The Royal Australian Navy was a regular visitor to the port of Cairns for many decades, however HMAS Cairns was not officially commissioned as a base until February 1974. Located in Draper Street, Portsmith, HMAS Cairns is the homeport for six Naval vessels supported by 900 Navy and civilian personnel.
Primary responsibility of HMAS Cairns is to provide maintenance, logistic and administrative support for Cairns based units. The base is the home of Fleet Support Unit - North East which provides direct support to operational vessels. Additionally, HMAS Cairns provides refit and training support for neighbouring Pacific Island nations.
The region is popular for adventurous activities like snorkelling, scuba diving, bungee jumping, white water rafting and skydiving.