The Cairns Historical Society makes the history of Far North Queensland accessible for current and future generations.

The Society operates the Cairns Museum, the CHS Research Centre and the History on the Move School Trailer program. It also manages a nationally significant collection of over 60,000 individual items.

The CHS Research Centre holds more than 60,000 items of personal, professional and Government papers and ephemera; books; unpublished reports; newspapers; photographs; journal articles and maps.

The collection covers the area from Cardwell to Normanton and north to the Torres Strait, taking in most of the Wet Tropics, Cape York Peninsula and the eastern Gulf of Carpentaria. Cairns is a particular focus.

Items can be viewed on the premises and the entire collection, including photographs, is digitally catalogued and searchable by subject, as well as by author and title fields. Bookings are required. Use the ‘Research Inquiry‘ page to request a booking.

As yet the catalogue is not available online but the Society’s archive and photographic researchers are available to assist you to search and discover the collection.

Email queries are welcome and their researchers can pull together materials from the collection, copy or digitise and send them if you are unable to visit in person.

Open Mon – Friday 10 am – 3 pm.