The Queensland government is yet to decide how it will honour the memories of eight children killed in a massacre in Cairns.
Queensland Acting Premier Tim Nicholls arrived in the Cairns suburb of Manoora on Saturday to lay a wreath at a makeshift memorial site next to the crime scene.
But he stopped short of offering to fly flags at half mast like NSW did after the Sydney siege.
"We'll be talking to the community, the leaders - I've spoken to some elders today about what the appropriate cultural response is," Mr Nicholls told reporters.
"I simply say from the entire government that our hearts go out to the family, the friends and the community for what we've seen happen here.
"I'm sure people throughout Queensland join with me in expressing both our sorrow, our regret... at just how terrible these events are."
Advocate Yodie Batzke, who spoke on behalf of the community's elders, urged people to respect cultural protocols, which included not naming or displaying photographs of the children.
"(I ask) if we could just hold back on some of the comments and photos on social media to allow our community to grieve," she said.
Ms Batzke said the South Sea Islander, Torres Trait Islander and indigenous communities at large were in mourning.
"Our own family and friends and young people need time to heal with this the best way they can," she said.
Mr Nicholls also visited a nearby community support centre, where police liaison officers and social workers were on hand to help grieving community members.
He avoided questions about troubles surrounding the family and neighbourhood, instead focusing on government support for helping people cope.
Torres Strait Islander elder and church leader Robert Ware said he had fielded calls from indigenous people living across the world asking how they could help.
"There has been a lot of soul searching from the kids and the parents asking 'how could this happen?'," Mr Ware told AAP.
"And 'what can we do now so the process of healing can begin?'."
Mersane Warria, 37, the mother of seven of the children, has been arrested over their murders but charges are yet to be laid. She is the aunt of the eighth child.
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