Population: 226,312
Average Growth: 2.3%

Climate: Tropical North Queensland has two distinct seasons - wet and dry. The dry season, which runs from about May to October, has mostly clear skies and a temperature of approximately 27 degrees during the day, cooling to 15 to 19 degrees at night. Rainfall is lower during this time of the year.

The wet season, which usually starts in November, has temperatures of up to 36 degrees during the day, sometimes cooling to 24 to 26 degrees at night, a very high humidity of up to 90 per cent and heavy rainfall. During the wet season tropical depressions and cyclones may bring high winds and very heavy rain.

Access

Cairns Airport is Australia’s 5th busiest airport in terms of international passengers, is the sixth busiest airport overall in Australia, and handles aircraft movements of around 130,000 per annum.

• Cairns Airport is 7 kilometres from the CBD.
• The International and Domestic Terminals are open 24 hours per day. Services within the terminals operate in accordance with flight schedules.
• Cairns Airport offers direct domestic flights to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Darwin and Townsville as well as to Alice Springs and Ayers Rock (Uluru) and regional centres. There are direct international flights to Auckland, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Guam, Port Moresby and to Singapore via Darwin.
• The Domestic Airport is serviced by Qantas, Qantas Link, Jetstar and Virgin Blue to all major capital Australian cities. Cairns International Airport is serviced by Qantas, Jetstar, Cathay Pacific, Continental, and Air Nuigini.
• Airfield Operations are available 24 hours per day
• Terminal Operations including Shops/Cafes pre and post immigration are generally open in accordance with flight schedules.

Cairns Seaport is Australia’s busiest seaport with more than 200 international and domestic cruise ships entering and departing the Port of Cairns.

Services

• Health: Cairns Base Hospital is administered by the Queensland Government and provides public health care for the Cairns Health Service District. The Babinda Hospital and Douglas Shire Multi-Purpose Health Service (Mossman Hospital) also provide hospital and health services. Visit Queensland Health's website for more information. Cairns Private Hospital is the region's largest private health facility, and a large number of medical centres, dentists, community and family health care centres across the region provide affiliated health care services. The region is serviced by the Queensland Ambulance Service.
• Education: The Tropical North Queensland region, from Cooktown to Cardwell and out west to Croydon, boasts more than 120 primary and secondary schools - both Government and non-Government. The tertiary education sector is headed by the Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE and James Cook University. The education institutions reflect the regions’ self-sufficiency, and with established primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, plus vocational education providers, International students seek out Cairns as their preferred study location, recognising the high quality university, colleges and supporting infrastructure.
• Retail: Cairns city and surrounding suburbs are serviced by 5 major shopping centres - Cairns Central, The Pier at the Marina, Stockland Earlville, Smithfield Shopping Centre, and Westcourt Shopping Centre, some of which house major national retail chains including Myer, Target, Big W and K-Mart. The city centre has an eclectic mix of retail outlets that cater to tourists and residents.

Economy

The local economy is based around tourism, which is underpinned by a well-established primary industry and a strong mining sector.

Tropical North Queensland Industries - At a Glance:

Emerging Markets/Industries: The region's strengths are centred on worldwide recognition as an international tourist destination, tropical location and the natural attractions of the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics Rainforest. Its tropical location also underpins the region's enviable lifestyle that attracts businesses, tourists and residents. The competitive advantage of the region in tourism and primary industries has driven specialisation in aviation services, marine services and in defined areas of tropical expertise, which are the three sectoral areas identified for initial development under the Cairns and Far North Queensland Centre of Enterprise initiative. Tourism is recognised as a significant driver within each of these industries.

Key strengths and opportunities on which to build include:

• Aviation services capitalising on the region's aviation servicing/maintenance base. This is one of the most diverse in Australia, providing a wide range of services, including avionics, heavy engineering and training, for both international and domestic clients.
• Tropical expertise capitalising on recent investments in research and development infrastructure, public institutions and tropical expertise which resides in Cairns and Far North Queensland firms. Opportunities exist in Tropical Health, Environmental Management, Primary Industries, and Tropical Living (encompassing Indigenous culture, Built Environment/Disaster Management, Tourism and Education).
• Marine services capitalising on the region's well established marine tourism industry, growing super yacht visitation, naval base and world-class maintenance, refit and boatbuilding capabilities.

Lifestyle

It is the simple things the locals take for granted which best characterise the Cairns lifestyle; the brief commute to work, palm tree fringed beaches, secluded natural swimming holes, metropolitan shopping and restaurants and world class recreational facilities. Cairns residents have the capacity to strike an enviable balance between work and family and it is the opportunity for this quality of life which continues to attract people to the region.

Entertainment/Leisure: There is no shortage of activities to keep you entertained in Tropical North Queensland, with the region’s geographical location lending it to some spectacular outdoor endeavours. From the pristine waters of the Great Barrier Reef, to the World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest, the rolling green hills of the Atherton Tablelands, and the majestic plains of the outback, the region is alive with natural wonders sure to suit the most discerning outdoor adventure seeker. With such an abundance of things to see and do, it is little wonder that more than international 750,000 visitors chose the region as their holiday destination last year.

*Statistics courtesy of Cummings Economics, Tourism Tropical North Queensland, Education Queensland, Queensland Government and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.