Things To Know
Harbour Walk
The Harbour Walk at the end of the swimming lagoon overlooks the famous Cairns waterfront and is a great place to view the birdlife prolific in this area.
All the family can enjoy the barbecue facilities provided or sit back, relax and take in one of the Esplanade’s regular entertainment shows. All in the beautifully landscaped open space.
Arcing around the seawall of the lagoon to the Pier, pedestrians can take time to walk or ride the long, meandering 5m wide wooden boardwalk, sweeping past the boats in the marina, and around to Trinity Inlet.
Take in the Birdlife
A high powered birdwatching telescope offers passersby a close up view of the prolific birdlife that dwells on the unique mudflat habitat of the Esplanade. Some of these birds migrate to Cairns from as far afield as Russia, and the nearby Bird Directory attached to the Harbour Walk railing will help viewers detect which birds are which.
Interpretive Nodes
Three interpretive nodes are installed along the Promenade to provide information to visitors and locals on the Cultural, Heritage and Environmental background of the area. Each node is a roofed, freestanding, architect designed construction that handsomely houses the vibrant, graphically designed text and illustrations pertinent to the node's theme. State of the art interactive touch screens to further enhance the interpretive experience have also been installed and offer additional information with regards to accommodation, dining, places to visit and things to do whilst staying in Cairns.
Heritage Node
The Heritage Node presents interpretive material describing the history and development of Cairns, highlighting the events and characteristics that have shaped Cairns' modern history.
The history of local Indigenous tribes and dreamtime stories, along with a background of European settlement, is also included in this display.
Cultural Node
The Cultural Node provides information on the culture of Cairns, Far North Queensland and it's Pacific neighbours.
It reinforces Cairns' position as the gateway to the Pacific region. It also includes information about the culture that has made Cairns the city it has become, from the goldfields and early shipping days, through to sugarcane and the proliferation of the tourism centre, we know today.
Environmental Node
The Environmental Node, with its prime view overlooking the expanses of Trinity Inlet, provides an informative and interactive interpretation of the waterfront environs. In particular, the bird life that Cairns is so famous for.
Fitness Course
For the energetic, there's a complete fitness course signposted at regular intervals along the way. The Council provides this work-out opportunity in the interests of a healthier community.
Memorial Gardens
The Memorial Gardens were created to acknowledge the valuable contribution made by volunteers, emergency service works and military service men and women.The Memorial Flame artwork (see Public Art & Memorials) has been placed in remembrance of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the performance of their duties.
56’s Olympic Torch Bearers Monument
This stately, granite monument commemorates the 1956 Olympic Torch Relay run between Cairns and Melbourne, between the 9th and 22nd of November 1956.
As host city for the beginning of the 1956 Olympic Torch Relay, the 1956 Olympic Torchbearers Club Inc (Cairns) was founded to create a club for the 1956 runners.
Technical Summary
Project Overview
The Australian Government, through its Department of Industry, Tourism & Resources, and under the auspices of the "See Australia" initiative, granted $9m to the Foreshore Promenade and Regional Playground Projects, with Cairns City Council contributing in the order of an additional $900,000 to the overall total.
The Foreshore Promenade project had an associated cost of $5,900,000 and this funding allowed for the redevelopment of 600m of the Cairns Esplanade, and to assist in creating a world class foreshore precinct within easy access of the many major accommodation establishments of Cairns.
As well as increasing the attractiveness of the area, the project also involved the development of:
- a 5m wide and 600m long hardwood timber boardwalk with 12-14m long driven hardwood timber piles
- 3 Interpretive Nodes - Heritage, Cultural & Environmental - with information and illustrations to highlight the uniqueness of the area, as well as computer touchscreens to heighten the experience
- high quality landscaping and open space areas
- a Memorial Garden commemorating the military and emergency services
While providing benefits directly to Cairns, the project will also help attract more visitors to North Queensland generally, as Cairns is the gateway for international and domestic visitors to the Far North.
Artwork Info
DOMINIC JOHNS :“TELESCOPUS” FOR NORTH ESPLANADE PRECINCT PUBLIC ART PROJECT
Description of Artwork
“Telescopus” is a three-dimensional sculptural work which references the mangrove mud whelk that is common to the inter tidal mudflats around Cairns.
Between 4 and 5 metres in length the sculpture will be constructed from reinforced concrete and overlaid with a tiled skin of vitreous iridescent glass tiles and Chillagoe marble veins. The use of Chillagoe marbles ties in the geological link of the old coral reefs “outback of cairns” that provide us with a historical record of these creatures.
Lying on its length to reflect is natural orientation, the sculpture would appear whole from the seaward side to the pedestrians using the Esplanade pathway.
The natural colours of maroons, browns, platinums and white would circle the cast and the iridescence of the glass would sparkle like a jewel in the bright tropical sun.
Formed as a half along its length the work also reveals the intricate geometry contained within the shell. By cutting the shape longitudinally, the artist can bring the viewer into another world.
The natural spiral would be defined using phosphorescent glass tiles that outline the decreasing spiral of the gastropods chamber.
These chambers would be coloured using a variety of greens that represent the greens of mangroves, photosynthesis and therefore, life. Within the green patches there would be a series of simple larval forms that reference the life cycle of a Mangrove whelk (trochophore) executed in the same phosphorescent tile.
By aligning the cut side to the western sky, the work would be charged by the sun and light up at night without the use of power and glow all through the night.
ROLAND NANCARROW :‘WINDBLOWN LEAVES’ FOR NORTH ESPLANADE PRECINCT PUBLIC ART PROJECT
Description of Artwork
The artwork will be a freestanding steel sculpture with a resilient ‘new leaf’ standing erect from the windblown leaves surrounding the base. The “Windblown Leaves” are based on abstracted forms on the local fan palm, Lucuala Ramsayii. The erect leaf form will echo the shapes of sails and boats often seen in Trinity Inlet.
The artwork will be made from hot gal dipped steel and painted in 2 pack auto paint in colours as shown on the marquette (orange and steel blue). These contrasts will contrast with the natural green of the surrounding foliage and the view through the artwork to the Trinity Inlet.
KEVIN MAYO :‘HORIZON LINE’ FOR NORTH ESPLANADE PRECINCT PUBLIC ART PROJECT
Description of Artwork
“Horizon Lines”
Horizon Lines involves the design, production (fabrication) of large stainless steel sculptures. These sculptures are in the shape of a boat stood on end with human figures cut-out within the boat shape. The sculptures are concave and include gussets to provide extra strength. The figures are view against the horizon and their definition and ‘body’ changes according to the water and light. They will also cast cut-out shadows on to the ground.
Technical considerations:
The sculptures are a maximum of 3 metres high and a maximum of 2 metres wide. The stainless steel is 4mm plate. Each sculpture is welded to a 12 mm stainless steel plate set in a reinforced concrete footing.
Designs Selected for North Esplanade:
Two designs have been selected for the North Esplanade Precinct Public Art works. These are:
* “The Dancer” and;
* “The Swimmer” as shown see below (page 2) of Horizon Line Schedule
