Cairns Museum
Cairns Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
The Cairns Museum tells the story of Cairns, right in the heart of the city. Housed in the award-winning School of Arts building, the Museum contains five galleries that showcase the history of Cairns, including Aboriginal Traditional Owners, sugar cane history, WW II, tourism development, local architecture and cyclones, as well as the inside story of living in the tropics - amongst crocs, toads, jellyfish and snakes! Our friendly local guides are on hand to assist and give you genuine advice on what to see and do in Cairns. The Museum also offers free wifi on its tropical verandah and has a range of unique merchandise for sale at reasonable prices.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.5
298 reviews
Excellent
198
Very good
81
Average
11
Poor
7
Terrible
1
Maya Lai
Kuranda, Australia3 contributions
Sept 2020
Had an amazing time at the Museum this morning with our enthusiastic and overall lovely guide Diane who knew every little detail of everything on display. A great place to go to learn about the history of cairns with some beautiful souvenirs covered by amazing artwork in the reception. Would highly recommend to anyone! and its even kid friendly :))
Written 15 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Besho K
1 contribution
Aug 2021
A beautiful and peaceful museum that displays out a brief history of Cairns. The information is interesting and new, especially for a first-timer who knows nothing about why Cairns is where and how it is today and also it was well spoken by one of the volunteering staff that tour us around the cairns museum. My favourite part of the visit to the cairns museum was the eye-catching verandah that was perfect to relax after a long tour halfway through the exhibits. All the staff there were very friendly and active.
Written 30 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wendy M
Brisbane, Australia793 contributions
Sept 2020 • Couples
Went to museum as it was raining today. So pleased we did. The museum provided an excellent history of the area with great resources such as photos and old items. Absolutely loved looking at the old household items and reading the history of the aboriginals. Well worth a visit.
Written 16 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vinicius M
Cairns, Australia5 contributions
Sept 2020
Cairns museum has a lot of information about Cairns and Australian history. A must go when visiting Cairns or even for locals. Take a tour guide with one of the volunteers and you`ll learn a lot! Diane our guide was fantastic. She gave us a lot of details and made it a really interesting tour. Congratulations to her and to all the staff involved!
Written 15 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We're thrilled you had such a lovely time with us and we will pass your feedback onto Diane, who will be stoked! T
Written 17 September 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
vickiebypass
Stamford, CT297 contributions
Mar 2024 • Solo
The Cairns Museum was great –one of these small local museums that do a very good job at telling their unique story. The top floor was all about the people who have settled and lived in Cairns from 1907 through now, and they told the stories via photos of a person and a vignette about what they did. Good blend of male/female, whites, aboriginal, Europeans and I thought it gave a good flavor of the town. The next floor was displays around themes like dressing, cooking, safety, home life, work, etc.. more photos and the tools that people used with explanations; the home life part was very interesting to see the rather primitive washing machines from the 1950s, the wooden screened cabinets with the four legs set into metal rings, filled with kerosene to keep the ants out. Very evocative section. The docent in the room was very informative and pleasant.
They have a veranda on the second floor as part of the museum and originally when they told me oh, don’t miss the veranda, I thought “yeah, right – it’s a trillion degrees and you want me to sit outside” but when I saw the door I went outside. Well, I was 100% wrong.! There was a pleasant breeze, ceiling fans, white wicker furniture, and a very nice view over Main Street and the trees. I talked to the same docent later on and she explained that the key in Cairns is to get up high so that you get a breeze; and that’s why a lot of the houses (Queenslanders) are raised and have lots of windows to let the breezes come through. Okay, I was convinced. I would definitely recommend this museum if you want to learn about the history of the town.
They have a veranda on the second floor as part of the museum and originally when they told me oh, don’t miss the veranda, I thought “yeah, right – it’s a trillion degrees and you want me to sit outside” but when I saw the door I went outside. Well, I was 100% wrong.! There was a pleasant breeze, ceiling fans, white wicker furniture, and a very nice view over Main Street and the trees. I talked to the same docent later on and she explained that the key in Cairns is to get up high so that you get a breeze; and that’s why a lot of the houses (Queenslanders) are raised and have lots of windows to let the breezes come through. Okay, I was convinced. I would definitely recommend this museum if you want to learn about the history of the town.
Written 18 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laura M
Melbourne, Australia228 contributions
Apr 2021 • Solo
Housed in a lovely old original building the museum follows the history of cairns from the aboriginal landowners, to the first settlers, early life, World War II and current times.
Lots of interesting personal stories and original artifacts to be seen.
Staff were very friendly and happy to answer questions.
All in all a nice way to spend a couple of hours
Lots of interesting personal stories and original artifacts to be seen.
Staff were very friendly and happy to answer questions.
All in all a nice way to spend a couple of hours
Written 27 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Caylie P
5 contributions
Feb 2022 • Couples
The Cairns Museum is incredibly inclusive and well curated, with the local Indigenous people having contributed to give a complete, accurate picture of the area that is now Cairns. The exhibits also include women who helped to build Cairns. I learned a lot and was impressed with the detailed information given as well as the value for money!
Written 23 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bart10011
Steels Creek, Australia19 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
Well worth the visit. Wet day today, so I thought let's do the museum, galleries, and stroll along the Esplanade boardwalk.
Its a small musuem but laid out well. I Learned some history I didn't know about or taught back in my school years ....and should be and was lucky enough to tag along with a local volunteer (retired uni teacher...you'll know who you are! ;) ) museum guide who spoke well on each area adding great context and information to many of the display areas. Even the little things like where the old original building stopped, a bit of it's history, the river sto exaggerate used in the walls.
....feeling so grateful to have had that gentleman's commentary as we followed around.
As a suggestion, you could add a QR code to various areas that brings up a voice commentary of some of the display areas to allow anyone to experience something similar. So impressed, I'd suggest asking this gentleman if he was willing to perform the QR CODE commentary
Its a small musuem but laid out well. I Learned some history I didn't know about or taught back in my school years ....and should be and was lucky enough to tag along with a local volunteer (retired uni teacher...you'll know who you are! ;) ) museum guide who spoke well on each area adding great context and information to many of the display areas. Even the little things like where the old original building stopped, a bit of it's history, the river sto exaggerate used in the walls.
....feeling so grateful to have had that gentleman's commentary as we followed around.
As a suggestion, you could add a QR code to various areas that brings up a voice commentary of some of the display areas to allow anyone to experience something similar. So impressed, I'd suggest asking this gentleman if he was willing to perform the QR CODE commentary
Written 23 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Murphy002
Bentleigh, Australia18 contributions
Aug 2022
Such a great place to visit during holiday in Cairns. Central location, Friendly and informative staff, 2 floors of fascinating displays containing a varied and historic items. Lots of hands on displays that kids would enjoy! Check out the verandah, amazing space to sit and relax. It is a bonus that you can leave museum to grab lunch or a coffee and then return to finish viewing. Lift to upper floors makes life easier too. Highly recommended.
Written 23 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BrissieJim
Brisbane, Australia220 contributions
Oct 2021
The three - level museum is beautifully organised, with ample artefacts, photos and descriptive text to bring various areas of settlement to life. The section on cane-cutting is interesting and adds a great deal of authenticity to the early Australian play about canecutters - Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. Staff are extremely friendly and helpful.
Written 8 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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