Innisfail, Queensland

Innisfail Queensland
The township of Innisfail, as seen from Coquette Point
Innisfail
Coordinates	17°31′25″S 146°01′45″E / 17.52361°S 146.02917°E / -17.52361; 146.02917Coordinates: 17°31′25″S 146°01′45″E / 17.52361°S 146.02917°E / -17.52361; 146.02917
Population	7,176 (2011 census)[1]
Established	1879 [2]
Postcode(s)	4860
Elevation	10 m (33 ft)[3]
Location	1,631 km (1,013 mi) from Brisbane 89 km (55 mi) from Cairns 256 km (159 mi) from Townsville
LGA(s)	Cassowary Coast Region
State electorate(s)	Hill
Federal Division(s)	Kennedy
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 28.0 °C 82 °F 19.4 °C 67 °F 3,558.1 mm 140.1 in
Localities around Innisfail: Culliane Culliane Innisfail Estate Goondi Hill Innisfail Webb Goondi Hill Mighell East Innisfail

Innisfail (from Irish: Inis Fáil) a town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region in Far North Queensland, Australia.^[4][5] The town was originally called Geraldton until 1910. It is the major township of the Cassowary Coast Region and is well renowned for its sugar and banana industries, as well as for being one of Australia's wettest towns. In March 2006 Innisfail gained worldwide attention when severe Tropical Cyclone Larry passed over causing extensive damage.^[6][7] In the 2011 census, the town of Innisfail had a population of 7,176 people.^[1]

History

Prior to European settlement the Innisfail area was occupied by five separate societies of the Mamu people. These Aboriginal people followed migratory lifestyles in the rainforest and traversed rivers in string-bark canoes.

The first arrival of European people came in 1872 when survivors of the shipwreck, the "Maria" arrived on the coastal areas surrounding what is now the Johnstone River. Sub-Inspector Robert Arthur Johnstone of the Native Police came with the intention of rescuing remaining survivors and collectively punishing Aboriginals thought to have killed a number of the shipwrecked crew. In mid 1873, Johnstone returned to the area as part of another punitive mission and ventured further upriver between what is today Flying Fish Point and Coquette Point.^[8] Johnstone wrote very highly of the area, stating:

A most glorious view appeared - a noble reach of fresh water, studded with blacks with their canoes and catamarans, others on the sandy beaches; deep blue fresh water expanding to an imposing breadth.

— Robert Johnstone (1873), ^[2]

1874 map of the Johnstone River area showing Nind's Camp

In October 1873, Johnstone again returned as part of the Northeast Coast Expedition led by the explorer George Elphinstone Dalrymple. British settlement was first established at the junction of the north and south branches of the Johnstone River by this expedition on the 5th October 1873. It was named Nind's Camp after Philip Henry Nind who accompanied the party.^[9]

Later in 1879, Irishman Thomas Henry FitzGerald arrived in the area to establish a sugar industry. He was accompanied by large numbers of Kanaka South Sea Islanders workers accompanied by smaller numbers of Irish labourers. The house built by FitzGerald and thus the first establishment in the area was called Innisfallen, after the largest island in the Lakes of Killarney, Ireland. Inis Fáil (Island of Destiny) is an ancient Irish name for Ireland itself.^[4] The name is used in the rarely-sung third verse of "The Soldier's Song", the Irish national anthem. The stone mentioned may be the stone at Tara, Co Meath, at which high kings of Ireland were crowned.

Banana plantations in Geraldton (now Innisfail) in 1902

From 1879, the settlement was named Geraldton after FitzGerald, but in 1910 was renamed "Innisfail" to avoid confusion with the town of the same name in Western Australia.^[10]

Johnstone River Post Office opened on 1 November 1882 (a receiving office had been open from 1880), was renamed Geraldton two months later and Innisfail in 1910.^[11]

Architectural drawing of the Geraldton Hospital, 1885

In May 1885, the Queensland Government called for tenders to build the Geraldton Hospital to replace the existing tent hospital;^[12] however, the tenders submitted were more expensive than the government was willing to pay, so they called again for tenders in September 1885 resulting in a contract with E. Couchman for £1527.^[13][14]

In 1906 Patrick Leahy established the Johnstone River Advocate newspaper. Later it was renamed the Johnstone River Advocate and Innisfail News, the Evening Advocate, and the Innisfail Chronicle. The newspaper continues to be published as the Innisfail Advocate.^[15]

The 1920s and 1930s saw the beginning of a major period of settlement by Italian immigrants and noteworthy populations from Greece and Malta. Later in this period populations from Yugoslavia, India and the Philippines would also settle in the area.^[2][16]

Local rugby league footballer Kerry Boustead was the only player from outside the Sydney and Brisbane Leagues selected to represent Australia on the 1978 Kangaroo tour.

Innisfail War Memorial, 2006

Court house

Canecutters Memorial

The Innisfail War Memorial in Jack Fossey Park on Fitzgerald Esplanade was dedicated on 16 April 2005; it commemorates those who served in all wars.^[17]

In the 2006 census, Innisfail had a population of 8,262 people.^[18]

Today the town still boasts many good examples of the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne styles of architecture.

Innisfail State School opened on 18 July 1887 and Innisfail East State School opened on 3 February 1936. Innisfail State High School was open from 24 January 1955 until 2009 when it was amalgamated with the Innisfail Inclusive Education Centre - A State Special School and Tropical North Queensland TAFE (Innisfail Campus) to form Innisfail State College^[19]

Heritage listings

Innisfail has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• 10 Edith Street: Innisfail Courthouse^[20]
• 134 Edith Street: See Poy House^[21]
• Fitzgerald Esplanade: Canecutters Memorial^[22]
• 70 Rankin Street: Johnstone Shire Hall^[23]
• 90 Rankin Street: Mother of Good Counsel Catholic Church
• 114 Rankin Street: St Andrew's Presbyterian Memorial Church^[24]

Culture

A large turnout of the Annual Harvest Festival Parade in 2005

Innisfail is diverse. There are populations of indigenous Australians, Europeans (in particular Italians), South Asians and East Asians (in particular Hmongs).^[25][26][27]

Popular annual events to celebrate Innisfail's diversity include:^[28]

• Kulture Karnival
• Festival Innisfail
• Feast of the Senses
• Feast of the Three Saints

In 2001 Los Angeles band Sugar Ray filmed part of their music DVD "Music in High Places" at the Johnstone Crocodile Farm in Innisfail.

The township has only 2 secondary schools: Good Counsel College and Innisfail State College and a single business district.

There are many events that act predominantly as community events, the main ones include:

• The Innisfail Rodeo
• Harvest Festival
• Annual Show

While Innisfail was always reputed to have a positive sense of community spirit, the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Larry and the unified cleanup effort acted to promote this spirit through shared suffering.^[29]

Facilities

The Cassowary Coast Regional Council operates a public library at 49 Rankin Street. ^[30] The current library opened in 2015.^[31]

Religion

Chinese Australians built the Innisfail Temple/Lit Sing Gung (列聖宮) in Owen Street, which is now open to other races and religions.

Geography

Innisfail's town centre is situated at the junction of the North and South Johnstone Rivers, approximately 5 km (3 mi) from the coast.^[32] It is located near large tracts of old-growth tropical rainforest surrounded by vast areas of extensive farmlands. Queensland's highest mountain, Mount Bartle Frere; part of Australia's Great Dividing Range, is 15 kilometres (9 mi) to the north.^[33]

Cyclones

Howe St. in East Innisfail is commonly affected by even minor flooding

Innisfail is consistently under threat from tropical cyclones developing in the Coral Sea in and around summer months.^[39] Furthermore, high rainfall associated with aforementioned cyclones and monsoons, combined with Innisfail settlement on adjoining rivers causes flooding to be commonplace, occurring to varied degrees of severity annually.^[40] Innisfail suffered extensive damage in 2006 due to Cyclone Larry as the site of landfall and received over 100mm of rain in the span of three hours.

Cyclone Larry storm path; the storm eye passed directly over Innisfail

Innisfail Banana crops devastated by Cyclone Larry

Rainforest foliage was stripped by cyclone Larry's force

Main article: Cyclone Larry

Tropical Cyclone Larry, an Australian Category 5 cyclone, struck the locality at 7am on 20 March 2006, with the eye of the storm passing over the town.

Severe structural damage occurred over the entirety of the township, the main damage being a portion of houses losing roofs and windows and the cyclone rendered even more homes structurally unsound. Power was effectively eliminated from the town and generators became a luxury in many homes. Clean drinking water was also compromised in many homes leading to health fears. The swift response of the Australian Defence Force was praised by many and the cleanup campaign they orchestrated allowed for total utilities restoration within 3 weeks. Severe damage was done to crops and plantations (mainly bananas) which had a serious economic impact on the region. Only one indirect death was record as a result of the cyclone.

Cyclone Larry was a direct and primary cause of the widely reported and dramatic surge in banana prices in Australia. Inflated cost remained until farmers were able to meet demand again in early 2007. In February 2011 Cyclone Yasi hit Innisfail.^[41][42][43]

In 2011, in the early morning of 3 February, Cyclone Yasi crossed the far north Queensland coast causing damage to the Innisfail area. Although the damage was not as severe as Cyclone Larry, Cyclone Yasi still had a huge impact on Innisfail bringing strong winds of possibly 285 kilometres per hour.^[44]

Council controversy

The Innisfail Central Business District as it is today

On 8 February 2007 the Johnstone Shire Council was sacked by the Queensland State Government by Queensland's Local Government Minister, Andrew Fraser because of internal conflict, inappropriate behaviour and financial problems, despite an issued show cause presented on 2 August 2006.^[45][46]

Among the perceived gross misconduct were the following incidences:

• The purchase of a $250 000 Steinway Model D Piano with insurance money from Cyclone Larry.^[47]
• Former Deputy Mayor George Pervan was quoted on commercial radio during an interview during the aftermath of Cyclone Larry requesting Southern Queenslanders to:

"Send up a truckload of piss so we can all get fucking drunk" - George Pervan - 2006 ^[48]

While 2 councillors had attempted to get the Queensland Government to revoke the decision Andrew Fraser has stated that while the action is regrettable it was indeed the correct decision.^[49]

Innisfail today

Johnstone River, Innisfail with prawn boats in foreground.

At present Innisfail has largely recovered from the devastation of Cyclone Larry. After the cyclone the township underwent something of an economic boom that stemmed from an influx of tradespeople and business eager to capitalize upon relatively significant insurance payouts. According to reports local trade had increased some 30 - 40% opposed to expected increases of 10%.^{[50] [51]}

The main industries remain predominately banana and sugar cane and have since recovered from the natural disaster. Outlying areas of Innisfail have also resumed manufacture of tea, pawpaws and other exotic fruits.^[52]

Innisfail remains a popular destination for backpackers seeking employment in the fruit picking industry. Tourism is of importance to the township and the town consistently seeks to attract visitors passing through on the Bruce Highway.^[53]

Notable residents

Father Clancy's funeral procession in Innisfail, 1931

• Scott Bolton, rugby league player for the North Queensland Cowboys, grew up in Innisfail.
• Kerry Boustead: former Queensland and Australian Rugby league great, Queensland's first ever try scorer in State of Origin rugby league
• Jessica-Rose Clark, mixed martial artist currently signed to the UFC.
• Steve Corica: retired footballer who was capped numerous times for Australia and played in England, notably for Wolverhampton Wanderers, was also capped over 100 times for Marconi Stallions in the ex-NSL and Sydney FC in the A-League.
• Brent Cockbain former international rugby player (2003 World cup for Wales) grew up in Innisfail.
• Joseph Costa, BMX rider, grew up in Innisfail. Costa is a consistent BMX competitor.^[54]
• Ben Dunk,born 1987 Australia T20 and ODI cricket player
• Karl Gehringer, former Australian National and Commonwealth team Greco-Roman Wrestling 2005-2006, went to school in Innisfail ^[55]
• Shannon McCann, Australian 100m Hurdler competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, grew up in Innisfail^[56]
• Billy Slater, rugby league player for the Melbourne Storm, Queensland, and Australia, grew up in Innisfail
• Norman Stevens, Australian boxer at 1980 Moscow Olympics
• Ty Williams, former rugby league player for the North Queensland Cowboys and Queensland grew up in Innisfail. Williams returned to Innisfail to captain/coach the Innisfail Leprechauns in 2014.

In popular culture

• Elizabeth Haran's 2003 novel Sunset over Eden is set in the town.

See also

• North Queensland
• Devil's Pool
• Innisfail railway station
• Jubilee Bridge

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Innisfail, Queensland.

• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Innisfail
• Innisfail Homepage
• Detailed History of Innisfail
• Cassowary Connect Local Events Website for Innisfail