Cairns
Gateway to Great Barrier Reef and Daintree rainforest (2 UNESCO sites). Goldfield port 1876, then sugar, now tourism. Reef bleaching 2016-2022 threatens core industry.
Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef—a position that transformed a tropical port into a tourism capital. The city sits where the Daintree rainforest meets the coral sea, offering two UNESCO World Heritage areas within day-trip distance.
The town began as a port for the Hodgkinson goldfield in 1876. Sugar cane followed gold; by the early 20th century, plantations stretched along the coastal plain. The Kuranda Scenic Railway, built 1886-1891 to serve the tablelands, became a tourist attraction in itself.
Tourism now dominates. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park draws millions of visitors who snorkel, dive, and sail from Cairns marinas. Reef fleet vessels depart daily for outer reef pontoons. The Daintree, world's oldest rainforest, lies 100km north. Indigenous tourism connects visitors to Aboriginal culture.
But climate change threatens the reef that feeds the economy. Coral bleaching events in 2016, 2017, 2020, and 2022 damaged reef systems. The tourism industry watches ocean temperatures as closely as booking numbers. Cairns' economy depends on a natural wonder that may not survive warming seas.
By 2026, Cairns tests whether a city built on reef tourism can adapt when the reef itself is at risk.