Fishery Falls is a locality in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2016 census, Fishery Falls had a population of 141 people.[1]

Fishery Falls Queensland
Sugar cane fields, looking west along Stewart Road towards the Bellenden Ker Range, 2018
Fishery Falls
Coordinates	17.1863°S 145.8908°E / -17.1863; 145.8908
Population	141 (2016 census)[1]
• Density	9.04/km2 (23.41/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4871
Area	15.6 km2 (6.0 sq mi)
LGA(s)	Cairns Region
State electorate(s)	Mulgrave
Federal division(s)	Kennedy
Suburbs around Fishery Falls: Aloomba Aloomba Aloomba Wooroonooran Fishery Falls Aloomba Wooroonooran Deeral Deeral

Geography

The Mulgrave River forms the eastern boundary of the locality; it flows into the Coral Sea in the neighbouring locality of Deeral. The land in the locality is flat (about 10 metres above sea level) and is predominantly freehold farming land with sugarcane the principal crop.[3]

The Bruce Highway passes through the locality from south to north-west with the North Coast railway line running immediately parallel and east of the highway, but there is no railway station within Fishery Falls. There is also a cane tramway network within the area to deliver the sugarcane to the Mulgrave Sugar Mill in Gordonvale.[3]

Although there is no official town, there is a hotel, a large caravan park, and a number of streets of houses clustered just west of the Bruce Highway at 17.1840°S 145.8862°E / -17.1840; 145.8862 (Fishery Falls (township)), although the school is located 2 km south of this township.[3]

History

The locality is presumed to be named after the waterfall of the same name which is located in neighboroughing Wooroonooran approximately 1 km west of the locality of Fishery Falls.[4]

McDonald's Creek State School opened on 22 September 1913. In 1916 the spelling was changed to McDonnell's Creek State School. It is now simply known as McDonnell Creek State School.[5]

Education

McDonnell Creek State School is a government co-educational primary (P-6) school at 69273 Bruce Highway. In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 25 students with 2 teachers (1 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).[6] The school opened its doors 22 September 1913.[7] As the name suggests, it is located very near to McDonnell Creek approximately 2 km south of the township.[3]

Attractions

The South Sea Islander Memorial at the corner of the Bruce Highway and McMahon Drive commemorates over 60,000 Kanakas who were contracted to work in the sugarcane plantations from 1863 to 1906. Although some came voluntarily, others were misinformed about their contracts, while some were kidnapped (a practice known as blackbirding).[8][9]

References

Further reading

• McDonnell Creek State School : celebrating 100 years of community spirit and education, McDonnell Creek State School, 2013, retrieved 24 September 2017

External links

Media related to Fishery Falls, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

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