A weekly re-cap of the events that have made news in Cairns over the past week.

Monday June 10, 2002 69th Edition

Cairns celebrated the Queens Birthday long weekend with perfect weather and host of activities to be enjoyed. The focus at this time of year is always on Cooktown for the annual re-enactment of Captain James Cooks famous visit to the region in 1770, after his vessel, HMAS Endeavour ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef, the start of a less than enjoyable period for the explorers.

$33 million research centre to be built in Cairns
Work on a new $33 million forest research centre will commence in January 2003. The new facility is being built with the funds provided by both the State and Federal Governments, with the aim being to "unlock the hidden potential that exists in tropical North Queensland's unique biodiversity". The innovative facility is expected to attract researchers from around the world and is the result of four years of hard work by Rainforest Co-Operative Centre, James Cook University, The Wet Tropics Management Authority and a private firm, BioProspect.

Cooktown Celebrates
The Queens Birthday long weekend celebrations were enjoyed by all throughout North Queensland over the weekend, especially those people visiting Cooktown (260km north of Cairns). Every year a re-enactment of Captain Cooks landing is held on the banks of the Endeavour River. The Endeavour ran aground on The Great Barrier Reef in 1770 after Captain Cook travelled along the east coast of Australia.

Virgin Blue announces new alliance with United Airlines
Cairns is expected to benefit from a strategic alliance between Virgin Blue and United Airlines with more passengers from the United States. The code share arrangement meant that passengers booking flights from the United States only require one ticket and the flights that they travel on are coded as United Airlines flights.

Tourism revenue estimated at over $2 billion
A recently released economic survey has shown that tourism is now worth over $2 billion per annum to Cairns and the surrounding region, making it the number one industry by a long a shot.

More exports from Cairns
A confident export push by 17 Cairns based producers is expected to result in a financial bonus for the region. The initiative is part of a Queensland Government drive to increase the export market from the region, which has the potential for up to 170 new products ranging from dairy to seafood.