General News
27 January, 2026
Extreme heat taking its toll
WITH temperatures reaching new heights, and staying cool is no longer just an attitude, the Cairns community is invited to swelter together at the Extreme Heat Awareness Day next month.
To be held at Sea Eagle Lawn on Cairns Esplanade on Saturday 7 February, the event will feature live music, presentations, stalls, kids’ activities and games, as well as a “Sweltering Cities cool walk”.
“Heat is escalating in FNQ and often compounds floods/cyclones,” CAFNEC community campaigner Alex Benavides said.
“This event brings health, emergency and community groups together to build local readiness.”
Local GP Dr Nicole Sleeman said extreme heat was Australia’s deadliest hazard, “yet many, many, people still underestimate the risk”.
She said it was a particular risk for older people, young children, people with disability, outdoor workers and those without adequate cooling.
“This day is about helping people understand heat health and how to protect themselves and others.”
The day is part of a new national campaign by Sweltering Cities, an organisation founded in Sydney in 2020, concerned about the extreme heat and over development in cities and the lack of representation of impacted communities in climate change coverage.
It is being coordinated by local partners Australian Red Cross, Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA), Centacare FNQ and the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC). The Queensland Ambulance Service, Queensland Health and Cairns Regional Council are also supporting this event.
The day also coincides with Sweltering Cities’ new Summer Survey 2025/26 – Australia’s biggest community survey about heat, health and homes.
“Every (survey) response helps build an undeniable national picture of how people are coping with heatwaves, what support they need and what’s urgently missing,” Dr Sleeman said.
“It may be that you have to leave the house to go somewhere cooler, are feeling sick, anxious and isolated, are concerned about high electricity bills, stuck in a hot home or workplace, or dreading or avoiding taking public transport.”
The survey gathers both qualitative and quantitative data on the real impacts of extreme heat – from cost-of-living pressures or managing health conditions, to practical solutions such as better housing, shaded public spaces and climate-safe urban planning.
The survey is open from now until the end of February and a report of the findings is expected in March.
Sweltering Cities says it will not share any personal information or contacts with any third parties or other organisations.
Extreme Heat Awareness Day will be on Saturday 7 February from 2pm-5pm at the Sea Eagle Lawn, Cairns Esplanade.
For a link to the national survey, visit www.bit.ly/4qv6t60
