Cairns Museum

Cairns Museum is a local history museum in Cairns City, Queensland, housed in the heritage-listed 1907 Cairns School of Arts Building on the corner of Lake and Shields Streets. Operated by the Cairns Historical Society, it presents the history of Cairns and Far North Queensland through photographs, artefacts and interactive displays covering Indigenous heritage, early settlement, wartime and post-war development.

Visitors enter the first floor of the historic School of Arts Building via stairs or lift and explore themed galleries with photographs, objects, maps and multimedia displays tracing Cairns from its Indigenous origins and early port settlement to modern tourism. Expect air-conditioned exhibition spaces, interpretive panels, interactive touchscreens, a research area and a small gift shop. The museum is compact and located in the city centre within walking distance of the Esplanade and Cairns Art Gallery.

Housed in the former Cairns School of Arts Building constructed in 1907, which is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. The building served as the city's School of Arts, library and community meeting place. The Cairns Historical Society was founded in 1958 and established the museum to preserve and interpret the history of Cairns and Far North Queensland.

Presents the cultural heritage of Cairns and Far North Queensland, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, Chinese, European and other migrant contributions, and the development of the region as a tropical port and tourism gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and rainforest.