sport
Cairns Facilities and Venues Strengthen High School Athletics Infrastructure
Recent council upgrades at established sites give local high school programs more reliable training and competition options.
How we reported this
The Cairns Regional Council finished a $3.2 million resurfacing and lighting upgrade at Barlow Park on the corner of Severin and Mulgrave Streets in June, opening the venue for additional high school athletics carnivals this term.
The timing aligns with a sharp rise in student registrations after the 2025 state athletics championships returned to Far North Queensland for the first time in eight years, pushing schools to secure consistent access to quality tracks and fields.
Venues now handling more school traffic
Teams from Cairns State High on Draper Street have shifted weekday training sessions to the refurbished Barlow Park oval, while Redlynch State College athletes use the long-jump and shot-put areas at the adjacent Cairns Showgrounds complex on Mulgrave Road. Both sites sit within a short bus ride of the main high school cluster in the CBD and Edge Hill neighbourhoods.
Council records show the two venues recorded 4,800 student hours in the six weeks after the June reopening, a 37 percent jump from the same period in 2025. The upgrades included new LED floodlights rated for evening events and a synthetic surface certified for Queensland Athletics meets through December 2028.
Next steps for schools and families
Schools can apply for term-three slot bookings through the council’s online portal, with priority given to programs that already hold current public liability cover. Parents looking for after-school options should contact their school sports coordinator before the July 25 deadline for the next round of facility allocations.