Colours of Cairns

A DESTINATION in its own right, DISCOVER a DIFFERENT side of the GREAT BARRIER REEF gateway.

DUSK IS A DEAFENING TIME of day in North Queensland. In between the high-pitched creak of crickets, the croaking of fat frogs, and the Jurassic fracas caused by the flying foxes wheeling all around, there’s the ubiquitous sound of children squealing as they splash around in the city’s sprawling man-made lagoon. It’s easy to appreciate this nightly symphony while watching the colour seep out of the sky from atop the city’s Rocco by Crystalbrook rooftop bar, overlooking the Cairns Esplanade.

The city best known for its reef and rainforest is ready to take flight again thanks in no small part to Crystalbrook Collection’s renovation of the city skyline with its swanky new accommodation offerings, all of which have been designed with distinct personalities and sustainable luxury in mind: there’s the Riley, a ‘live in the moment’ resort; the Flynn, ‘a social butterfly’; and Bailey, ‘a thoughtful and arty’ option.

It’s easy to see clearly where Cairns is at from atop the Riley, where you overlook the streets that remain laid out in a grid since the city was officially founded in 1876 following the discovery of gold in the area.

Although the dream of finding precious metals has long since faded in Tropical North Queensland, the former gold rush town still attracts fortune seekers such as Syrian billionaire and Crystalbrook Collection owner Ghassan Aboud.

Thanks to investors such as Aboud, there’s now a frisson of excitement about the city as it has come to be considered a destination in its own right. There’s also a confidence that can be felt everywhere from the bohemian stretch of Grafton Street, where colourful hippies converge for lattes at Caffiend, to the green fringes of the city where Tanks Arts Centre utilises former Royal Australian Navy fuel tanks as performance spaces.

ARTS HUB

Long-time local Kim Nelson, chair of the newly rebranded NorthSite Contemporary Arts Centre (formerly KickArts), says while visitors to Cairns will always be drawn to the Great Barrier Reef and the world’s oldest rainforest, theming a new hotel to honour the arts has put the city’s creative side in the spotlight.

Nelson says the NorthSite Contemporary Arts Centre is housed within the new Bulmba-ja building, which is a hub for Indigenous arts and includes a dance incubator, JUTE theatre, yarning circle and garden area for Indigenous smoking ceremonies. “Arts Queensland has spent $5.3 million on the refurbishment of the former KickArts building, which opened early 2020. There is also a dedicated arts precinct being built to cater to the fact we have a disproportionately high percentage of professional artists living and working in Cairns,” says Nelson. “Those interested in buying or viewing Indigenous art should consider visiting Cairns as it’s the first main centre from the north of Australia, where a lot of Indigenous artists live,” she says.

In addition to Bulmba-ja, which will feature a digital facade of Indigenous art for all of 2020, Nelson says creative types should visit the Munro Martin Parklands, which hosts operas and productions in an outdoor performance space reminiscent of

Midsummer Night’s Dream.

On any given day in Cairns you can expect to encounter everyone from characters in stilts, to Indigenous dance troupes and legendary local blues musicians busking on the streets.

“Cairns is a vibrant town with wonderful facilities for artists. There is a dynamic arts community here with many contemporary artists calling Cairns and the surrounding areas home,” she says.

REEF AND RAINFOREST

AStepping lightly on the environment is also a recurrent theme in Tropical North Queensland, where eco-friendly experiences tend to find a firm foothold. One of the best to have while visiting

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