About

This is a free public event - bookings are required to assist with seating and catering.

As part of the Cairns 150 celebrations, the Cairns Historical Society and Cairns Museum are presenting a series of free public lectures throughout 2026. Held every second month, each lecture afternoon features two talks exploring key moments, people and themes from Cairns and Far North Queensland’s history.

LECTURE #1
Roads to Cairns from the mining fields, 1876–1877
Dr Ruth Kerr OAM

Driven by the desire to reach the Hodgkinson goldfield, early miners, police, explorers and adventurers turned their attention to existing trails across the coastal range. This lecture follows the journeys of those who claimed to have found the best route inland and explores how the opening of these roads transformed the region.

LECTURE #2
The Cannon Family
David Cannon

Between 1884 and 1911, four brothers and two sisters of the Cannon family migrated from the Lake District in northern England to Cairns. Settling in Cairns, Gordonvale and Babinda, the family contributed to the region’s development through agriculture, trade and industry. William and John Cannon were founding members of the Mulgrave Central Mill, and William later provided land at Woree to the Cairns Jockey Club, now known as Cannon Park.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Dr Ruth Kerr OAM is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland’s School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry. She is a renowned Queensland historian, recipient of the Cairns Historical Society S.E. Stephens Award (2023), and a long-term member of the Society.

David Cannon was born and raised in Babinda and is a graduate of James Cook University with a Bachelor of Education. His interest in history began in the 1970s while working as an assistant to historian Dorothy Jones. He has been a member of the Cairns Historical Society and Mulgrave Shire Historical Society for more than four decades.

Date

Location

Cairns Museum
93-105 Lake Street, Cairns QLD 4870

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