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Trinity Inlet Cairns
Trinity Inlet was named by Captain James Cook. He landed at the mouth of the Inlet in Cairns on a Trinity Sunday. Cook would have seen a large estuarine area, a spectacular meeting point of rainforest hills and an intact mangrove ecosystem.
This area is critical to the health of the Great Barrier Reef. It acts as both a sediment trap (capturing soil run-off). In addition, it provides a sanctuary for up to 75% of fish from the near-by Great Barrier Reef and surrounding river systems.
This area is in the traditional lands of the Aboriginal Yidinji people. They know Cairns as gimuy and have rich cultural stories of this location including Kuyala the Sea Eagle.
Trinity Inlet Crocodiles
Crocodiles in this area were almost hunted to extinction. Indeed Cairns was a centre for skin dealers who were the link between hunters and overseas buyers.
Queensland was the last state to legally protect crocodiles. Legislation was introduced in 1974 giving protection was given to both crocodiles.
Today there are believed to be around 25 crocodiles residing in the inlet, all of which are under 2m.
Trinity Inlet Fishing
Fishing Trinity Inlet can see you catch a variety of fish, including Golden Snapper, Grunter, Mangrove Jacks, Trevally, Queenfish, Barramundi as well as run of the mell species such as Bream and Flathead.
The fish you can catch will vary depending on the season with Golden Snapper, Gunter, Mangrove Jacks, Barramundi the main catch during the hot ‘wet season’ and Trevally and Queenfish in the cool dry season.
Trinity Inlet History
The city of Cairns is located on the western shores of Trinity Inlet, where deep water provides a safe anchorage for ships. This influenced the selection of the site for the port town.
At the time when Cairns was first established in 1876, sand dunes and bands of wet lowland Melaleuca swamp and saltwater mangroves lined the coastal area.
Trinity Inlet Boat Ramp
There are a number of boat ramps that have direct access to Trinity Inlet. These include the Tingira Street boat ramp, Edmonton boat ramp, and the boat ramp at Packers Camp.