Cairns Region: History
=== First Nations ===
Yidinji (also known as Yidinj, Yidiny, and Idindji) is an Australian Aboriginal language and a traditional Indigenous country. Its traditional language region is within the local government areas of Cairns Region and Tablelands Region, in such localities as Cairns City (CBD), Gordonvale, and the Mulgrave River, and the southern part of the Atherton Tableland including Atherton and Kairi.
Tjapukai (also known as Djabuganydji, Djabugay, and Djabuganydji) is the traditional Aboriginal country and language north of the Barron River in the Cairns Region, with the traditional group extending west towards Mareeba and north towards Douglas Shire and Port Douglas.
The origins of local government in Far North Queensland lie in the Local Government Act 1878, under which 74 Divisions (local government areas) were created, including the Cairns Division.
The Douglas Division was created on 3 June 1880 by excising part of Cairns Division.
Under the Local Authorities Act 1902 Cairns Division was redesignated as the Shire of Cairns and Douglas Division was redesignated as the Shire of Douglas on 31 March 1903.
The Borough of Cairns was proclaimed on 28 May 1885 under the Local Government Act 1878, and was created by excising part of the Cairns Division. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, it became a Town on 31 March 1903, and was proclaimed a City on 12 October 1923. For most of its existence Cairns City covered only the central business district and inner suburbs.
On 20 December 1919, Barron Shire was abolished, and part of its area was transferred to Cairns Shire. On 16 November 1940, Cairns Shire was renamed Mulgrave Shire.
On 21 November 1991, the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission, created two years earlier, produced its second report, and recommended that local government boundaries in the Cairns area be rationalised, and that the Shire be dissolved and amalgamated with the City of Cairns. The Local Government (Cairns, Douglas, Mareeba and Mulgrave) Regulation 1994 was gazetted on 16 December 1994. On 22 March 1995, Mulgrave Shire was abolished and became part of the City of Cairns.
In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that Cairns amalgamate with the Shire of Douglas, and that the new Cairns Regional Council be undivided with 10 councilors and a mayor. On 15 March 2008, Cairns City and Douglas Shire ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect councilors and a mayor to the replacement Regional Council.
In 2012, a proposal was made to de-amalgamate the Shire of Douglas from the Cairns Region. On 9 March 2013, the citizens of the former Douglas shire voted in a referendum to de-amalgamate. The shire was re-established on 1 January 2014.