60-659: Cairns Indigenous Art Fair ( CIAF , pronounced ki-af ) is an arts and cultural event in the northern Australian city of Cairns , that showcases art by Contemporary Indigenous Australian artists . Established in 2009, the art fair is the opening event of the Cairns Festival . Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF, pronounced KI-AF) was first held from 21 to 23 August 2009 at the Tanks Art Centre in Cairns, exceeding expectation by attracting more than 10,000 people over
120-493: A tropical monsoon climate ( Am ) under the Köppen climate classification . A wet season with heavy monsoonal downpours runs from November to May, with a relatively dry season from June to October, though light showers occur during this period. Cairns's mean annual rainfall is just under 2,000 millimetres (79 in), although monthly totals in the wet season from December to April can exceed 1,000 mm (39 in), with
180-501: A group of Aboriginal Australian artists who would support each other's work and "change ideas that people had about what Aboriginal art is and what it should be". The trigger to formalise the collective came in March 2004 soon after Queensland's Premier, Peter Beattie , established QIAMEA (Queensland Indigenous Artists Marketing Export Agency) to promote and market Queensland Indigenous art. The artists were concerned that QIAMEA's focus
240-533: A large Papua New Guineans community. Approximately 10,000 Papua New Guineans live in Cairns, more than anywhere outside of Papua New Guinea itself. Cairns is located on the east coast of Cape York Peninsula on a coastal strip between the Coral Sea and the Great Dividing Range . The northern part of the city is located on Trinity Bay and the city centre is located on Trinity Inlet . To
300-466: A major part in the Cairns economy . According to Tourism Australia , the Cairns region is the fourth-most-popular destination for international tourists in Australia after Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. While the city does not rank amongst Australia's top 10 destinations for domestic tourism, it attracts a significant number of Australian holiday makers despite its distance from major capitals. There
360-424: A new track from the goldfields to Battle Camp, this more coastal site became preferable. The area was named Cairns in late 1876 in honour of the then Governor of Queensland, William Cairns. The site was predominantly mangrove swamps and sand ridges. Labourers gradually cleared the swamps, and the sand ridges were filled with dried mud, sawdust from local sawmills, and ballast from a quarry at Edge Hill. Throughout
420-535: A population of approximately 60,000. Both local government authorities had chambers in the Cairns CBD . The old Cairns City Council chambers has been converted into a new city library. In a controversial decision, new Council chambers were constructed on previously contaminated land in the mainly industrial suburb of Portsmith. Cairns has three representatives in the Queensland Parliament , from
480-702: A town on the Barron River on the western side of the Macalister Range, forms part of the Cairns economic catchment but is in the Tablelands local government area and is not part of the Cairns urban area.) The city centre of Cairns is adjacent to the suburbs of Cairns North , and Parramatta Park , Bungalow , Portsmith , and close to Westcourt , Manunda , Manoora , Edge Hill , Whitfield , Kanimbla , City View, Mooroobool , Earlville , Woree and Bayview Heights . The small suburb of Aeroglen
540-636: A value of more than A$ 500,000 during the event. The art market was an initiative of the Queensland Government's A$ 11.93 million "Backing Indigenous Art" program, which committed to strengthening the Indigenous arts sector of Far North Queensland from production to market. Michael Snelling was the 2009 and 2010 artistic director of CIAF. The fair brings together Indigenous art centres, commercial and public galleries, artist collectives, studios and arts organisations to sell and exhibit
600-559: Is 795 cultivators and gardeners." As agricultural changes and the White Australia policy impacted the Chinese population of Cairns, including its once thriving Chinatown declined. A Police census stated the Chinese population of Cairns was 450 in 1909, a decrease of around 1,000 since 1901. "Grafton Street, Cairns was the historical site for Cairns Chinatown - the largest and longest running Chinese community outside Brisbane from
660-671: Is also a growing interest in Cairns from the Chinese leisure market with regular scheduled direct flights from Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Guangzhou. During the 2013 Chinese Lunar New Year period alone, Cairns saw 20,000 Chinese holidaymakers flying in on chartered flights. The city is near the Great Barrier Reef , the Wet Tropics of Queensland , and the Atherton Tableland . Great Barrier Reef tours that operate from Cairns are very popular and hence Cairns
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#1732776522488720-714: Is also considered as the gateway to Great Barrier Reef. The Cairns esplanade includes a swimming lagoon with adjoining barbecue areas. Cairns Esplanade Lagoon opened in March 2003. Though initially controversial, the 4800-square-metre pool has proved a very popular local attraction since its opening. In May 2003, the then Cairns Mayor Kevin Byrne declared that topless sunbathing is permitted here. Many leisure activities are conducted in this area, including flea market, sports classes and many more. Several shopping centres of various sizes are located throughout Cairns. The largest of these are Cairns Central shopping centre, located in
780-561: Is an arts collective for Indigenous Australian artists in Queensland . Aiming to counter cultural stereotypes and give a voice to urban artists, the collective has mounted several exhibitions around the country. The collective was founded by Richard Bell , Jennifer Herd and Vernon Ah Kee in 2003 and formalised in 2004. The collective was first conceived in Brisbane in 1997. At its initial meeting, proppaNOW proposed to form as
840-649: Is approximately 52 km (32 mi) from north to south; it has experienced a recent urban sprawl , with suburbs occupying land once used for sugar cane farming. The Northern Beaches consist of a number of beach communities extending north along the coast. In general, each beach suburb is at the end of a spur road extending from the Captain Cook Highway . From south to north, these are Machans Beach , Holloways Beach , Yorkeys Knob , Trinity Park , Trinity Beach , Kewarra Beach , Clifton Beach , Palm Cove , and Ellis Beach . The suburb of Smithfield
900-484: Is governed by a Regional Council. The Council consists of a directly elected mayor and 9 councillors, elected from 9 single-member divisions (or wards) using an optional preferential voting system. Elections are held every four years. The Cairns Region consists of three former local government areas. The first was the original City of Cairns , consisting of the Cairns City region as listed above. The second, which
960-551: Is inland against the mountains of the Great Dividing Range, between Yorkeys Knob and Trinity Park. It serves as the main hub for the Northern Beaches, with a modern shopping arcade, called Smithfield Shopping Centre. South of Smithfield and inland from the Northern Beaches along the edge of the Barron River flood plain are the suburbs of Caravonica , Kamerunga , Freshwater , and Stratford . This area
1020-480: Is pressed between Mount Whitfield and the airport, on the Captain Cook Highway between Cairns North and Stratford. Southside Cairns , situated in a narrow area between Trinity Inlet to the east and Lamb Range to the west, includes the suburbs of White Rock , Mount Sheridan , Bentley Park and Edmonton . The townships of Goldsborough , Little Mulgrave , and Aloomba are near Gordonvale , on
1080-556: Is prone to tropical cyclones, usually forming between November and May. Cyclones that have affected the Cairns region include: Cyclone Jasper in December 2023 caused record flooding. The Barron River exceeded the March 1977 record of 3.8 metres (12 ft), making it the worst flooding event in Cairns since records began in 1915. The City Library, operated by the Cairns Regional Council , opened in 1979 and
1140-591: Is proper ('proppa') in Aboriginal art; created a new sovereign space for First Nations artists internationally outside colonial stereotypes, desires for authenticity, and capitalist capitulations; and opened new political imaginaries". The collective has mounted a number of exhibitions, starting with one in Auckland , New Zealand, in 2005. Since then, many have been based in Queensland, but several have toured
1200-533: Is situated at 151 Abbott Street. A major refurbishment was undertaken in 1999 and a further minor refurbishment was implemented in 2011. Public accessible wifi is available. Current Library services and collections can be accessed from the Cairns Libraries website. Cairns has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: Cairns is part of the Cairns Region local government area which
1260-466: Is sometimes referred to as Freshwater Valley, though it is actually the lower part of Redlynch Valley; further up the valley are the suburbs of Redlynch , on the western side of Redlynch Valley, and Brinsmead on the eastern side. Stratford, Freshwater, and Brinsmead are separated from Cairns city by Mount Whitfield (elevation 365 m (1,198 ft)) and Whitfield Range. Crystal Cascades and Copperlode Falls Dam are also behind this range. ( Kuranda ,
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#17327765224881320-482: Is the only dedicated Indigenous art market in Australia that exclusively profiles the art work of Queensland born or based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. The Art Fair includes both art centres and commercial galleries in a single location. CIAF adheres to the "Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct". As of 2024, Dennis Stokes, a man of the Wardaman , Luritja , and Warramunga peoples of
1380-612: The Goldsborough Valley . A Special Forces training base was established at the old " Fairview " homestead on Munro's Hill, Mooroobool . This base was officially known as the Z Experimental Station , but referred to informally as "The House on the Hill". After World War II, Cairns gradually developed into a centre for tourism. The opening of the Cairns International Airport in 1984 helped establish
1440-635: The Institute of Modern Art in Brisbane. An exhibition entitled OCCURRENT AFFAIR: proppaNOW was originally scheduled for 2019, but was rescheduled (due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia ) to run 13 February – 19 June 2021 at the University of Queensland Art Museum, described as a major exhibition of the artists' work "after a five-year hiatus to focus on their individual careers". The title of
1500-600: The Mulgrave River , and the southern part of the Atherton Tableland including Atherton and Kairi . The area in which the city is located is known in the local Yidiny language as Gimuy, and the clan who inhabited the region before colonisation are the Gimuy-walubarra clan. From 1770 to the early 1870s the area was known to the British simply as Trinity Bay . The arrival of beche de mer fishermen from
1560-675: The Northern Territory , and the Wagadagam people of the Torres Strait Islands , is CEO of CIAF. In September 2024 Stokes was appointed a member of First Nations Arts , a newly-established division of the government arts funding body Australia Council focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts, for a term of four years. In 2009, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair featured the work of more than 150 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists born or based in
1620-586: The State Library of Queensland for the James C. Sourris AM Collection. In the interviews each artist talks about their life, their art and their inspirations. In October 2022 it was announced that the collective had won the Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice for 2022–2024, by a unanimous decision of the jury, which commented: "...[proppaNOW] has broken with expectations of what
1680-523: The seven natural wonders of the world . Prior to British settlement , the Cairns area was inhabited by the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji people, who still claim their native title rights . Yidinji (also known as Yidinj, Yidiny, and Idindji) is an Australian Aboriginal language . Its traditional language region is within the local government areas of Cairns Region and Tablelands Region , in such localities as Cairns, Gordonvale , and
1740-472: The seventh busiest airport in Australia . Cairns also has a major cruise ship industry servicing both domestic and international markets, with terminals at Cairns Seaport and Cairns Wharf Complex . Cairns is a major tourist destination, with access to two UNESCO world heritage sites; the Daintree Rainforest as part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland , and the Great Barrier Reef , one of
1800-595: The three Australian commercial television networks ( 10 , Seven and Nine ), and public broadcasters the ABC and SBS services. All three main commercial networks produce local news coverage – Seven Queensland and WIN Television both air 30-minute local news bulletins at 6pm each weeknight, produced from newsrooms in the city but broadcast from studios in Maroochydore and Wollongong respectively. Southern Cross 10 airs regional 10 News First updates throughout
1860-716: The 'largest ever yet held in Northern Queensland'. On 25 April 1926 ( ANZAC Day ), the Cairns Sailors and Soldiers War Memorial was unveiled by Alexander Frederick Draper , the mayor of the City of Cairns . During World War II, the Allied Forces used Cairns as a staging base for operations in the Pacific, with United States Army Air Forces and Royal Australian Air Force operational bases (now
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1920-544: The 1880s until the mid 1940s. Supporting a diverse population of Chinese settlers, entrepreneurs, women and families, ..." "From the early 1880s when the Lily Creek Chinese camp moved into Sachs Street, Chinatown was a busy and thriving community. According to Cathie May, the social structure of the community was divided according to place of origin with storekeepers on the eastern side of Sachs Street predominantly Sze Yap, and Chung Shan storekeepers and merchants on
1980-560: The Aurukun Dancers and Songmen, Ariw Poenipan, Kulkal Baba (Blooded Feather) and the Baiwa Dance Company. In 2015, proppaNOW mounted an exhibition, Dark + Disturbing: Gordon Hookey for proppaNOW . Dark + Disturbing is a curatorial project by artist Vernon Ah Kee. Cairns Cairns ( / ˈ k ɛər n z / ; Yidiny : Gimuy ) is a city in the Cairns Region , Queensland , Australia, on
2040-663: The Australian state of Queensland . Exhibiting artists included Alick Tipoti , Dennis Nona , Billy Missi , Judy Watson , Vernon Ah Kee , Richard Bell , Tony Albert , Joanne Currie Nalingu , Arone Meeks , Gordon Hookey , Ricardo Idagi , George Nona and Sally Gabori . A full listing of artists and exhibitors is available in the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair catalogue for 2009. Musicians and dancers who took part in Cairns Indigenous Art Fair in 2009 were Christine Anu , King Kadu, Seaman Dan , Will Kepa,
2100-520: The Chinese enclave. Many were westernised having at least one European parent or grandparent, or had themselves grown up assimilated into the broader Cairns community through their experiences at school. Neither cultural tastes, nor race relations, provided an incentive for Australian born Chinese to remain living in Chinatown. The barriers causing racial residential segregation were removed and many families lived outside Chinatown." The Cairns Parish of
2160-665: The Mulgrave River. This area is serviced by the Bruce Highway . Several other small towns and communities within Cairns's jurisdiction are sparsely located along the Bruce Highway, the furthest being Bramston Beach , 81 km (50 mi) south of the Cairns CBD ; the largest of these townships is Babinda , about 60 km (37 mi) from the city. Cairns experiences a tropical climate , specifically
2220-644: The Roman Catholic Vicariate Apostolic of Cooktown (now the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns ) was established in 1884. Debris from the construction of a railway to Herberton on the Atherton Tableland, a project which started in 1886, was also used. The railway opened up land later used for agriculture on the lowlands (sugar cane, corn, rice, bananas, pineapples), and for fruit and dairy production on
2280-583: The Tableland. The success of local agriculture helped establish Cairns as a port, and the creation of a harbour board in 1906 supported its robust economic future. The Wharf Estate Cairns went on sale in Brisbane via auction on 19 February 1889 by John Macnamara & Co. Land Auctioneers. The land was part of the place known as the Railway Reserve. The sale was described by the Auctioneers as
2340-573: The airport), as well as a major military seaplane base, Naval Base Cairns , in Trinity Inlet, and United States Navy and Royal Australian Navy bases near the current wharf. Combat missions were flown out of Cairns in support of the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942. Edmonton and White Rock south of Cairns were major military supply areas and U.S. Paratroopers trained at Gordonvale and
2400-479: The art work of Queensland's recognised and leading emerging Indigenous Australian visual artists. The art fair is presented by the Queensland Government and is the opening event of Cairns Festival . The three-day event also features an academic symposium, traditional and contemporary dance and music program, artist talks and demonstrations, a children's art station and family art activities. It
2460-492: The central business district (CBD), and Stockland Cairns, located in the suburb of Earlville. In Westcourt, one of the city's oldest shopping centres has been refurbished, with the city's first DFO . To service the needs of suburbs further from the city centre, shopping complexes are also located at Mount Sheridan, Redlynch, Smithfield, and Clifton Beach. In 2010, the state government opened the second stage of William McCormack Place, an A$ 80 million office building credited as
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2520-431: The city as a desirable destination for international tourism particularly from the emerging Japanese market. In the 2016 census , the urban area of Cairns had a population of 144,730 people. In the 2021 census , the urban area of Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. Due to Far North Queensland's close proximity to Melanesia , the region has a large number of people of Melanesian origin. Cairns notably has
2580-413: The city had become a centre of international tourism . In the early 21st century, it has developed into a major regional city. The economy of Cairns is based primarily on tourism, healthcare and education, along with a major capacity in aviation, marine and defence industries. The city has a gross regional product at about $ 11.4 billion as of 2023. The city is served by Cairns International Airport ,
2640-614: The community radio stations are 4CCR-FM (Cairns FM 89.1), 101.9 Coast FM, Vision Christian Radio , Orbit FM 88.0FM & 87.8FM and 4CIM 98.7FM (Bumma Bippera Media). The land around Cairns is still used for sugar cane farming, although this land is increasingly under pressure from new suburbs as the city grows. The Mulgrave Sugar Mill is located in Gordonvale ( 17°05′34″S 145°47′20″E / 17.0929°S 145.7889°E / -17.0929; 145.7889 ( Mulgrave Sugar Mill ) ). ProppaNOW proppaNOW
2700-455: The day, broadcast from Hobart . Cairns radio stations include a number of public, commercial and community broadcasters. The ABC broadcasts ABC Far North , ABC Radio National , ABC NewsRadio , ABC Classic FM and the Triple J youth network. Commercial radio stations include Star 102.7 , 4CA 846 AM, Hot FM (now Hit Network ), Sea FM (now Triple M ) and 104.3 4TAB sports radio, while
2760-449: The dominant industry." "The growing agricultural industry in the Cairns region provided the impetus for Cairns Chinatown to develop as Chinese men turned to support industries such as market gardening and shop keeping. They were not only ex-miners, but a growing number of immigrants arriving directly from China to take advantage of the agricultural boom. In 1886 the Chinese population accounted for 60% of all farmers and 90% of gardeners, that
2820-552: The electoral districts of Barron River , Cairns and Mulgrave . The city is represented in the Federal Parliament by representatives elected from the districts of Leichhardt and Kennedy . Cairns serves as the major commercial centre for the Far North Queensland and Cape York Peninsula Regions. It is a base for the regional offices of various government departments. Tourism plays
2880-624: The exhibition references the Australian TV show A Current Affair , which is known for its sensationalist style and "derogatory representations of certain low socio-economic and minority groups ". Founding members were Richard Bell , Jennifer Herd , Joshua Herd and Vernon Ah Kee . Members of the collective as of February 2020 are Bell, Herd, Ah Kee, Tony Albert , Gordon Hookey , Laurie Nilsen and Megan Cope . proppaNOW members Richard Bell, Jennifer Herd, Vernon Ah Kee, Gordon Hookey and Laurie Nilsen have all been interviewed by
2940-541: The first 6-star green star-rated building in the city. The Cairns Post , published by Rupert Murdoch 's News Corp. is the main daily newspaper published in the city. Widely available are also The Courier-Mail , a daily newspaper published in Brisbane, and the national broadsheet The Australian , which both are also published by News Corp. Cairns is served by five television stations, three commercial television stations ( WIN Television , Seven Queensland and Southern Cross 10 ) which are regional affiliates of
3000-526: The highest monthly rainfall being recorded in January 1981, when over 1,417.4 mm (55.80 in) of rain fell. In contrast, as little as 721 millimetres or 28.39 inches fell in the record dry calendar year of 2002. Cairns has hot, humid summers and very warm winters. Mean maximum temperatures vary from 26.2 °C (79.2 °F) in July to 31.7 °C (89.1 °F) in January. Monsoonal activity during
3060-405: The late 1860s saw the first European presence in the area. On the site of the modern-day Cairns foreshore, there was a large native well which was used by these fishermen. A violent confrontation occurred in 1872 between local Yidinji people and Phillip Garland, a beche de mer fisherman, over the use of this well. The area from this date was subsequently called Battle Camp . In 1876, hastened by
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#17327765224883120-419: The late 19th century, Cairns prospered from the settlement of Chinese immigrants who helped develop the region's agriculture. Soon after Cairns was established "a few entrepreneurial Chinese men began to experiment with crops such as cotton, tobacco, coffee, rice, sugar, and bananas, while market gardeners grew much needed fruit and vegetables. This marked the beginning of the agricultural industry, which became
3180-539: The need to export gold mined from the Hodgkinson goldfields on the tablelands to the west, closer investigation by several official expeditions established its potential for development into a port. Brinsley G. Sheridan surveyed the area and selected a place further up Trinity Inlet known to the diggers as Smith's Landing for a settlement which he renamed Thornton . However, after Native Police officers Alexander Douglas-Douglas and Robert Arthur Johnstone opened
3240-490: The south of the Trinity Inlet lies the Aboriginal community of Yarrabah . Some of the city's suburbs are located on flood plains. The Mulgrave River and Barron River flow within the greater Cairns area but not through the Cairns CBD . The city's centre foreshore is located on a mud flat. Cairns is a provincial city, with a linear urban layout that runs from the south at Edmonton to the north at Ellis Beach . The city
3300-504: The three days of the fair. Visitors came from throughout Australia, the United States, Europe, Korea and Japan. Almost one third of visitors to Cairns Indigenous Art Fair in 2009 identified as Aboriginal Australian and/or Torres Strait Islander . While most of the visitors (an estimated 70 per cent) attended to take advantage of the free cultural programming and to view the art work, the 36 exhibiting organisations sold artwork to
3360-468: The tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland . In the 2021 census , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after Sir William Wellington Cairns , following the discovery of gold in the Hodgkinson River . During World War II , the city became a staging ground for the Allied Forces in the Battle of the Coral Sea . By the late 20th century
3420-683: The western side. Nearly all Chinese immigrants to Cairns were from Guangdong Province in the Southern Delta area of China. Most came from Loong Dou, a small distinct district in Chung Shan, with a smaller group from Sze Yap or the "Four Districts" in Toishan. Some also came from Sam Yap or "Three Districts." " As the 20th century progressed the Cairns Chinatown declined. "Australian Born Chinese showed little interest in maintaining
3480-480: The wet season occasionally causes major flooding of the Barron and Mulgrave Rivers, cutting off-road and rail access to the city. Cairns has 97.0 clear days, annually. Dewpoint in the wet season (summer) averages at 23 °C (73 °F). The average temperature of the sea ranges from 23.8 °C (74.8 °F) in July to 29.4 °C (84.9 °F) in January. Like most of North and Far North Queensland, Cairns
3540-506: Was amalgamated in 1995, was the Shire of Mulgrave (comprising the other areas, namely the Northern Beaches, Redlynch Valley and Southside). The town of Gordonvale was once called Nelson. The third area is the Shire of Douglas , which amalgamated in 2008 during major statewide local government reforms and then de-amalgamated in 2014. At the time of the 1995 amalgamation, Cairns City had a population of approximately 40,000 and Mulgrave Shire had
3600-403: Was initially directed towards the remote regions of Queensland such as Mornington Island , Aurukun and Lockhart River , thus reinforcing cultural stereotypes . The collective has since evolved a mission to "give urban-based Aboriginal artists a voice...[to] reinforce that Aboriginal Australia is a living culture that has evolved over time". In June 2019, proppaNOW presented an open day at
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