General News
21 May, 2026
News – whether liked or not
THE story of media in Cairns is one of advocacy, rivalry and community building.
In the town’s early decades, competing newspapers such as The Advertiser, Smithfield Observer, The Chronicle, The Cairns Morning Post, The Telegraph and The Argus voiced the spirited debates of new settlers, each paper shaping public opinion in a rapidly growing tropical port.
But it was The Cairns Post, founded in 1909, that ultimately became the enduring voice of the region, championing rail links, port upgrades and tourism investment throughout much of the 20th century, cementing its role as the city’s most influential advocate.
Cairns’ media landscape expanded further in 1936 with the arrival of 4CA radio, broadcasting music, cricket commentary and vital cyclone warnings that connected far flung communities.
By 1966, the ABC launched Cairns’ first local television station, soon joined by FNQ10, marking the beginning of a new era in visual storytelling.
Today, Cairns’ media reaches across print, radio, digital and social platforms, including Cairns Local News, CityLife, Southern Cross Media and ARN Broadcasting – a diverse media mix reflecting the region’s modern identity.
Central to the Cairns 150 celebrations is the work of the Cairns Historical Society and Museum. Through its vast collection of newspapers, photographs, documents and artefacts, the museum preserves the stories told by the city’s journalists, editors, broadcasters and everyday citizens. Its exhibitions celebrate, not only the media that reported Cairns’ history, but the community that lived it.
As Cairns Celebrates 150 years, it’s important to acknowledge the media’s role in capturing, preserving and sharing the stories that define the region.
No photo?, no problem … words paint the picture
IN the absence of a photograph, without magazines or social media, newspapers over the last century used to describe in detail what women wore at public events so that other women knew exactly the fashion of the day.
One such example was an article detailing the wedding of Miss Agnes Mary Gummow and Roger Remilton on Tuesday 22 November 1910.
The outfit of the bride was described in detail as “a very, lovely dress of white hand-worked Japanese gauze silk, with wreath and veil.”
Also described were her attendants as well as the mothers of the nuptials. The article went on to say: “She was attended by her sister, Miss Rhodda Gummow, who was prettily dressed in pale blue, with white hat ... Mrs Gummow, mother of the bride, wore a handsome black merv dress (type of soft cloth – cotton or silk), trimmed with silk braid and old gold picture hat with large black and white feathers. Mrs Remilton, mother of the bridegroom, wore a black broche (lave petticoat), with overskirt of black silk Brussels net, relieved with crème silk trimmings, black and white chiffon toque (hat without a trim).”
Three owners since 1895
PRINTING presses and newspapers are some of the earliest businesses set up in any new settlement – and Cairns was no different.
Proprietors, newspaper titles and fantastic owner/ editorial feuds came and went over the decades with the longest and most enduringly popular names – Cairns Post, remaining synonymous with Cairns itself.
While the first newspaper to publish under this name commenced on the 10 May 1883, by Frederick Thomas Wimble, it wasn’t until Edwin Draper started The Cairns Morning Post in 1895 that the modern-day newspaper emerged.
In July 1909, the newspaper was renamed The Cairns Post and it continues today simply as Cairns Post.
The paper remained in the Draper family until 1965, when it was sold to Queensland Consolidated Press Ltd.
In 1986-7, Rupert Murdoch acquired the business and he visited his new acquisition in 1987. A Cairns namesake newspaper has kept the community informed one way or another in broadsheet, tabloid and now online.
