Barrier Reef Hotel, Heritage hotel in Cairns, Australia

The Barrier Reef Hotel is a heritage-protected two-story structure made of reinforced concrete at the corner of Abbott and Wharf Streets. It features dark timber floors and a corrugated metal roof that catches the tropical light.

The building was erected in 1926 to replace an older Empire Hotel from 1898 that no longer met the needs of the growing city. This new construction came during a time when Cairns was expanding rapidly and needed larger facilities.

The name changed from Empire Hotel to Barrier Reef Hotel in May 1960, likely reflecting Cairns's growing prawning and fishing industry from the late 1950s. Both the first and second Empire hotels served wharf workers across the road; in the 1950s, when sugar handlers worked three eight-hour shifts around the clock, the hotel reportedly stayed open 24 hours a day.

The hotel stands at the corner of Abbott and Wharf Streets, 0.5 metres from the spot where Cairns was first surveyed in 1876. It is a short walk from the wharves and the city centre. The building is heritage-listed, so its exterior cannot be altered.

The Royal Australian Air Force occupied part of the hotel from early 1943 until mid-1945, not as a command post but as quarters for personnel. The building stands about 0.5 metres from the corner point where Cairns was surveyed and laid out in 1876.