Cairns (locally) is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns (then Governor of Queensland). It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was discovered from Port Douglas. It later developed into a railhead and major port for exporting sugar cane, gold and other metals, minerals and agricultural products from surrounding coastal areas and the Atherton Tableland region.The city is rapidly expanding, with a population of around 150,920 in 2010. An intercensal estimate for the resident population of the Local Government Area as of June 2010 was 168,251.

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