General News
9 April, 2026
Law and order a fact of life
LAW and order in Cairns started with mounted constables patrolling a frontier settlement.
The first court house and police barracks were built in the 1880s.
Early crimes included cattle theft, drunkenness and disputes over land and labour.
Over time, the justice system evolved with local magistrates, circuit judges and a growing police force.
The historic Cairns Court House, now a gallery, stood as a symbol of colonial authority.
Today, law enforcement focuses on community safety, youth outreach and emergency response – adapting to the needs of a diverse and fast-growing population.
The riots of Parramatta Park — a 1932 Cairns flashpoint
Cairns was thrust into chaos in July 1932 when the Parramatta Park Showgrounds became the centre of a violent confrontation between desperate squatters and frustrated townspeople.
During the Great Depression, jobless travellers had been permitted to camp on local ovals, but as the annual show approached, pressure mounted to clear the town’s showgrounds on Mulgrave Rd.
The squatters refused to leave without alternative accommodation, forming a committee and vowing to stay put.
With eviction tied up in slow court processes, tensions escalated until Sunday 17 July 1932 when Mayor William Collins led a group of townspeople – armed with sticks and improvised weapons – to confront the camp.
Squatters fought back with whatever they could find, and despite police efforts to intervene, a fierce battle erupted.
Iron bars, bottles, tent pegs and cane knives were wielded in the melee, leaving 26 people injured before order was restored.
In the aftermath, criticism and praise were sharply divided.
Tully workers condemned the attackers as “blood thirsty fiends,” while Cairns council praised the townspeople’s actions.
Bruised but undeterred, the community pressed on – and, as the saying goes, the show did indeed go on.
Cairns Court House 1922-1992
Today, the Court House site looks decidedly different from when it was first constructed in 1919 to replace the first Cairns Court House that opened in 1884 on the Esplanade.
Timeline
1876: Gazetted as a police reserve
1922: Courtroom used for the first time (17 January)
1929: Gardens in front of the building were created
1959: False acoustic ceiling installed and fixed to the existing beams to improve acoustics
1968: Building was extended to add a second court room and a magistrate’s court
1992: The building was vacated when the new courthouse and police station complex opened in Sheridan Street
1992: On 21 October the building was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
1998: Renovated as the Cairns Court House Hotel
2016: Council acquires the Cairns Court House Hotel site
2019: Work starts on the Court House refurbishment
2020: Official opening of the refurbished Court House Gallery building.
