted this was the first...
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DEATH ROCKS TINY STREET
Shocked neighbours say their street in a “quiet” part of Mareeba has been rattled by the alleged murder of their 54-year-old neighbour. A 34-year-old man has been charged with murder following the woman’s sudden death at the Downs Street home. Police...
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A FERRY BIG BILL TO SWALLOW
Up to $1.8m in damage to the Daintree ferry caused during floods in March is unlikely to be covered under Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. Douglas Shire Council has estimated the damage would cost ratepayers $1.33m for counter disaster...
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SURGERY STALEMATE
Queensland’s Health Minister has hit back at claims his government has been delaying specialist hospital appointments in a bid to slash the Cairns surgery waitlist.
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DIABETES WARRIOR, 10, BECOMES CITY’S TOP FUNDRAISER
Ten-year-old Kennedy Costa has become the city’s leading fundraiser for Type 1 diabetes research, raising thousands of dollars after being diagnosed with the auto-immune condition three years ago. Team Kennedy raised more than $3000 to help find a...
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Cairns Songkran Festival brings colour, delicious food and unity to Thai New Year activities
A period of blessings and renewal for the Thai community was joyfully shared with all of Cairns at a Songkran Festival celebration marking Thai New Year. Cairns Thai Community Association president Prapasiri Techa said she estimated between 1000 and...
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FAMILYFOCUSED MARKETS
Cairns is getting a new way to shop local with the launch of The Happy Market, a roaming twilight pop-up to support small businesses rather than big corporations. It will pop up once or twice a month, with the first event at the Cairns Jockey Club on...
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FUN IN THE SUN AHEAD OF RAIN NEXT WEEK
Australians now have a faster, easier way to protect themselves from scammers, with the launch of a real-time “verify call” feature in the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) app. The tool allows users to confirm, within 30 seconds, whether a call...
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NEW LAWS, SAME CRIME ISSUE
A verified explosion in armed robberies and car thefts have vindicated Far Northerners who for months have cast doubt over the impact of the LNP’s Adult Crime, Adult Time laws. As the state government spruiks a statewide drop in youth offending,...
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WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
Families have taken advantage of free activities in the Cairns CBD at the start of the school holidays. From local families to international holiday-makers, young families have an abundance of free, fun, interactive activities to choose from. English...
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WET SEASON WILD CARD
Weather weary North Queenslanders will be keeping a watchful eye on the development of Tropical Cyclone Maila, expected to strengthen to a Category 3 system. Despite a convoluted start to its journey, forecasters expect the slowmoving storm to track...
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BURNT BODY FOUND IN FIRE
The tight-knit Tablelands community of Dimbulah has been rocked by a gruesome discovery, with police alleging a 37-yearold man murdered his 70-year-old relative before attempting to burn his body in a backyard fire.
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GRADS CELEBRATE YEARS OF HARD WORK
After swapping the emergency department for 4am study sessions, an ex-nurse has finished her degree, celebrating her graduation from James Cook University with 250 peers at the Cairns Convention Centre. Mum-of-two Kylie Ferrier, who graduated with a...
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‘I KILLED MY BEST MATE’
Six weeks before he was supposed to be best man at his friend’s wedding, farm worker Thomas Carter killed his mate in a drunken car accident that ‘catastrophically’ changed dozens of lives irreparably, including those of the two very young sons who...
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SMASHING THE WORLD STAGES
Two of Cairns’ rising tennis stars have joined forces in training while back home in Far North Queensland as they chase their dreams on the national and international stages. Wheelchair tennis player Ben Wenzel, 18, and 12-yearold Vanessa Fitzgerald,...
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JOURNEY TO WORLD MUSIC AWARD
Djabugay and Western Yalanji artist Djawarray earns a world music nomination for his song about a man’s journey through country, which is both a love letter to his community and a way to share their culture broadly.
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RAIL SHUT DOWN RISKS FNQ EASTER SHORTAGE
Far North parents are being warned they might have to explain why the Easter bunny didn’t visit this year, as a crippling nine-day rail shutdown threatens to strip local supermarket shelves bare. It’s estimated that around 45 freight trains from...
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70 NEW UNITS
A six-storey apartment block at Trinity Park looks set to be rubber-stamped to deliver 70 new homes to the Cairns northern beaches. Cairns Regional Council officers have recommended approving the Trinity Residence twin towers at the corner of Reed...
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PREFAB POD FIASCO
A $426 million social housing mega project at the old Woree drive-in site has descended into a demolition zone, with heavy machinery moving in to dismantle modular pods so badly damaged they are now being sent to landfill. The development, initially...
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CLEAN UP TO BE COSTLY
Wild waves and tides have devastated Cairns beaches with damage potentially exceeding $1m, leaving footpaths hanging and roads buried under sand. Cairns deputy mayor Brett Olds, who inspected the damage at the weekend, said Clifton Beach and Palm Cove...
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REEF TRIP FUNDING
New $10 million fund paves way for students to visit the greatest classroom on earth.
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NARELLE DANGER LOOMS
Cape York towns are bracing for catastrophic winds of more than 250km/h as Tropical Cyclone Narelle explodes into a Category 5 monster. Forecasters expect the ‘very destructive’ system to cross the coast near Coen, north of Cooktown, on Friday...
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CITY TURNS GREEN
A sea of green flooded Cairns City on St Patrick’s Day as hundreds of residents swarmed PJ O’Brien’s to knock back 60 kegs of Guinness. Cairns punters flocked to the Irish pub on Lake Street for the allday celebrations, including Irish breakfasts with...
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‘YOU TOOK HIS LIFE’
A father has been jailed for 14 years for the death of his “defenceless and vulnerable” five-year-old son. Jason Ross Allan Fourmile (pictured above) was sentenced on Monday for the manslaughter of his son, Caiden, at a Yarrabah house. The Cairns...
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‘NOT HEAVY’ ENOUGH
The Bureau of Meteorology says an overnight downpour that caused flash flooding across the Far North did not meet its warning threshold. It comes as two people were rescued from their cars and Cairns residents woke up to level 4 water restrictions on...
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ONE-OF-A-KIND KEEPSAKES
Tourists can take home a one-of-a-kind piece of Cairns after visiting Norman Miller’s shopfront on Lake St. The Indigenous artist began the Munganbana Reef and Rainforest Aboriginal Art Gallery at his home 30 years ago. He’s spent the last seven...
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DAD’S 2AM WAKE-UP CALL
A Djabugay man’s devastating brain tumour diagnosis has sparked a powerful message urging men to seek medical help earlier, with the community rallying behind him with a $30,000 fundraising campaign. Long-time Cairns resident Tim Wason, described as a...
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FALLS OF FEAR
A camping trip to find glow worms at Barron Falls turned into a terrifying fight for survival when three Far North Queensland teenagers were trapped by raging floodwaters and nearly drowned. Reon Namba, 16, Amber Kukulies, 14, and Jacob Tait, 16, said...
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LANTERN FESTIVAL SHINES BRIGHT
Celebrations for the Year of the Horse have been reined in following almost a month of festivities marking the Chinese New Year. Chinese heritage in Far North Queensland dates back to the 1800s and this year’s celebrations kicked off with a...
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LIFETIME OF GRACE
Cairns has celebrated the region’s most inspiring women as part of International Women’s Day celebrations at Cairns Central Shopping Centre on Saturday March 7. The award ceremony is part of the region’s annual IWD and C150 celebrations, to...
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$150 COULD HAVE SAVED DEAN’S LIFE
The wife of a tourist who fell to his death at a Daintree zipline broke down in tears as an inquest heard all 120 nuts holding it up were dangerously loose. The inquest also heard that if a $150 wrench had been used in maintenance the accident never...
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LAKE BRAVERY HONOUR
A young diver who recovered a man’s body from the bottom of Lake Tinaroo in difficult conditions has received a state award for his bravery. Cairns man Shaun Whitmore (left), who has been recognised for his exceptional courage, used his own diving...
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COUNT YOUR TREASURE
If you’ve ever dreamed of owning your own pirate ship, now is the time to start counting your treasure. The iconic authentic Chinese junk, Shaolin, is looking for a new captain after sailing the high seas around Port Douglas as a tourist boat under...
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BIG ENERGY, BOLD MOVES
Even those of us with two left feet can learn to Bollywood dance like the stars on the big screen thanks to a local cultural group organising professional classes. GOPIO Cairns, a community group of locals of Indian origin, has teamed up with the...
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SEA CLAIMS SPEARO
The diving community is mourning the loss of a young spearfisher who was found dead at the Great Barrier Reef near Port Douglas at the weekend. The 23-year-old man’s body was pulled from the water at Batt Reef, 11km northeast of the resort town, after...
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GIMUY’S GRAND GLOW
The Tanks Art Centre is set to explode with colour and culture this July as the biggest-ever mob of Queensland artists hits the Far North. Tickets are now available for the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF), which will hold its 17th anniversary and...
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POINT ENTRY PAUSE
A showdown is brewing at Taylor Point as the site’s new owner seeks to delay public access to the coastal headland. Developer Audrius Macernis purchased the controversial Trinity Beach site for $7m from tourism identity Robert Prettejohn in 2024...
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SCOOP OF THE TROPICS
Grab your forks, spoons and loosen your belts, because the Far North is officially turning into a food lover’s paradise this April. Tourism Tropical North Queensland will today launch its new Tasting the Tropics event, a month-long party designed to...
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CITY FLEXES ITS MUSCLES
Research has revealed Cairns is one of Queensland’s fittest cities, with residents showing lower chronic disease rates and higher exercise participation than most cities. Research from Net World Sports has found that Cairns is ranked fourth in the...
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NET CHOKES OCEAN
Local fishers found a “huge” ghost net off the northern beaches which they say can threaten wildlife and create a hazard for boaties. Online fishing school owners Karen and Ryan Moody said they came across “tonnes” of rope and net about 16km north of...
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SUMMER STEAM
Grab the umbrella and a spare towel — it’s going to be a steamy one. Far North residents can expect stormy conditions for the next few days, with widespread showers to bring temporary relief from the humidity. The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast...
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CROP’S SWEET SWAP
A towering grass crop has emerged as the potential saviour for Mossman’s devastated sugar cane industry after the town’s historic sugar mill closed.
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GO ON, HAVE A BEER FOR BRUCE
Self-confessed “king of the old farts” Bruce Ferguson has collected almost 350,000 cans and bottles to raise much-needed funds for his local neighbourhood centre. The 84-year-old Port Douglas retiree was crowned Douglas Shire’s Senior Citizen of the...
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Fire horse fever takes hold
Chinese New Year celebrations are off and racing with the year of the fire horse lighting up the Cairns Esplanade this week. Cairns and District Chinese Association celebrations will kick off at 6pm on Tuesday, February 17 with cultural performances...
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BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
You can send your child to a private school and receive an excellent education for less than $10,000 a year, new analysis shows. The Cairns Post can reveal Australia’s Top 100 affordable private schools, proving you don’t have to remortgage the house...
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ANGER OVER CITY EYESORES
Billionaire Hong Kong property mogul Benny Wu’s (left) Cairns empire is facing fresh scrutiny after his budget hotel mysteriously closed.
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FROM RITUALS TO REST PODS
The heritage-listed Cairns masonic temple (inset) will be converted into a boutique backpacker’s hostel (main). Hotelier Zac Sarnecki plans to open Temple Backpackers in late 2026, after converting the 92-year-old masonic hall. Inset picture: Brendan...
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KNOW A WOMAN WHO PUTS IN THE ‘HARD YARDS’?
From charity founders and Defence workers to frontline health staff, women from all walks of life will be celebrated at the Cairns Regional Council International Women’s Day Awards on March 7. Nominations are open for Woman of the Year, Young Woman of...
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Roses fly in love week
Romantic Romeos are being urged to smell the roses and shop at their local florist to ensure they get the best bouquet for their loved ones this Valentine’s Day. While Far North supermarkets are likely to be better stocked for flowers in preparation...
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A SLICE IN THE TROPICS
If you’re celebrating International Pizza Day at home on Monday there’s a few things to remember including “respecting your dough”. Alternatively, Far Northerners are spoiled for choice with dozens of stores, littered across the region serving saucy...
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$1BN HEALTH EXPANSION
A record-breaking investment in Cairns Hospital will deliver critical new health services, strengthen innovation and improve patient care, with the precinct’s historic $1bn expansion set to reshape the city’s CBD around it. Health Minister Tim...
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MAYOR SLEEPS IN CELL
Lockhart River Mayor Wayne Butcher has been arrested at the Reef Casino for allegedly breaching his bail on serious domestic violence charges, and has spent a second night in Cairns Watchhouse. Mr Butcher, 55, was charged in July 2024 with seven...
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RACING IN FULL COLOUR
From fuchsia fascinators to electric blue bow ties, the Cairns Super Carnival is turning up the colour and the fun in 2026, with this year’s ambassadors announced and tickets officially on sale. The Carnival of Colour will run from August 21 to 29,...
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JOINING FORCES FOR HEALTHY WATER
Rangers and community groups have joined forces to test Far North wetlands for pollutants as part of efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Cairns Regional Council celebrated World Wetlands Day at Centenary Lakes in Edge Hill on February 2, by...
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TRIFECTA IS EASY AS PIE
A south Cairns baker has revealed his secret to success after being voted Far North Queensland’s best pie maker by Cairns Post readers for the third year running. Babinda Bakery was voted FNQ’s best pie shop in Far North Queensland for the third time...
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SECRET HUT OF HORRORS
A survivalist whose bush hut was uncovered by soldiers on a training exercise has been jailed over hundreds of child exploitation images he kept laminated in his ‘survival’ kit.
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COKE HAUL PORKY PIE
A judge has rejected an islandhopping drug mule’s story as “implausible”, saying he didn’t believe the father-of-eight could possibly believe the 110kg of “stuff” he was moving by boat was anything other than some sort of serious powdered drug. The...
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‘MAGIC IN THE AIR’
Cairns aerial troupe Far North Aircats is bringing its Burnt Toast Aerial Show to the Bulmba-Ja Arts Centre this weekend, promising to “create magic in the air”. Taking place on both Friday and Saturday nights, the aerial spectacular will include 10...
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FAR NORTH MARKS AUSSIE DAY
From doctors and teachers to volunteers, meet the Far North Queenslanders who have been named this year’s Citizens of the Year for their work in the community. Far North councils across the region have celebrated community leaders who have dedicated...
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DREAM COME TRUE
Under the tarps of a refugee camp, Cairns newest citizen grew up learning about the Reef, indigenous history and the great southern land – decades later he couldn’t be prouder to become a fully fledged Aussie. Yuba Ghale fled Bhutan to Nepal in the...
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NEW FACES AT OLD FAVOURITE
Popular Edge Hill eatery Ozmosis has sold after 12 years in the hands of Lauren Vico, with new owners Maggie Yang and Cristian Couto excited to keep the Ozmosis ‘vibe’ going strong while adding their own touch. Ms Vico, who is relocating to Sydney to...
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TOOLBELT TRAILBLAZERS
An eighth organisation has joined the Far North’s growing list of early intervention providers, with the latest set to exclusively teach young girls new trade skills. The Busy Group at Manunda received a $300,000 state government grant through the...
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KIDS GO BANANAS FOR SWIMMING
For one day only on Wednesday, January 21, a fresh banana will give you access to a range of swimming pools across the Far North. The Banana Swim Pass promotion is a one-day initiative by Australian Bananas to encourage more Aussies to get in the...
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SHE WAS A ‘FIGHTER’
The victim of a violent alleged murder at a Gordonvale unit block has been remembered as a “bloody good girl” and a “fighter” whose life had been marked by tragedy. Childcare worker Richarna Clarke was just 35 years old when her life came to an abrupt...
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PAINFUL BLOW FOR SNAKES
Cairns Taipans coach Adam Forde and star point guard Andrew Andrews have blasted the referees in an almighty press conference following an 18point loss to New Zealand Breakers on Saturday. While the pair admitted officiating was the “hardest” job in...
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OUR SOCIAL HOUSING CAPITAL
A southside suburb is set to become the city’s social housing capital, with new projects to be pushed through by the state government on top of hundreds more public units already under construction. Two Woree developments are being fasttracked, but...
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BACK-TO-SCHOOL SAVINGS
Centacare FNQ is celebrating 10 years of helping children attend school with dignity and pride through its School Savvy program, providing discounted school supplies to families across the Far North. The program offers a range of discounted education...
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BRING YOUR PADDLES
Heavy rainfall has muddied creeks and shut Cairns’ water treatment plants, triggering Level 4 restrictions. Cairns Regional Council issued the urgent restrictions late Thursday calling on people to only use water for drinking, cooking and...
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‘EXPERIENCE SOMETHING REMARKABLE’
Tourism Tropical North Queensland has won a global award for campaigns promoting reef visitation as conservation, with officials asserting more tourists are needed to protect the Great Barrier Reef. The Guardian of the Reef campaign and The Lifetime...
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