Sister Cities

Minami (formerly Hiwasa) - Japan

www.nmt.ne.jp/~hiwasa/
(This site is in Japanese)

The Treaty between Cairns and Hiwasa was signed in 1969 - Cairns' first Sister City. Recently, Council signed a new three-year agreement with the new municipality of Minami which now incorporates Hiwasa.

The relationship with Hiwasa began with an interest by the Mayor of Hiwasa in the movement of the Loggerhead turtle, and Cairns sending a species of the turtle to the Hiwasa museum for display.

Although the population of Cairns has increased rapidly and the city is a recognised tourist destination, Hiwasa has maintained its old world charm as a fishing village and maintains its culture and the development of local craft.
Cairns and Hiwasa are coastal, are surrounded by mountain backdrops, have inlets and agricultural developments.

Even though reciprocal visits between students have ceased, the long-standing relationship between Cairns and Hiwasa and the enthusiasm from Hiwasa to continue being a Sister City, prompted Council in 2006 to sign a new 3-year agreement which will be reviewed after that time.