Anywhere in the world, wherever there is cafe society, there is an artistic community. Which comes first is endlessly debatable, but today in our local region, even in previously hick country towns, cafes are not only present, they are fast becoming commonplace. Along with cafes, artists and plenty of tourists, come art galleries. We now have almost fifty specific 'art galleries' hereabouts to peruse between cappuccinos. There is also quite a number of 'exhibition spaces' and miscellaneous 'hanging spaces' which can be investigated. From the multi-storied, Cairns Regional Gallery, to budding local artists tucked away in unexpected places with a few pieces hung for viewing in their studios; from restaurants with pictures for sale on their walls, to the regular exhibitions in the Reef Casino foyer, there are enough viewing opportunities to keep even the most ardent art aesthetes quite busy for at least a week. The range is vast, from world famous artists with their own shop fronts to arcades blossoming with cheap, acrylic paintings form Hong Kong. The tourist-orientated commercial galleries in Cairns, Port Douglas, Mission Beach and the Atherton Tableland, come in all sizes and styles, including several new photographic galleries. Most are open seven days a week until late and all are proficient at shipping artwork worldwide.