Cairns will become the first Australian city to host a museum dedicated to indigenous culture, Cairns Regional Council Mayor Val Schier announced last week.

Plans for the Cairns Indigenous Museum will be unveiled at the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair next month.

Councillor Val Schier said the museum would 'focus on the living culture' of both Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders, who together make up 8% of the city's population (double the national average).

The museum will be located on the waterfront adjacent to the cruise terminal and the convention centre and will be the nation's first permanent museum, Schier claimed.