Mission Beach Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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Coordinates | 17°52′10″S146°06′25″E / 17.86944°S 146.10694°E Coordinates: 17°52′10″S146°06′25″E / 17.86944°S 146.10694°E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 815 (2016 census) [1] | ||||||||||||||
Established | 1914 | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 4852 | ||||||||||||||
Elevation | 10 m (33 ft) | ||||||||||||||
Location |
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LGA(s) | Cassowary Coast Region | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Hill | ||||||||||||||
Federal Division(s) | Kennedy | ||||||||||||||
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Mission Beach is a small coastal town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. [2] [3] In the 2016 census Mission Beach and surrounding villages had a total population of 3,597 people (Bingil Bay 427, [4] Mission Beach 815, [5] Wongaling Beach 1,245, [6] South Mission Beach 932, [7] Carmoo 178 [8] ).
Mission Beach is bounded on the east by the Coral Sea. The popular tourist destination of Dunk Island lies 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) offshore.
Today, what were once separate villages have now grown such that they are considered one town, Mission Beach. The villages are, from south to north, Carmoo, South Mission Beach, Wongaling Beach, Mission Beach, Narragon Beach, Bingil Bay, Brookes Beach, Garners Beach, Midgereebar and Maria Creeks. [9]
Clump Point ( 17°51′00″S146°07′00″E / 17.8500°S 146.1166°E ) is the northern end of a sandy beach 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) long facing the Coral Sea which runs south to Tam O'Shanter Point in South Mission Beach at the southern end ( 17°58′00″S146°06′00″E / 17.9666°S 146.1000°E ). [10]
The region has been inhabited for at least the past 5,000 years by a rainforest dwelling people collectively known as the Djiru people. Remains of middens, fish traps, rock-shelter paintings and ceremonial sites are located around Mission Beach and Dunk Island. Djiru people made large wooden swords and built wet-season villages consisting of dome-shaped huts thatched with palm fronds and paperbark. [11]
Lieutenant James Cook sailed through the area in 1770, naming Dunk Island. Clump Point ( 17°51′00″S146°07′00″E / 17.8500°S 146.1166°E ) was descriptively named in 1848 by Captain Owen Stanley of the Royal Navy survey ship HMS Rattlesnake. [12] On board was the Cape York Peninsula exploration party led by Edmund Kennedy which was landed to the south of the region to begin their ill-fated overland journey. After the disembarkation of Kennedy's group, Captain Stanley anchored off Dunk Island and he and his crew remained in the vicinity for ten days. They traded with the local Djiru people until a crew member shot at them after being prevented from entering a nearby village. [13]
On 26 February 1872, the brig Maria carrying 75 people of a gold prospecting expedition to New Guinea was wrecked upon Bramble Reef. The survivors escaped the sinking ship on 3 boats and 2 rafts. Two of the boats made it safely to the nearest British settlement of Cardwell, but the other three craft were washed up on the shoreline at and around what is now Mission Beach. Up to ten of these crew members, including the captain, were found to have been murdered by Aboriginal people residing in this region. Lieutenant Sabben of the Royal Navy was sent to recover the captain's boat and find any survivors. Upon reaching the beached boat they were attacked by about 120 Aboriginal men. In resisting the attack, 8 native people were killed. Fearing further attacks, Magistrate Brinsley Sheridan, ordered Sub-Inspector Robert Arthur Johnstone of the Native Police "to inflict decisive punishment". Johnstone and his troopers were significantly aided by another Royal Navy officer in Captain John Moresby who provided additional armed marines and a large schooner. Moresby described how "several unfortunate blacks were shot down by the native troopers, who showed an unrestrained ferocity that disgusted our officers". A six-year-old boy was taken during this raid and sent to England by the "kind act" of Lieutenant Francis Hayter. The boy died there from pneumonia three years later. [14]
Johnstone and his troopers, together with armed sailors and volunteer riflemen, scoured the coast from Cardwell north to Cooper Point, searching every Aboriginal camp they came across for any traces of the men. [15] Newspapers reported that Johnstone's detachment of Native Police killed a total of 93 local Aboriginal people in the Maria reprisals. [16] Accusations of Johnstone and others having "punished the innocent together with the guilty" and partaking in "slaughtering whole camps, not only of men, but of women and children" even reached the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies in London, Robert Herbert. The claims were dismissed by Lord Normanby, Governor of Queensland, on the grounds that the Aboriginal people of the north "are numerous, savage, treacherous, and very commonly cannibals". [17]
Various localities around Mission Beach were named after entities and events involved in the shipwreck of the Maria including Maria Creek and the Johnstone River.
Up until the late 1870s, the area was still considered too dangerous for British settlement and the Djiru were able to maintain their traditional livelihood in a landscape that had the "appearance of some wealthy nobleman's estate." [18] Charles Freshney's logging company started to cut down the groves of cedar trees around Clump Point from 1880. [19] They employed Aboriginal people for timber hauling, paying them with tobacco and tools.
The first white settlers to establish a landholding in the region were the Cutten brothers (Herbert, Leonard, James and Sidney), who took up their selections in 1886. They built a homestead which they called Bicton (now Bingil Bay), and farmed mangoes, bananas, pineapples, coffee, citrus fruit and coconuts. [20] By 1890, the Cutten brothers were not able to support the remaining Djiru living on what was now their property. The Cuttens threatened to exterminate the Djiru and burnt down their main camp, but kept around 40 people to labour on their plantations. [21] Initially these workers were indentured on government wages [22] but by 1910 the Cuttens were accused of paying their remaining Djiru labourers with rum. [23] The Cuttens starting selling out of the area in 1918 after a cyclone destroyed their plantations. [24] After the Cutten brothers, the Unsworths settled at Narragon Beach, the Garners came and settled at Garners Beach, and the Porter brothers settled at what the locals refer to as Porter's Creek (also called Wongaling Creek) at the south end of North Mission Beach. [25]
In the early 20th century Chinese banana farmers used Aboriginal people as labourers in the Tully River region. Opium addiction and conflict with British settlers resulted in the Queensland government creating an Aboriginal internment centre, the Hull River Aboriginal Settlement, at the present South Mission Beach. John Martin Kenny was appointed superintendent in September 1914. There was no mission in the religious sense; the settlement had characteristics of a penal settlement. [26] Forced removals from other regions swelled the population to around 500 by 1916. Many ran away and about 200 people died there in 1917 during an epidemic. The whole settlement was destroyed in the cyclone of 10 March 1918 and Superintendent Kenny and his daughter were killed by debris. The surviving residents were forcibly moved to a new settlement on Great Palm Island. [27]
In the late 1920s after the construction of a road from El Arish, the area became a popular camping place. [28] It was known as Mission Beach due to the mistaken belief that the Hull River Aboriginal Settlement previously located in the region was a religious mission. [29] Mission Beach developed into a town during the 1940s and 50s with the Mission Beach Post Office opening on 15 December 1949 [30] and the Mission Beach State School opening on 27 January 1953. [31] [32] [33]
In the 2016 census Mission Beach had a population of 815. [1]
There are no schools in Mission Beach. The nearest government primary school is Mission Beach State School in Webb Road, Wongaling Beach. [34] The nearest government secondary school is Tully State High School in Tully to the south-west. [35]
In September, Mission Beach hosts the annual Cassowary Festival. This festival was created to promote the unique wildlife of the region and to celebrate the community through music, activities and education. The town also formerly celebrated the annual aquatic festival, it has since been discontinued since 2017 . [36] [37]
The Mission Beach Barracudas football club fields teams that play in the local Johnstone River Football Association league.
Holy Spirit Catholic Church is on the corner of Webb and Beaman Roads. It is within the Tully Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns. [38]
Mission Beach is now a thriving tourist town that has been able to maintain its small town feel. One reason for this is that the town is spread out along a thin strip of land between the ocean and the hills and farmland behind. This has spread out a large tourism market, and the village doesn't feel as busy as one might expect.
The beach is flanked by green mountains rising just a short distance inland, and provides views out to the Family Islands. Close to shore at Mission Beach lies a shallow reef; during very low tides portions of this reef are exposed. The reef runs from the mouth of Porter's Creek at the south end of North Mission Beach almost to Clump Point, and is a popular fishing spot.
Surrounded by World Heritage rainforest on one side and the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef on the other, Mission Beach is home to many wildlife species, most notable is the cassowary. This large flightless bird can be found in the rainforest surrounding the area but appears to be thriving in spite of land clearing, traffic and predators such as wild dogs and feral pigs. Much of the area is part of the Coastal Wet Tropics Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance for the conservation of lowland tropical rainforest birds. [39]
Mission Beach is also the mainland gateway to Dunk Island, with water-taxis shuttling day-trippers out to the island.
Like many other small Australian towns, Mission Beach has built a monument to its most famous characteristic. The big cassowary, standing 5 metres high, can be found at the Wongaling Beach shopping complex.
In 2019, Mayfair 101, an Australian-based investment consortium, bought 200 properties in Mission Beach as well as nearby Dunk Island with the view to transform the area into a "tourism mecca". [40] By August 2020, Dunk Island had been repossessed by the former owners, and investigations by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission led to the freezing of assets of 14 property trusts Mayfair 101 had used to buy land in and around Mission Beach. [41]
On 10 March 1918, a category 5 cyclone hit the Innisfail area, killing at least 100 people in the region. A storm surge in the Mission Beach area swept hundreds of metres inland leaving debris 7m up in some trees. [42] This cyclone destroyed the Hull River Aboriginal Settlement, killing the superintendent, his daughter and other residents.
On 20 March 2006, Cyclone Larry crossed the coast in between Mission Beach and Innisfail. In addition to structural damage to property, Cyclone Larry also had a tremendous impact on the rainforest and animals of the region. A shortage of rainforest fruit saw cassowaries seeking food in built up areas and, unfortunately, a number were hit and killed by cars.
On 3 February 2011, the eyewall of Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi crossed the coast near Mission Beach. Wind gusts estimated up to 310 km/h (190 mph), leaving behind significant damage. [43] A storm surge estimated to have reached 0.7 m (2.3 ft) destroyed several structures along the coast and pushed up to 300 m (980 ft) inland. [44] Most of the beach had lost its sand and all of the towns structures were damaged to some degree, with many houses completely destroyed. There were no reports of fatalities or injuries in Mission Beach. [45]
The Mission Beach area also supports a sizeable agricultural industry, particularly the cultivation of sugar and bananas. Boutique wineries specialising in tropical fruit wines can also be found in Mission Beach and nearby Kurrimine Beach.
Tully is a town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It is adjacent to the Bruce Highway, approximately 140 kilometres (87 mi) south of Cairns by road and 210 kilometres (130 mi) north of Townsville. At the 2016 census, the population was 2,390. Tully is perhaps best known for being one of the wettest towns in Australia and home to the 7.9 metre tall Golden Gumboot.
Innisfail is a regional town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. The town was originally called Geraldton until 1910. In the 2016 census, the town of Innisfail had a population of 7,236 people, while the locality of Innisfail had a population of 1,145 people.
Dunk Island, known as Coonanglebah in the Warrgamay and Dyirbal languages, is an island within the locality of Dunk in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It lies 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) off the Australian east coast, opposite the town of Mission Beach. The island forms part of the Family Islands National Park and is in the larger Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
Cardwell is a coastal town and rural locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census the locality of Cardwell had a population of 1,309 people.
Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf Country. The waters of Torres Strait include the only international border in the area contiguous with the Australian mainland, between Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Hull River Aboriginal Settlement, sometimes incorrectly referred to as Hull River Aboriginal Mission, was an Aboriginal reserve established in 1914, located at the present location of Mission Beach in the Hull River National Park, Queensland, Australia.
Bedarra Island is one of the Family Islands group within the locality of Dunk in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland. Australia.
The Shire of Johnstone was a local government area of Queensland. It was located on the Coral Sea coast about 90 kilometres (56 mi) south of the city of Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Innisfail, covered an area of 1,639.1 square kilometres (632.9 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1881 until 2008, when it amalgamated with the Shire of Cardwell to form the Cassowary Coast Region.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns is a diocese of the Catholic Church located in the state of Queensland, Australia. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Brisbane. The diocese was erected as a vicariate apostolic in 1877 and was elevated to a diocese in 1941. Its territorial remit is Far North Queensland.
The Cassowary Coast Region is a local government area in the Far North Queensland region of Queensland, Australia, south of Cairns and centred on the towns of Innisfail, Cardwell and Tully. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Cardwell and the Shire of Johnstone.
The Coastal Wet Tropics Important Bird Area comprises a disjunct 521 km2 stretch of coastal and subcoastal land in tropical Far North Queensland, Australia. It extends from just south of Cairns in the north for about 150 km to Cardwell in the south. It is important for the conservation of lowland rainforest birds, especially southern cassowaries.
Bingil Bay is a coastal town, locality and bay in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census the locality of Bingil Bay had a population of 427 people.
Ninney Rise and John Busst Memorial are a heritage-listed house and memorial at 405 Alexander Drive and Esplanade, Bingil Bay, Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by John Busst and built circa 1960 by John Busst. It is also known as John and Alison Busst's Residence. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 6 August 2010.
The Djiru, otherwise spelt Jirru, Are an Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional lands are along the coasts of Northern Queensland, mainly the area around Mission Beach.
Daradgee is a rural town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Daradgee had a population of 74 people.
Wongaling Beach is a tropical beachside coastal town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Wongaling Beach had a population of 1,245, making it the most populated suburb in the town of Mission Beach.
South Mission Beach is a coastal town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, South Mission Beach had a population of 932 people.
Kurrimine Beach is a town and a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Kurrimine Beach had a population of 729 people.
Goondi Hill is a semi-urban locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Goondi Hill had a population of 510 people.
Nerada is a rural locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Nerada had a population of 97 people.
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