Mowbray, Queensland

For Mowbraytown in Brisbane, see East Brisbane, Queensland.

Mowbray Queensland
Beach at Mowbray, 2013
Mowbray
Coordinates	16°35′42″S145°29′50″E / 16.595°S 145.4972°E / -16.595; 145.4972 (Mowbray (centre of locality))
Population	362 (SAL 2021) [1]
Postcode(s)	4877
Area	92.7 km2 (35.8 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	12.6 km (8 mi) S of Port Douglas 21.9 km (14 mi) SE of Mossman 58.2 km (36 mi) NW of Cairns 1,765 km (1,097 mi) NNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Shire of Douglas
State electorate(s)	Cook
Federal division(s)	Leichhardt
Suburbs around Mowbray: Cassowary Craiglie Coral Sea Julatten Mowbray Oak Beach Coral Sea Mount Molloy Mona Mona Wangetti

Mowbray is a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. ^[2] In the 2021 census, Mowbray had a population of 362 people. ^[3]

Geography

The locality is bounded to the east by Trinity Bay (part of the Coral Sea) and to the south-west by the Great Dividing Range. ^[4] Oak Beach is a small township along the east coast of Mowbray which has been excised into its own locality. ^[4]

Most of the terrain in Mowbray is mountainous with a number of named peaks (from north to south):

• Mount Garioch ( 16°36′17″S145°29′58″E / 16.6046°S 145.4995°E / -16.6046; 145.4995 (Mount Garioch) ) 623 metres (2,044 ft) ^{[5] [6]}
• Mount Charlie ( 16°37′22″S145°31′22″E / 16.6227°S 145.5228°E / -16.6227; 145.5228 (Mount Charlie) ) 572 metres (1,877 ft) ^{[5] [7]}
• Harris Peak (also known as Black Mountain) ( 16°38′39″S145°29′24″E / 16.6443°S 145.4899°E / -16.6443; 145.4899 (Harris Peak (Black Mountain)) ) 1,068 metres (3,504 ft) ^{[5] [8]}

Most of this mountain terrain is within a number of protected areas: Mowbray Conservation Park and Mowbray National Park to the west (covering the Great Dividing Range) and Macalister Range National Park for the hilly land in the east. ^[4]

Canefields, Mowbray, 1935

Most of the unprotected land is in the north of the locality around the valleys of the Mowbray River and its tributary Spring Creek. The residential areas are in these valleys. The Captain Cook Highway passes through the locality from south to north, hugging the Trinity Bay coast for much of the way. The low-lying river flats are used to grow sugarcane. ^[4]

The locality also has coastal features (from north to south):

• Yule Point ( 16°34′29″S145°30′45″E / 16.5746°S 145.5126°E / -16.5746; 145.5126 (Yule Point) ) ^{[5] [9]}
• Pebbly Beach ( 16°34′54″S145°30′45″E / 16.5818°S 145.5126°E / -16.5818; 145.5126 (Pebbly Beach) ) ^[10]
• Oak Beach ( 16°36′03″S145°31′22″E / 16.6009°S 145.5229°E / -16.6009; 145.5229 (Oak Beach) ) ^[10]
• Pretty Beach (formerly known as Little Reef Beach) ( 16°36′48″S145°32′01″E / 16.6132°S 145.5336°E / -16.6132; 145.5336 (Pretty Beach (Little Reef Beach)) ) ^{[10] [11]}
• Turtle Creek Beach ( 16°37′43″S145°33′06″E / 16.6285°S 145.5516°E / -16.6285; 145.5516 (Turtle Creek Beach) ) ^[10]

History

Mowbray Bridge after the 1911 cyclone

The locality of Mowbray was originally known as Mowbray River (which flows through the locality). ^{[2] [4]}

 On Thursday 16 March 1911, a cyclone hit the area doing considerable damage. The bridge which carried the tramway over the Mowbray River was swept away. ^{[12] [13] [14] [15] [16]}

Children from the Mowbray attended the school at Craiglie until that settlement declined and the majority of the children attending the school were from the Mowbray area. ^[17] Mowbray River State School opened on 20 May 1925 under head teacher Alexander Larcombe Edwards. It had an initial enrolment of 13 students, rising to 21 students by the end of 1925. ^[18] With fears of a Japanese invasion in 1942, many families evacuated and by March 1942 with only 2 students enrolled, the school was closed. In March 1944, the school reopened with 15 students. In 1961, the school had only 8 students at a time when the Queensland Education Department was introducing a new approach where bus transport would be provided for students to attend schools in larger centres. The school closed permanently at the end of 1961. In 1963, there was an auction selling the school's 5-acre site and building. ^[19] The school was at 264 Mowbray River Road ( 16°33′56″S145°28′03″E / 16.56561°S 145.46745°E / -16.56561; 145.46745 (Mowbray River State School (former)) ).The school building is still on the site, forming part of a house. ^[20]

Demographics

In the 2016 census, Mowbray had a population of 321 people. ^[21]

In the 2021 census, Mowbray had a population of 362 people. ^[3]

Education

There are no schools in Mowbray. The nearest government primary school is Port Douglas State School in Port Douglas to the north. The nearest government secondary school is Mossman State High School in Mossman to the north-west. ^[4]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mowbray (Qld) (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
2. "Mowbray – locality in Shire of Douglas (entry 48792)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 27 November 2018.
3. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mowbray (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
4. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland . Retrieved 14 December 2023.
5. "Mountain peaks and capes - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
6. "Mount Garioch – mountain in Douglas Shire (entry 13457)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
7. "Mount Charlie – mountain in Douglas Shire (entry 6922)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
8. "Harris Peak – mountain in Douglas Shire (entry 15442)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
9. "Yule Point – point in Douglas Shire (entry 38781)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
10. "Mountain ranges beaches and sea passages - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
11. "Pretty Beach – beach in Shire of Douglas (entry 27485)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 1 October 2023.
12. "After the Cyclone". Cairns Post . Vol. XXV, no. 984. Queensland, Australia. 5 April 1911. p. 3. Retrieved 14 December 2023– via National Library of Australia.
13. "Cyclone Calamities". Cairns Post . Vol. XXV, no. 971. Queensland, Australia. 20 March 1911. p. 4. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022– via National Library of Australia.
14. "WRECK OF PORT DOUGLAS". Darling Downs Gazette . Vol. LIII, no. 91643. Queensland, Australia. 22 March 1911. p. 7. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022– via National Library of Australia.
15. "CYCLONE IN THE NORTH". The Queenslander . No. 2349. Queensland, Australia. 25 March 1911. p. 37. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022– via National Library of Australia.
16. "The Port Douglas Disaster". Cairns Post . Vol. XXV, no. 975. Queensland, Australia. 24 March 1911. p. 2. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023– via National Library of Australia.
17. Finn, pp. 28-31
18. Finn, p. 36
19. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN   978-1-921171-26-0
20. "264 Mowbray River Road, Mowbray, Qld 4877". Realestate.com.au . Retrieved 17 December 2023.
21. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Mowbray (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.

Sources

• Finn, Marie (2005). No load to carry : the history of Craiglie, Mowbray River and Killaloe State Schools 1888-1962. Home Hill, Queensland.