From Canada to Cairns: A journalist's love letter to regional reporting and FNQ
A journo who swore she’d never settle down has fallen hard for Cairns, her unexpected crush opens up a bigger conversation about why regional reporting hits different and is now more important than ever.
I was recently asked to be spotlighted in Mediaweek to talk about why regional reporting and regional towns — matter.
Very wholesome, very grown-up.
But somewhere between writing that piece and taking a few trips outside Cairns, I had a horrifying revelation: I think I’m in love with this place. Like, settle-down-and-buy-a-proper bed frame, kind of love.
And now I’m annoyed, because I feel like this means I’m never going to leave.
Seriously, what do you people put in the water up here?
And no, I’m not talking about the lack of fluoride — which, unfortunately, is probably the one thing that could tempt me elsewhere.
I grew up drinking fluoridated water and good news, folks: I’m totally fine and have absolutely killer teeth.
Like, they could star in their own commercial - oops they already have! ha.
“God’s Country”: AKA Cairns is known as Queensland’s newest growth hotspot. It typically use to be the place one visited, not the place you accidentally planned your whole future around. (I didn’t get that memo).
You’d come for the Reef, the Daintree, and to thaw out after a southern winter. You didn’t come to reinvent your life. (Again, didn’t get that memo).
Yet here we are, doing exactly that.
Cairns has become a fast-growing region, filled with returning expats and families fleeing capital-city chaos for space, sanity, and sunsets.
Property still feels (relatively) within reach for Millennials like me— a miracle worthy of national celebration.
Rainforest hikes before breakfast, beach swims at lunch (mind the stingers and crocs) and pretending you’re effortlessly grounded. Very smug. Very Cairns.
Everywhere you look, something’s growing: population, investment, a $300 million airport glow-up, but the best bit is the vibe — the ex-Melburnians running tiny espresso bars, bougie and romantic eateries like Rufus.
The creative scene here is buzzing too — led by Indigenous designer Grace Lillian Lee, who casually became the first First Nations Australian to independently showcase at Paris Couture Fashion Week this year. Iconic behaviour.
Like many people, the pandemic shook me loose. From Canada to Cairns. Big enough to buzz, small enough to breathe.
And working at The Cairns Post gave me a purpose in life, while we may be small, we’re mighty — covering everything from croc attacks to community heroes. No two days are the same. Sometimes no two hours are the same.
I know I’m new to this game of news reporting and I know some are not fans, but I tell all budding journos: move to a regional newsroom early in your career.
You’ll learn faster, grow stronger, and be trusted with stories that matter. Plus, your work can really changes things for people who often feel forgotten.
And I don’t want you to be forgotten. I really care about you Cairns folks, Far North peeps.
Far North Queensland fits like a glove. When I visit big cities now, I come back overstimulated and slightly feral. Here, you’re face-to-face with the people behind your stories — the café owner, the judge, the cop, the mum at the school gate.
Those real-world connections build trust you simply can’t replicate in a city. And it really does matter to me.
Regional journalism matters because it’s personal. You’re not reporting on strangers — you’re writing about neighbours.
When a fire tore through a local paint store earlier this month, the town rallied by morning: messages of support, offers to help, people showing up in that instinctive, quietly fierce FNQ way. Covering it as both a journo and a community member hit differently — grounding, humbling, human.
That same sense of purpose drove Critical Condition, the health campaign that exposed major care gaps across FNQ. When women were waiting months for breast cancer diagnostic services, our reporting helped restore them in weeks.
Cairns has given me a career, a community, and a sense of purpose.
It also gave me this weekly column — Let Me Explain — where I want to make you laugh, vent, and share some of your secrets with me.
It’s a reminder that journalism isn’t just about holding power to account; it’s about connection, humour, and seeing yourself reflected in your town’s stories.
Some of Australia’s most inspirational journalism is happening in regional communities.
And truly, what better return on investment is there than that?
So truly, from my heart, thank you for welcoming me into your community and trusting me to represent you.
I want to hear from you. Your concerns, your wins, what you love, what drives you up the wall, what you want changed. Nothing’s too small or too big.
Email me anytime at emma.cam@news.com.au, or, if you’re old-school like me and get unreasonably excited by actual mail, write to me at PO Box 126, Cairns, QLD 4870.
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Originally published as From Canada to Cairns: A journalist's love letter to regional reporting and FNQ
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