The Tanks Arts Centre, whilst being a stand-alone venue, is an integral part of the 42 hectare Cairns Botanic Gardens Precinct 
. Along with the Flecker Garden, the Tanks Arts Centre was placed on the Queensland State Heritage Register in 2007.
The demands of naval operations in the Pacific during World War II led to the construction of three concrete fuel tanks for the Royal Australian Navy. Completed in 1944, they were excavated into the side of Mount Whitfield to conceal them from enemy eyes.
The tanks held crude furnace oil which was pumped along a 5.6km underground pipeline to a fuelling jetty in Trinity Inlet. These tanks supplied fuel to Australian, American and British ships until their decommissioning in 1987.
