Cairns Control Room, Military heritage site in Cairns City, Australia

Cairns Control Room is a reinforced concrete structure in Norman Park that served as a command center during World War II. A large fibreglass scout hat crowns its roof since 1982 and makes the building recognizable from a distance.

The building was constructed in 1942 by the Queensland Department of Public Works to coordinate air defense operations during the war years. After 1945, the military left the site and it took on new civilian roles.

The building's names record its uses: World War II Volunteer Defence Corps control room, then Cairns Scout Hut and Cairns Scout Shop after the Scouting Association of Queensland took it over in the mid-1950s. The fibreglass scout hat on the roof, added in 1982, marks that scouting chapter.

The building sits on Grafton Street in Norman Park and is easy to reach by public transport. The location offers visitors a straightforward look at the past without complicated access requirements.

The building was handed to the Scouting Association of Queensland in the mid-1950s and later served as the Cairns Scout Hut and Scout Shop. Its roof carries a large fibreglass scout hat, a detail visible from Grafton Street that marks its scouting era.