Smithfield Queensland |
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Coordinates | 16°49′53″S 145°41′27″E / 16.83139°S 145.69083°ECoordinates: 16°49′53″S 145°41′27″E / 16.83139°S 145.69083°E | ||||||||||||
Population | 3,707 (2011 census) | ||||||||||||
Established | 1876 | ||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 4878 | ||||||||||||
Location | 15 km (9 mi) N of Cairns | ||||||||||||
LGA(s) | Cairns Regional Council | ||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Barron River | ||||||||||||
Federal Division(s) | Leichhardt | ||||||||||||
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Smithfield is a suburb about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the north of Cairns City, Queensland, Australia. At the 2011 Australian Census the suburb recorded a population of 3,707. The Captain Cook Highway passes through Smithfield.
It was first established in 1876, and was a rival for dominance of the area to Cairns at that time. However, after a devastating flooding of the Barron River on which the settlement was situated during a cyclone, the original site was abandoned.
It is now a suburb of Cairns, and is the business and trade centre of the Cairns 'Northern Beaches'. In the suburb's south is the lower station of the Kuranda Scenic Railway.