The Esplanade Project- Cairns,
North Queensland, Australia
Why did the redevelopment need to happen?
There are a couple of reasons why the Cairns Esplanade Redevelopment
needed to occur. Some were more sensible than others, but they all contributed
to an overall surge of support for the project.
Playground for Cairns
locals
 The
Cairns Esplanade had always been a place where locals can watch the sun
rise from the ocean in the mornings, feast on fish and chips at lunch
and jog along the pathway in the evenings. It’s a lovely part of
the city, used by people of all ages. But a perception had grown among
some residents that the Cairns foreshore was becoming scrappy, old and
untidy. Hence, a massive monetary injection to the area was deemed necessary.
Tourist dollars
 The
tourist buck is far and away the most important reason cited for the development
of the Cairns Esplanade. Many visitors to Cairns frequently complained about
the lack of a beach near the city, and said the mudflats were are an eyesore.
The esplanade didn’t meet the images of paradise envisioned when departing
the airplane at the Cairns International Airport. It is believed, almost
unanimously, that the redevelopment of the esplanade will alleviate comments
such as these: (Note: these are genuine comments made by tourists in Cairns)
- “Cairns is a mere shell of a town that sustains itself on the
tourist dollar. It's main street, the Esplanade, is no different from
any other resort drag.”
- “Cairns, surprisingly for a coastal town, has no beach. The
coastal waters are a mass of mud.”
Not any more!
Keeping up with the Jones’
 Cairns’
regional neighbour, Townsville, has developed “The Strand”
and it has been hugely popular with Townsville locals and tourists. The
Cairns Esplanade development is based on the Townsville project, and the
city council believe Cairns deserves a foreshore similar to our regional
neighbour. Heck, if Townsville has it, we need it too!
Indigenous Land Use Agreement
Before the Cairns Esplanade development could begin, the city council
entered negotiations with the traditional owners of the land, the Gimuy
Yidindji and Yirrganydji peoples. The council negotiated Indigenous Land
Use Agreements with the two Native Title claimant groups to create opportunities
for the inclusion of cultural interpretive material and aboriginal art
within the project.
The 12-month negotiation process resulted in the creation of three jobs
for Aboriginal people, and recognition of the rights of the traditional
owners in the area.
Foreshore redevelopment
The original Cairns Esplanade featured large grassy areas and shady trees,
a walking track, picnic tables and a public toilet.
When the new Cairns Esplanade project is finished, the area will feature
an outdoor amphitheatre, a large sandy swimming lagoon, grassy picnic
areas, walking tracks, public barbeques, children's playgrounds, shops
and restaurants, an environmental interpretation centre and a Great Barrier
Reef Cruise departure terminal.
 The
Cairns Foreshore Promenade will span 600 metres along the waterfront (from
Aplin Street to Minnie Street). Themed areas covering the culture, history
and environment of the region will feature along the length of the project
to educate locals and visitors about Cairns. A 40-table café will
also be constructed as part of the $9 million Boardwalk Promenade section
of the Cairns Esplanade. Surrounding the café will be a giant children’s
playground.
Fogarty Park, located between the Pier Marketplace and Pacific Hotel,
now features an outdoor entertainment area and performance space. A pedestrian
pathway through the park will link to the new Reef Fleet Terminal.
Security for the new Cairns foreshore has been talked up, and beefed
up by the council. Cairns has a strong ‘law and order’ philosophy,
and inner-city security has been a major issue for residents for many
years. Security guards will patrol the esplanade 24 hours a day, backed
up by security cameras and police. The council has been unable to identify
exactly what threat they are protecting esplanade visitors from, but the
editor of the local newspaper, The Cairns Post, has a stark opinion.
“It will attract thousands of visitors. But among them will be
the inevitable scumbags, determined to spoil everyone else’s enjoyment
of this great new attraction. An extensive network of proposed surveillance
cameras will contribute to providing such an overall feeling of security.”
– Editor, The Cairns Post. Thursday, March 13 2003.
 The
message is clear. Don’t worry; Cairns security guards will protect
you from the bad people…whoever they are.
Swimming Lagoon
The Cairns Esplanade Swimming Lagoon project is the most exciting aspect
of the entire esplanade development. It is a free resource where locals
and tourists can safely swim in an artificial pool that was previously
home to mud, jellyfish and crabs.
The lagoon precinct spans 4 hectares, and is capable of accommodating
1000 swimmers at a time. It is open for free public use between 6am and
10pm daily. The area is totally alcohol and glass free, and dogs are prohibited.
The depth of the pool ranges from 80 cm (32 inches) to 1.6m (5 feet),
and disability access is provided at one end of the pool. There are seating
benches underwater which are lit from underneath.
Lifeguards patrol the lagoon area during the day and there is on-site
security at night. 2 lifeguards are on duty at all times the lagoon is
open - one patrolling around the surrounds of the lagoon and the other
keeping watch from the patrol tower.
 The
four megalitres of lagoon water is sourced from the sea and filtered every
three hours to keep it clear and clean. Unlike many pools in the southern
states of Australia, the Cairns Esplanade lagoon is not tidal. Therefore,
no stingers or other marine creatures can enter the pool.
Special sand cleaning equipment will frequently scour the surrounding
sandy beaches down to a depth of 30cm to remove any foreign objects.
The project was originally due for completion in time for Australia’s
Centenary of Federation in 2001. But, as is the norm with many public
works, this date has been stretched dramatically. A revised completion
date was set for September of 2002, but this was again been pushed back
to March 2003. 
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