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Draft:Cominos House

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Cominos House
Cominos House at Greenslopes Street, Cairns
Map
Interactive map of Cominos House
16°54′21.96″S 145°45′0.36″E / 16.9061000°S 145.7501000°E / -16.9061000; 145.7501000
Location27 Greenslopes Street, Manunda / Cairns, Queensland, Australia
History
Builtc. 1877-1887
Site notes
Architectural style
Queenslander
OwnerCairns Regional Council

Cominos House is a heritage-listed timber Queenslander building and community cultural facility on 27 Greenslopes Street in Cairns, Queensland, Australia.[1] Built on Abbott Street between 1877 and 1887, it is listed on the local heritage register as one of the oldest surviving highset timber residences in Cairns[1][2]

After this old Queenslander had been the home of the prominent Greek-Australian Cominos family for over five decades,[2][3] the building was saved from being demolished in 1988 following a local community campaign and a local council initiative to save and relocate this Queenslander.[2][4]

Restored and refurbished in accordance with the principles of the Burra Charter, "Cominos House" was opened to the community in 1991 and the building operated for approximately 35 years as an arts and environment center managed by the Friends of Cominos House, an incorporated association and registered charity established in 1991.[1][5][6]

In 2026, the building and property's trustees, Cairns Regional Council, awarded a 10-year lease and operating agreement to the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC), with the building to continue operating as a community arts and environmental facility with the Rose Blank Gallery as a venue for hire and the Cominos House dedicated historical museum collection accessible to the public.[7][2][8]

History

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Early settlement and Cominos family era

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The residence was constructed between 1877 and the late 1880s at 104 Abbott Street (corner of Abbott and Florence Streets) during the initial commercial and residential settlement of Cairns.[1][2] Council records link the early property to town alderman Alfred Street.[1]

In 1927, the house was acquired by George Cominos, a prominent Greek-Australian businessman whose family operated Comino's Cafe in central Cairns.[2][3] The residence remained the Cominos family home for over five decades. Following the deaths of George and his wife, their children offered the building to the Cairns City Council in 1986 to secure its preservation for civic and community use.[2]

1988 relocation and restoration

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By 1988, proposed commercial redevelopment on Abbott Street placed the Cominos family home under imminent threat of demolition.[9] In July 1988, Cairns Mayor Keith Goodwin and Alderman Rose Blank moved a council motion to accept trusteeship of the structure and relocate it onto council reserve land.[9][3]

Supported by a $100,000 donation pledge from the Cominos family (with municipal financial records in April 1992 finalizing the actual contribution at $74,743 within a total project expenditure of $438,909) alongside local council allocations and state heritage grants, the building was separated into sections and moved by Cairns House Relocators to 27 Greenslopes Street on 1 October 1988.[9]

On 13 August 1989, a public steering committee convened at the Greenslopes Street site to organize a community management entity, formally establishing the Friends of Cominos House on 1 January 1991 as an incorporated association and registered charity.[9][4][5]

On 11 May 1990, Mayor Keith Goodwin and Alderman Rose Blank died in an aviation accident at Mount Emerald near Mareeba.[10][11] To commemorate Blank's role in preserving the property, the council dedicated the ground-floor exhibition space as the Rose Blank Gallery.[12]

Following restoration works carried out in accordance with the Australian Burra Charter, Cominos House was officially opened on 2 March 1991 by Queensland Minister for Environment and Heritage Pat Comben and Cairns Mayor John Cleland.[9][3][1]

Community hub

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After opening to the community in 1991, the house served as a hub for environmental groups represented by the Cairns and Far North Environment Center, also a hub for arts groups represented by the Visual Arts Association (VAA) and the Rose Blank Gallery on the ground floor hosted exhibitions and became a shared venue for hire by arts, environment and community groups. [1] [2][6][13] Under its registered charitable purpose, the Friends of Cominos House (FOCH) managed the property to provide low-cost space for non-profit arts, environment and community organizations.[5] The Rose Blank Gallery remains a low-cost venue for hire, particularly for arts and environmental groups.[13]

A permanent museum display area was established upstairs by FOCH to document the history and preservation of the building, featuring original architectural plans, relocation and restoration photographs, early property records, and a small collection of donated memorabilia associated with Cominos House and the Cominos family.[14][15]

In May 2025, after approximately 35 years of continuous management by FOCH (led by community figures Lone White and Diane Forsyth), the Cairns Regional Council declined to renew the association's long-term lease, citing building maintenance needs and the intention to initiate a public tender process.[4][6][8] The decision prompted public community petitions supporting the volunteer group, after which Cominos House transitioned to interim management arrangements from June 2025 pending council building repairs.[8][6] On 24 June 2026, the Cairns Regional Council formally resolved to award Contract 3035 ('Lease and Operation of Cominos House') over Lot 13 on NR843558 to the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre Inc, granting them a 10-year lease from 1 July 2026 to manage and operate the facility.[7][16]

Environmental Advocacy

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Following the building's reopening in 1991, the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC) established its operational headquarters and regional environmental library on the upper floor of Cominos House.[17][6]

In 2026, CAFNEC transitioned from an upper-floor tenant to managing the entire facility under a 10-year lease awarded by Cairns Regional Council.[7][16]

Heritage significance

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Cominos House is listed on the Cairns Regional Council Local Heritage Register under three criteria:[1]

  • Criterion A (Historical Significance): Reflects the early residential growth of Cairns in the late 19th century and the initial European settlement of Abbott Street.[1][2]
  • Criterion D (Architectural Rarity): A surviving example of a late-19th-century highset timber Queenslander, featuring tall timber stumps, perimeter verandahs, weatherboard cladding, and passive ventilation designed for the tropics.[1]
  • Criterion G (Social Value): Holds local cultural and social significance stemming from the 1988 community campaign that saved the house from demolition, followed by more than thirty years of use as a community arts and environmental center.[1][4]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Planning Scheme Policy – Places of significance (Version 2.0): Table 3.6.19.a – Cominos House" (PDF). Cairns Regional Council. pp. 178–180. Retrieved 5 September 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Libke, Carol (2016). "New Pioneers of Cairns: 1950 – 2000". eTropic: Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics. 15 (1). James Cook University: 70–71. doi:10.25120/etropic.15.1.2016.3303.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "History of Cominos House Arts and Environment Centre". Kythera-Family Project. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Guzman Gonzalez, Isabella (26 May 2025). "Rage over council eviction". Cairns Local News. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Register: Friends of Cominos House Inc (Historical charity registration record). Canberra: Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. ABN 57 054 154 111.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Carruthers, Peter (21 May 2025). "Friends of Cominos House to be ousted from historic Edge Hill building". The Cairns Post. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 Confirmed Minutes Ordinary Meeting: Item 6.16 Contractual Matter – Contract 3035 Lease and Operation of Cominos House, 27–29 Greenslopes Street Manunda – Division 5 (Report). Cairns Regional Council. 24 June 2026. pp. 12–13. Document #7901232.
  8. 1 2 3 Dalton, Nick (6 October 2025). "Stalwarts cede control". Cairns Local News. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "1988 Relocation". Friends of Cominos House. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
  10. ↑ "30th anniversary of fatal plane crash". The Express Newspaper. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "Cairns Municipal City History". Cairns Regional Council. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "Rose Blank Gallery Space". Friends of Cominos House. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
  13. 1 2 "Cominos House History on CAFNEC's bookings page". Cairns and Far North Environment Centre. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  14. ↑ "Historical Artefacts". Friends of Cominos House. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
  15. ↑ "Cominos House". Friends of Cominos House. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
  16. 1 2 "New chapter for Cominos House community hub". Cairns Regional Council. 24 June 2026. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
  17. ↑ "Who We Are: Our History". Cairns and Far North Environment Centre. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
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