Far North Queensland Regional Plan and Infrastructure Plan
Region at a glance
The Far North Queensland region is large and diverse, with a wide range of urban, rural and remote communities set within distinct natural landscapes. It encompasses the Local Government Areas of:
- Cairns Regional Council
- Cassowary Coast Regional Council
- Douglas Shire Council
- Etheridge Shire Council
- Mareeba Shire Council
- Tablelands Regional Council
- Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council
- Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council.
This geographic spread creates varied settlement patterns, service needs and development pressures across Far North Queensland.
The region’s population is projected to grow to up to 380,000 people by 2046. Cairns is expected to accommodate most of this growth, while inland centres such as Atherton and Mareeba provide additional capacity over the long-term.
The region’s economy is broad, with significant activity in tourism, agriculture, construction, transport, health care and public services, alongside emerging opportunities, including energy, defence and specialised tropical industries. Its location near Southeast Asia supports strong trade and aviation links that are likely to remain important for future economic development.
Far North Queensland contains extensive protected areas, including parts of the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics rainforests, which support ecotourism, biodiversity and community wellbeing.
At the same time, the region faces ongoing challenges related to housing supply, infrastructure resilience, natural hazard exposure and long‑term water and energy security. Responding to these pressures will require coordinated planning of critical networks and a focus on growth across both coastal and inland communities.
Population
264,555 (2021) growing to 341,360 to
378,340 people by 2046
Gross Regional Product
$19.28B *
Includes all FNQROC councils
Projected annual growth rate
1.0% to 1.4%
Small households
(1-2 people)
56.25%
People over 65 years old
17.5%, increasing to 23.2% by 2046
Detached dwellings
77.8%
Protected areas
15.7%
Plan at a glance
The Far North Queensland Regional Plan and Infrastructure Plan 2026 has been reviewed and updated, and was gazetted (
244.0 KB) on 8 May 2026.
Together, the plans set out the vision and strategic direction for the region across five key themes: housing, thriving economy, ecotourism and biodiversity, healthy and liveable communities, and infrastructure.
The Far North Queensland infrastructure plan sets out the strategic direction for coordinated infrastructure planning and delivery across the region, aligning infrastructure planning with land use planning and broader Queensland Government initiatives.
The plan is structured around regional infrastructure policies and future infrastructure planning considerations. Together, these components provide a framework to guide infrastructure decision‑making, support local planning processes and respond to emerging needs across the region.
Key outcomes
- Establishing regional infrastructure policies for transport, water, energy, digital connectivity, and social and community infrastructure.
- Identifying future infrastructure planning considerations to inform long‑term infrastructure needs, priorities and potential proposals, including those not yet funded.
By 2046, the Far North Queensland region will require between 34,455 and 48,485 new homes. To meet this demand, the plan provides for residential land supply in well-located, infrastructure-supported areas.
Key outcomes
- Increasing supply of housing in new and established communities and higher density in appropriate, well-serviced locations.
- Identifying a new Priority Development Area at Mount Peter as critical to fast-tracking the supply of housing and infrastructure for the region.
- Sufficient land supply in the Urban Footprint to accommodate planned growth
- Setting housing targets to align with the Queensland Government’s goal of one million new homes by 2044.
Far North Queensland’s economy is diverse and resilient, building on established strengths while enabling future industries. Cairns serves as the Principal Regional Activity Centre for the region, and also for Cape York, Torres Strait and Gulf communities, making it a key service, employment and economic hub.
The regional plan provides a coordinated framework for locating employment, infrastructure and industry in the right places, balancing regional productivity, liveability and long‑term resilience across the region.
Key outcomes
- Supporting economic growth and diversification across both urban and rural parts of the region.
- Strengthening regional centres, precincts and priority sectors as focal points for jobs and investment.
- Protecting industrial land and regionally significant economic assets to meet current and future employment needs.
- Supporting productive, resilient and diversified rural and agricultural economies.
All maps can be viewed within the regional plan and infrastructure plan.
Mapping is also available in other formats:
- Static map PDFs - combined PDFs in a high-resolution format.
- Part 1 - Regional Plan Maps ( 95.9 MB)
- Part 2 - Infrastructure Appendix Maps ( 5.2 MB)
- Part 3 - Schedule Maps ( 5.4 MB)
- Part 1 - Regional Plan Maps (
- Spatial data available for download from QSpatial.
More information
Regional plan ( 85.6 MB)
Read the full document.
→Infrastructure plan appendix ( 85.6 MB)
Read the infrastructure plan appendix.
→Interactive mapping
View interactive mapping for the plan.
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Last updated: 19 May 2026