Gordonvale, Queensland
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Gordonvale is a rural sugar-growing town and
At Gordonvale in June 1935, the
Geography
Gordonvale lies approximately 23 kilometres (14 mi) south of the Cairns central business district and is just east of the Gillies Range which leads to the Atherton Tableland.
The locality is bounded to the south-east by the Mulgrave River. The land is generally flat and low-lying (approx 10 metres (33 ft) above sea level), but on the eastern, southern and western boundaries of the locality the land begins to rise sharply as the locality is surrounded by mountainous terrain formating part of a number of ranges: Islet Hills to the north-west, Lamb Range to the south-west, Bellenden Ker Range to the south, and Thompson Range to the east. The predominant land use in the locality is growing sugarcane.[4]
The town of Gordonvale is on the Mulgrave River and is on the south-eastern edge of the locality. The Mulgrave Sugar Mill is on the western side of the town in Gordon Street.[4]
The Bruce Highway enters the locality from the south-east (Aloomba), bypasses the town centre to the west and then proceeds north to exit to Wrights Creek.[4]
The
History
Gordonvale was established on
British settlement began in 1877 with William Saunders Alley and Mr Blackwell and their families who cut a road through to Trinity Inlet so they could haul out cedar logs. It was called Plain Camp by Alley.[7] By 1880, the road was well-used by miners and packers and they established the Riverstone Hotel to service the passing trade.[citation needed]
In the Cairns area, a Chinese businessman, Andrew Leon, built the first sugar mill in 1882, named Pioneer Mill, and established the Hap Wah Plantation on 612 acres (2.48 km2) of land. Other plantations and sugar mills were also established in the area in years following, and the region developed into a sugar cultivation and milling area.[citation needed]
In 1890, the area became known as Mulgrave after the Mulgrave River.
Mulgrave State School opened on 15 March 1897.[9] In 1914 it was renamed Gordonvale State School. On 28 March 1924 it became Gordonvale Rural School. In 1963 a secondary school department was added until a permanent secondary school was established, in 1965. On 1 January 1965 the primary school was renamed back to Gordonvale State School.[10]
On 20 April 1916, the
St Alphonsus Catholic School was established in Muir Street in 1923 by the
Little Mulgrave State School opened on 26 July 1926 and closed on 21 February 1964.[10]
On Sunday 15 July 1934, the
During World War II, a contingent of approximately 3,000 American paratroopers was stationed in Gordonvale and did their training there for their missions in New Guinea. The American Army commandeered some of the town's hotels to use as hospitals as many troops were injured during this training. Quite a number of local women were employed to do parachute packing.[citation needed]
The first Gordonvale Fire Station opened in 1950 at 105 Norman Street (17°05′39″S 145°47′11″E / 17.0943°S 145.7863°E).[22] The new Gordonvale Fire Station on Gillies Range Road was completed in 2017. The new site was chosen to provide better access to both the Bruce Highway and the Gillies Highway.[23]
The Gordonvale Library opened on 19 February 1954, replacing the old School of Arts which was built in 1900.[24][25]
All Saints' Anglican Church was consecrated on 14 June 1963 by
On 26 October 1964 Senior Constable Desmond Trannore was shot attending a domestic disturbance.[27][28]
In the 1990s, a number of mosaics were commissioned by the "Friends of Gordonvale" commemorating through imagery the original businesses and shops in the town. These mosaics were cemented permanently within the footpaths directly outside the original sites of the businesses.[29]
Gordonvale was located within the Shire of Mulgrave until its amalgamation with the City of Cairns in 1995. The City was subsequently merged into the larger Cairns Region in 2008.
In 2012, the new Gordonvale Ambulance Station opened. It replaced the old ambulance station built in 1916 at 1 Cannon Street (17°05′36″S 145°47′14″E / 17.0933°S 145.7873°E).[30][31] The old ambulance building was sold on 8 October 2013 for $405,000.[32]
On 27 October 2014, the Cairns Seventh Day Adventist School moved to purpose-built premises in Gordonvale and was renamed Cairns Adventist College. It originally opened as a primary school on 6 February 1950 in the
On 22 November 2018 the new Gordonvale Police Station was officially opened on Draper Road by Police Minister Mark Ryan and Police Commissioner Ian Stewart. The new police station cost $4.5 million and was built to serve the growing population in the corridor south of Cairns. It features Indigenous artwork "Looking to the Stars" by Gilimbaa artist Jenna Lee of the Larrakia people.[28] The previous police station was in Cannon Street (17°05′36″S 145°47′12″E / 17.0933°S 145.7866°E).[35]
Demographics
At the
In the
In the 2016 census, Gordonvale had a population of 6,671 people.[38]
In the 2021 census, Gordonvale had a popular of 6,944 people.[1]
Heritage listings
Gordonvale has a number of
- 71378 Bruce Highway: Meringa Sugar Experiment Station[39]
- Gillies Highway: Alley Family Graves[40]
Education
Gordonvale State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 28 George Street (17°05′24″S 145°47′06″E / 17.0900°S 145.7850°E), opened originally in 1897, under the name Mulgrave State School.[41][42] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 553 students with 42 teachers (36 full-time equivalent) and 34 non-teaching staff (20 full-time equivalent).[43] It includes a special education program.[41]
St Michael's Catholic Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 58 Mill Street (17°05′44″S 145°47′14″E / 17.0955°S 145.7873°E).[41][44] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 307 students with 25 teachers (21 full-time equivalent) and 16 non-teaching staff (11 full-time equivalent).[43]
Cairns Adventist College is a private primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 42 Crossland Road (17°04′34″S 145°47′32″E / 17.0760°S 145.7923°E).[41][45] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 73 students with 6 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).[43]
Djarragun College is a private primary and secondary (Prep–12) day and boarding school for predominantly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys and girls at 1 Maher Road (17°04′48″S 145°46′35″E / 17.0799°S 145.7763°E).[41][46] Opened in 2001, in 2018, the school had an enrolment of 308 students with 25 teachers and 47 non-teaching staff (41 full-time equivalent).[43] About 25% of the students are boarders coming from the Torres Strait Islands, Cape York Peninsula, and remote areas in Queensland and the Northern Territory.[47] The school's mission is "to develop proud, strong, educated Indigenous men and women, who walk confidently in two worlds, to be leaders, and to be role models for their families and communities".[46]
Gordonvale State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 85 Sheppards Street (17°05′19″S 145°46′42″E / 17.0887°S 145.7783°E), opened in 1965.[41][48] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 793 students with 73 teachers (69 full-time equivalent) and 40 non-teaching staff (30 full-time equivalent).[43] It includes a special education program.[41] When it opened, it took over the secondary department of Gordonvale State School.[9][10]
Amenities
The Gordonvale Library at 88 Norman Street (17°05′35″S 145°47′10″E / 17.0931°S 145.7860°E) is operated by the Cairns Regional Council.[49][24][25]
Gordonvale Community Hall is at 17-19 Cannon Street (17°05′35″S 145°47′09″E / 17.09311°S 145.78574°E). It is capable of seating up to 80 people and is operated by the
St Michael's Catholic Church is at 64 Mill Street (17°05′45″S 145°47′14″E / 17.0959°S 145.7872°E). It is within the Gordonvale Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns.[20]
Gordonvale Uniting Church (also known as Eternal Life Fellowship) is at 72–74 Gordon Street (17°05′29″S 145°47′16″E / 17.09146°S 145.7877°E).[51] It is within the Carpentaria Presbytery of the Uniting Church in Australia.[52]
All Saints' Anglican Church is at 5–7 Church Street (17°05′41″S 145°47′14″E / 17.0948°S 145.7872°E).[53][26]
Gordonvale Presbyterian Church is at 9 Norman Street (17°05′21″S 145°47′13″E / 17.0893°S 145.7869°E).[54]
Gordonvale QCWA Hall is at 92 Norman Street (17°05′36″S 145°47′10″E / 17.0934°S 145.7860°E).[55] Although the QCWA branch is no longer active, the hall continues to be used for community purposes.
The Gordonvale Aquatic Centre is at 73–77 Sheppards Street (17°05′21″S 145°46′50″E / 17.0892°S 145.7805°E). It has a swimming pool and associated services.[56]
Communications
The Mulgrave News, "Letting the local people know." is the local independent monthly suburban. It covers local news, real estate, classifieds and more.[citation needed] Pyramid Views also runs in Gordonvale, delivering local news, advertisements for local businesses, real estate listings and public interest stories.[57]
Sport
Pyramid Power AFL Club competed in the AFL Cairns competition. The Power had sides in the Under 8 through to Under 18, as well as a Senior Women's side. The home ground for Pyramid Power was at Power Park on Maher Road.[58]
Attractions
Operating since 1896, the Mulgrave Sugar Mill is located near the town centre in Gordon St. The mill services about 300 sugarcane farms in the local region and operates during the 'crush' season (about six months of the year).[citation needed]
The Mulgrave Settlers Museum is across Gordon Street from the mill.[59] It is operated by the Mulgrave Shire Historical Society. The museum has a number of historical items donated from the local community and displays that represent the early gold miners, cedar cutters, Chinese workers and packers (mule train suppliers to the Atherton Tableland). The museum is open Monday to Saturday from 10AM to 2PM.[60][61]
The suburb is surrounded predominantly by sugarcane fields and is only a short drive from many places including the Bellenden Ker National Park and Goldsborough Valley State Forest.
Notable residents
- Brianna Coop, Australian Paralympic sprinter
- Nate Myles, Australia and Queensland rugby league player
See also
References
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{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Gordonvale State High School". Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
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- ^ "Carpentaria Presbytery". Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Gordonvale". Anglican Diocese of North Queensland. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- Presbyterian Church of Queensland. Archivedfrom the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
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- ^ "Pyramid Views". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
- ^ "Power outage in Gordonvale". Retrieved 11 July 2022.
- ^ "Building areas - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 17 November 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ "Mulgrave Shire Historical Society - Cairns - Tourism Town - Find & book authentic experiences in Cairns". www.cairnstoday.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ "Mulgrave Settlers Museum". Mulgrave Settlers Museum. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
External links
- "Gordonvale". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.
- "Town map of Gordonvale". Queensland Government. 1981.