"In our Yidinji language, Dugurrdja is the name of the Milky Way – our galaxy – which we see in the southern sky at night, arching from the sea to the mountains."Henrietta Marrie Gimuy Walubara Yidinji Elder
The Dugurrdja Precinct will be located centrally in Cairns but will benefit the Far North Queensland (FNQ) and Asia Pacific regions. The proposed collocation of health, education and training facilities will enable clinical and translational research, health services innovation and application of best evidence in health care.
In addition, there are opportunities to draw upon wider disciplines and industry collaboration in digital technology, data science and social sciences. The Precinct will enable world class research to be undertaken in Cairns that focuses on and benefits FNQ.
The Precinct will house the JCU CTEC, which will be adjacent to the new Cairns Hospital Surgical Centre which forms part of a $250m investment in new clinical capacity and capability at Cairns Hospital.
Development of the Precinct will deliver multiple benefits:
The Precinct is centrally located less than 6 minutes from the Cairns Airport and less than 3 minutes from the CBD. The Precinct sits adjacent to the main Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service campus and is ideally placed to form part of longer-term plans for a health and innovation Priority Development Area (PDA).
The location of the Precinct means that it is highly accessible to all forms of transport. Regular bus services are provided along Sheridan Street with a stop adjacent to the Precinct. Car parking will be available directly to the north of the Precinct.
The Dugurrdja Precinct will be developed in accordance with the following principles:
Place
Acknowledge and respect the history of place; First Peoples and the contemporary challenges we now share to lift the health and social wellbeing of our region.
Innovation
Inspire innovative and transformational approaches to excellence in delivering world-leading sustainable healthcare in regional, rural and remote communities with global reach.
Equity
Promote equity and inclusion for all communities in Northern Australia through innovation, healthcare, research and education.
Convergence
Bring together disparate communities, sectors and disciplines to connect and collaborate.
Partnership
Commit to reciprocity and trust between Precinct partners, embracing the interdisciplinary nature of complementary sectors.
Opportunity
Attracting complementary partners with a view to growing skills, strengthening organisations and building networks that creates connectivity within the Precinct.
The following design principles will apply to all elements of the Dugurrdja Precinct:
Implementing these principles will enable a building to be designed in a way that enhances their architectural
performance, maximises the incorporation of passive design, and enables biophilic design - considering the innate relationship between people and nature.
Consultation
JCU and Cairns Hinterland Hospital and Health Service have consulted from the outset with the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji people on the formation and planning of the Precinct, and the design of the CTEC building. The gifted name, Dugurrdja, means the Milky Way Galaxy – looking to the road back to good health.
The Dugurrdja Precinct represents good health, provides guidance to good life and good health, and is a reference point to a place where you go to get good health. The gifted name fosters a positive focus on health rather than illness.
The proposed timeline is as follows:
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Cairns Hospital Surgical Centre to market | Cairns Hospital 45 sub acute beds | Release Prospectus Commence CTEC construction | Cairns Hospital Surgical Centre construction commences |
| 2024 | Cairns Hospital Surgical Centre construction commences | |||
| 2025 | CTEC opens JCU teaching commences | |||
| 2026 | Cairns Hospital Surgical Centre opens | Cairns Hospital Expansion Programme |
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