Grand vision a major feat
THE Cairns Esplanade is the quintessential Cairns destination, but just 15 years ago the waterfront was little more than a patch of grass with a staircase down to the beach.
Kevin Byrne changed that forever when he was Cairns mayor in 2003 with a vision for an open, free space that everybody could use.
“That vision is pretty well in place now,” he said.
“It’s probably the most important and iconic infrastructure in Cairns.”
Mr Byrne said bringing the Esplanade to its current glory was no easy feat.
“We had to cart sand from a cane farm at Yorkeys Knob truckload by truckload when we reclaimed that part of the foreshore,” he said.
“That took about six months and then another sixto-nine months for it to settle.
“Then commenced the building of the pool and the parkland. The swimming pool was a great achievement.”
However, not everybody was on board when the project was initially announced.
“When we first proposed the Esplanade plan there was community uproar,” Mr Byrne said. “They were furious that we were going to be spending that kind of money on visitors, but now it’s been accepted by locals fantastically.
“You can see people at the barbecues and gyms and it’s mostly locals.”
He said the iconic flying fish by prolific public art sculptor Brian Robinson were the ultimate symbol of Cairns.
“If you have a look at any international advertising for Australia, you’ll see the flying fish in the pool as a symbol for Cairns,” he said.
Current Cairns mayor Bob Manning said his council was ready to take the Esplanade even further. “When the Esplanade was first developed it was a leading-edge design,” he said.
“It set the standard for a number of years, but with time there will need to be enhancements made ...,” he said.