Key Industries
Cairns & Great Barrier Reef attracts thousands of thought leaders, innovators and high achievers who influence and inspire colleagues across a range of diverse industries. The diversity of the surrounding natural environment frequently attracts the attention of a range of various professions.
Agriculture
Tropical fruits, sugar, coffee, fishing, grass-fed beef, free-range pork and dairy have long been part of the agriculture industry in Tropical North Queensland, while new exotic crops include cacao and vanilla. Food processing is also innovating with banana flour the newest food product in a region producing smoked meats, charcuterie, and award-winning spirits.
Tourism
Tourism management and training in environmentally sensitive areas is an area of expertise in Cairns & Great Barrier Reef. Innovative programs like the Savannah Guides and the Master Reef Guides provide focused training for guide interpretation in our World Heritage areas. Tour operators also assist in managing the environment they work in with scientific monitoring and by assisting in research.
Marine Services
Cairns has a thriving marine precinct, including three shipyards as well as HMAS Cairns naval base and Defence contractors. In addition to servicing the needs of defence, Cairns is home to a large and diverse marine sector that includes a world-renowned tourism reef fleet, commercial fishing and shipping and plays host to superyachts and cruise ships.
Renewable Energy
Cairns & Great Barrier Reef have abundant renewable energy resources such as solar, wind and biomass. As a result of this resource the region has over 100 businesses operating in the renewable energy sector. The renewable energy industry includes household, commercial and industrial, and utility-scale project expertise.
Education and Training
From primary to tertiary, Cairns & Great Barrier Reef is perfectly positioned for education. The region boasts world-class facilities including James Cook University, ranked in the world’s top 4% of tertiary institutions, Central Queensland University, Great Barrier Reef International Marine College and TAFE North. Apprenticeships, traineeships, industry-based training and courses for domestic and international students cover a wide range of topics and areas of expertise.
Aviation
Aviation is an emerging sector for the region due to its strategic location in Asia Pacific and excellent infrastructure. Several international and national companies have major service centres in Cairns including Jet Aviation, who are an official Bombardier service centre and have the largest avionics workshop in the southern hemisphere, and UK owned Cobham Aviation Services. Cairns Aviation Skills Centre and CQUniversity Aviation Campus are both located at Cairns Airport, delivering vocational and Bachelor Qualifications.
Tropical Health and Life Sciences
Cairns & Great Barrier Reef is the ideal location for tropical forest science, biopharmaceuticals, tropical health, tropical foods, and natural resource management. James Cook University, home of the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, the Australian Tropical Forest Institute and the Australian Tropical Herbarium, conducts internationally acclaimed research encompassing public health, bimolecular, clinical, and translational health systems. Research is conducted across several James Cook University centres exploring key areas including tropical infectious diseases, health security and biosecurity, chronic disorders with high prevalence in the tropics, genetic diseases and health services in regional and remote communities.
Did you know that the southern cassowary is only found in parts of Papua New Guinea and the north-east of Australia, so there`s nowhere better to try spot a cassowary in the wild than Tropical North Queensland 🌴✨
It ain’t called the @cassowarycoastaustralia for nothing!
📸 @islandhoppas #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR #thisisqueensland #seeaustralia #cassowarycoast

Views from the top of Mount Tyson in Tully Gorge National Park 🌿✨
🎥 @rollwithbeck #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR #cassowarycoast

If you look closely, you might spot some crocs on Hinchinbrook Island (Munamudanamy) 😉🌴
For all the avid hikers out there, this is the place for you! This 4-day, fully self-sufficient hike will take you on an epic journey across mangroves, eucalypt woodlands, rainforests, refreshing swimming holes and waterfalls, rugged ranges and secluded beaches. Remember, you’ll need to plan your trip in advance as the number of hikers is limited to a maximum of 40 people on the trail at any one time 💚
📸 @jilarapearl #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR #thisisqueensland #seeaustralia #cassowarycoast

Some say these guys are the lego of the ocean, we say stonefish are just masters of disguise…just don’t step on them 🐠
🎥 @pablocogollos_photography #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR

Forget flop & drop island holidays, set your alarm and catch the sunrise from the hilltops 😍✨
📍 Cooks Lookout, Lizard Island
🎥 @ashleighbridget #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR #CapeYork

Welcome to the tropics, enough said, just watch 😉🦋
🎥 @cairns_tours #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR

Come with us on an outback adventure to @cobboldgorge 🧡🌴 #exploretnq #explorecairnsgbr #gulfsavannahoutback

You’ll be falling for the tropics after a day of waterfall chasing on the @athertontablelands 🦋🌴
Nature plays such an important part in our mental health and well-being, so this RUOK day, we`re challenging you to get out and explore the great outdoors - it`s called great for a reason! Head to our bio link to read about some of our favourite places to get back to nature 💛
📸 @lilandjake #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR #thisisqueensland #seeaustralia #athertontablelands

You might be surprised to find out that #GreenIsland is actually a sand cay! This means the island gradually grew over the past 6000 years or so as the ocean collected sand, rubble and other reef debris into a pile that later grew plant life and began it’s journey to being one of our favourite tropical islands 🪸🏝️
🎥 @greatadventurescruises #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR #thisisqueensland #seeaustralia

Quick question: when you think rainforest, what do you think of? If your answer wasn’t the Daintree Rainforest, then you’re wrong 😌🌿
The @wettropicsworldheritage rainforest is one of the oldest surviving rainforests in the world, around 30 million years older than the Amazon Rainforest 🤯 It’s home to 20 Indigenous language groups and a large portion of Australia’s plant and animal species!
Did you know that there are more tree species found in 1 hectare of the Wet Tropics Rainforest than in the whole of the United Kingdom 🌴🌴
📸 @Queensland #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR #thisisqueensland #seeaustralia #portdouglasdaintree
