Cairns State High School, Cairns

The Cairns State High School, designated as a heritage-listed state school, was conceived by Nigel Laman Thomas from the Department of Public Works (Queensland). Established in 1917, it holds the distinction of being the oldest high school in Cairns. Also recognized as Block A of Cairns State High School, it received inclusion in the Queensland Heritage Register on May 9, 2014.

Erected in 1941, the Cairns Technical College and High School building stands as a purpose-built establishment for state-operated secondary and technical education in Cairns. It was conceived under the Queensland Government's unemployment relief program of the 1930s and constructed using day labor.

This location serves as significant evidence of the interwar era of prosperity and expansion in Cairns, the primary regional hub in far north Queensland. During this period, Cairns witnessed a surge in the construction of numerous masonry buildings characterized by Classical architectural styles.