As one of Australia's most remote and beautiful cities, Cairns is the international gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics world heritage areas. It is also the gateway to the iconic Cape York Peninsula and idyllic Torres Strait Islands. Cairns district is characterised by spectacular scenery and rugged topography punctuated with fast flowing rivers, deep gorges, numerous waterfalls and mountain summits. The Cairns district experiences a warm tropical climate with a dry season between April and November and a wet season with tropical monsoons between November and March.

Cairns itself is a provincial city with a linear urban layout that runs approximately 52 kilometres from Ellis Beach in the north to Aloomba in the south. The city is the commercial hub for many government departments within the Far Northern Region and is experiencing significant urban growth with suburbs now occupying land previously used for sugar cane farming. There are seven police stations within the immediate Cairns vicinity including Port Douglas and Yarrabah.

NHW groups are active in the Cairns, Edmonton and Smithfield divisions and are currently supported by a Divisional NHWQ Committee.

Cairns District hosted the 2011 NHW State Conference which was held at the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino and from the feedback recieved this was a successful event. To see photo's and read about events on the day please visit the Gallery section on the NHWQ website.