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My Cairns and Tropical Gardening
Cairns and Tropical Gardening is packed with fascinating facts about the tropical Far Northern Queensland city of Cairns, along with everything you need to know about Tropical Gardening.
This site is written and maintained by former local politician Rob Pyne and also features his personal and informed account of local politics, Struggle and Resistance in the Far North.
Cairns
Cairns is a coastal city in Far North Queensland, Australia. Known as Gimuy in the Yidinji language of the Traditional Owners, the area was later named by British colonists in 1876 after Sir William Wellington Cairns. Today, it is Queensland’s fifth-largest city and the 14th largest in Australia.
Situated on the eastern coast of the Cape York Peninsula, Cairns lies approximately 1,700 kilometres (1,056 miles) north of Brisbane (Queensland’s capital) and 2,420 kilometres (1,504 miles) northeast of Sydney. Facing the Coral Sea, the city serves as a gateway to two iconic attractions: the Great Barrier Reef and the World Heritage–listed tropical rainforest.
Known for its tropical climate, Cairns is a top destination for tourists seeking marine adventures, rainforest exploration, and cultural experiences with the local Indigenous communities.
Tropical Gardening
The information on this site will help you to grow food successfully and save you an awful lot of money by reducing your spending on fertilisers, plants, and material you don’t need!
We love growing fruit and vegetables in the tropics. This site is a resource for novice backyard gardeners living in the hottest and most humid parts of the planet.
The biggest difference between gardening in temperate regions and the tropics is the seasons. Unlike the four seasons common in Europe and the US, the tropics have just two: the ‘wet season’ and the ‘dry season’.
Tropical gardens in Australia often feature lush greenery, vibrant flowers, and designs suited to warm climates. Popular elements include palms, ferns, and brightly coloured plants like bromeliads and hibiscus. However, our main focus is growing plants you can eat.
Cairns and Tropical Gardening and Climate Change
Rob has focussed on climate change from as early as the 1990’s. Consequently, as eco-socialists our perspective is always based on science. Our deepest concern is the impact of climate change on ordinary people and the most disadvantaged among us.
Global warming is directly resulting in rising sea-levels. This is due to the increasing amount of meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets, and the thermal expansion of seawater as it warms.
Around 40 per cent of the world’s population lives in densely inhabited coastal zones. In these areas, sea level is playing an increasing role in flooding, shoreline erosion, and hazards from storms. These problems are exacerbated during king tides and storm surge.
Our tropical location shapes much of our content, influencing what we grow and how we adapt to survive in an era of climate change.
Climate Change and Food Shortage
Climate change is increasingly recognised as a major driver of global food shortages. Shifting climatic conditions disrupt agriculture in multiple ways, from altering growing seasons to intensifying extreme weather events. Below, we examine how climate change threatens food security and leads to scarcity:
How Climate Change Affects Food Production
Higher temperatures can stress crops and reduce yields. Many staple crops have optimal growing temperatures, and deviations from these can hinder their growth and productivity.
At Cairns & Tropical Gardening, we understand that warmer temperatures can accelerate the life cycle of pests and diseases, leading to more severe infestations and greater crop damage.
In addition, altered rainfall patterns, including prolonged droughts and heavy rains, affect soil moisture levels, impacting crop growth. Droughts reduce water availability for irrigation, stressing water-dependent crops. Excessive rainfall and flooding can lead to soil erosion, nutrient leaching, and crop losses.
Rising sea levels can inundate coastal agricultural lands, leading to salinisation of soils and freshwater resources, making them unsuitable for crop cultivation.
Extreme weather events can disrupt transportation and logistics, hindering the distribution of food from production areas to markets. Reduced supply and increased demand drive up food prices, making it difficult for vulnerable populations to afford essential food items.
Climate change poses a significant threat to global food security by affecting crop yields, food prices, and the overall stability of food systems. Adaptation and mitigation strategies are essential to ensure a resilient and sustainable food supply. Efforts must focus on developing climate-resilient crops, improving agricultural practices, and fostering international cooperation to combat the adverse effects of climate change on food security.
A Sustainable Cairns and Tropical Gardening
There is no single solution as to how to survive and prosper in a time of climate change. Indeed, we have written a whole website dedicated to how to survive climate change. However, while there is no single solution, one thing that can help during food shortages is your capacity to grow your own food,
Struggle and Resistance in the Far North
This website is also the home to Rob’s Book about his life, local history, politics and other Cairns characters: Struggle and Resistance in the Far North.
Struggle and Resistance in the Far North, is a glimpse into Far North Queensland politics, history and culture. It is an account of the region’s hidden stories and some interesting local characters. Rob gives his account in concert with his own story. As a result, this work links the personal with the political in a unique way.
This is a story of oppression and fightback, taking the side of the underdog in the fight against authority. However the account begins with early European arrivals and their struggle surviving in a strange and alien land.
As new arrivals began to prosper, life became increasingly oppressive for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They were attacked, murdered and had their land stolen. This period became known as the Frontier Wars.
Cairns and Tropical Gardening Author
Quadriplegic, Former MP, Councillor & Campaigner, Rob Pyne was born and grew up in Cairns, the city he calls home. He loves Cairns, tropical gardening and ideas and policies to help people who are struggling to survive.
Born in Gordonvale and raised in Edmonton, south of Cairns. He was born to Tom Pyne and Marion Pyne. Subsequently he attended Hambledon State School and Gordonvale State High School. While growing up he loved playing rugby league, exploring and swimming in the local creeks and riding motor bikes.
Public Service
Rob worked as a Queensland Government clerk until tragically breaking his neck in an accident in 1991, becoming a quadriplegic. He then spent nine months in rehabilitation at Princess Alexandra Hospital.
James Cook University
Rob decided to further his education. He also became active in advancing the rights of people with a disability.
This included volunteering for disability advocacy groups and services, such as Rights in Action, Independent Living Support Association and a number of peak disability representative groups.
Subsequently, he completed a BA in History and Politics followed by a Law Degree. While studying he became President of the James Cook University Student Association, giving him his first taste of elected office.
Rob Pyne worked at James Cook University (JCU) from 2000 to 2007 as a Regional Disability Liaison Officer. Following completion of that contract, he campaigned full-time for a position on Cairns Regional Council.
Consequently, Rob was elected as the Councillor for Division 3 on Cairns Regional Council in 2008 and Re-Elected in 2012. Rob then contested the 2015 state election against a conservative opponent.
From MP to Cairns and Tropical Gardening
Rob was elected to represent the electorate of Cairns in the State Parliament. However, Rob believed the major political parties had neglected Far North Queensland and were not doing enough on the issues of climate change, juvenile justice and local government corruption.
As a result, he resigned from the ALP in 2016 becoming an Independent. However, without major party support and courtesy of an unfavourable electoral re-distribution, he lost his seat at the subsequent state election.
After losing his seat as an MP, Rob turned to gardening and promoting sustainable food growing in urban areas. He also took his passion for Cairns and Tropical Gardening online, with this website and using social media. Rob was also elected back to Cairns Regional Council in 2020 and 2024 as another avenue to promote healthy, sustainable notions of Community.
Tropical Planting Guide
A Tropical Planting Guide is a resource that provides information and instructions on how to successfully grow plants in tropical climates. These guides typically include details on suitable plant species, soil conditions, watering needs, sunlight requirements, and pest management tailored to tropical environments.
You can find tropical planting guides for online, including from Gardenate and night and The Little Veggie Patch Co.
This website helps those are who are aware of the challenges we are facing and are keen to take positive steps to improve life for themselves and their community.
