Wrights Creek, Queensland

For Wrights Creek in New South Wales, see Wrights Creek, New South Wales.

Wrights Creek Queensland
Looking west along the cane trameway to the Mulgrave Sugar Mill from Hill Road, Wrights Creek, 2018
Wrights Creek
Coordinates	17°01′16″S145°46′26″E / 17.0211°S 145.7738°E / -17.0211; 145.7738 (Wrights Creek (centre of locality))
Population	160 (2021 census) [1]
• Density	7.05/km2 (18.3/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4869
Area	22.7 km2 (8.8 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	5.7 km (4 mi) SE of Bentley Park 7.1 km (4 mi) N of Gordonvale 16.4 km (10 mi) S of Cairns CBD 1,683 km (1,046 mi) NNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Cairns Region
State electorate(s)	Mulgrave
Federal division(s)	Kennedy Leichhardt
Suburbs around Wrights Creek: Edmonton Portsmith Packers Camp Edmonton Wrights Creek Packers Camp Mount Peter Mount Peter Gordonvale

Wrights Creek is a rural locality in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. ^[2] In the 2021 census, Wrights Creek had a population of 160 people. ^[1]

The origin of the suburb name is from the Wright brothers who brought cattle to Wrights Creek in the year 1878. ^[3]

Geography

Wrights Creek (the watercourse) at the northern end of Hill Road, 2018

The locality is mostly low-lying flat land (approx 10 metres above sea level) with a small area of mountainous area in the south-west of the locality rising to an unnamed peak of 200 metres above sea level. The Trinity Inlet (aka Smith Creek) is the northern boundary of the locality while Wrights Creek (the watercourse from which the locality takes its name) and Mackey Creek form parts of the eastern and western boundaries of the locality. Warner Road is the southern boundary. The northern part of the locality is undeveloped wetlands and the mountainous region is also undeveloped. However, apart from these undeveloped areas, the land use is farming (predominantly grwowing sugarcane). ^[4]

The Bruce Highway and North Coast railway line pass through the south-western part of the locality with Kamma railway station ( 17°03′08″S145°46′08″E / 17.05222°S 145.76889°E / -17.05222; 145.76889 (Kamma railway station) ) on the boundary with neighbouring Gordonvale serving the local area. ^[5] There is also a network of cane tramways to transport the harvested sugarcane to the Mulgrave Sugar Mill. ^{[4] [6]}

History

Wrights Creek is situated in the Yidinji traditional Aboriginal country. ^[7]

Wright's Creek Provisional School opened on 8 October 1894, becoming Wright's Creek State School on 1 January 1909. It closed in September 1953. ^{[8] [9]} It was on the north-eastern side of the railway line south of Harris Road (approx 17°02′25″S45°45′57″E / 17.04016°S 45.76575°E / -17.04016; 45.76575 (Wrights Creek State School (former)) ). ^{[10] [11]}

The locality was formerly serviced by now-abandoned Yatee railway station ( 17°02′23″S145°45′42″E / 17.0397°S 145.7618°E / -17.0397; 145.7618 (Yatee railway station) ). ^[12]

Demographics

In the 2016 census, Wrights Creek had a population of 156 people. ^[13]

In the 2021 census, Wrights Creek had a population of 160 people. ^[1]

Education

There are no schools in Wrights Creek. The nearest government primary schools are Hambledon State School in neighbouring Edmonton to the west and Gordonvale State School in neighbouring Gordonvale to the south-east. The nearest government secondary schools are Bentley State College in Bentley Park to the north-west and Gordonvale State High School in Gordonvale. ^[14]

Development

As part of the Wrights Creek development plan, a trade, enterprise, freight and industry zone has been proposed in the southern part of Wrights Creek nearby Gordonvale to diversify the economy of the Cairns region and to provide employment opportunities. The development plan utilises the location of the Bruce Highway and North Coast railway line transport corridors. Significant portions of land would be retained for the purpose of sugarcane farming in the area and environmental management purposes. ^[15] The local council supported the state development area on the basis that existing private businesses in the region would not be impacted by competition. ^[16]

As part of the Bruce Highway Southern Access Corridor development project, the construction of an off-road cycling path and an upgrade of the Bruce Highway has been funded by the state and federal governments, with construction expected to be completed from 2021–2023. ^{[17] [18]}

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Wrights Creek (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
2. "Wrights Creek – locality in Cairns Region (entry 48946)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 12 December 2017.
3. "W Suburbs" (PDF). Cairns Heritage Page. Cairns Regional Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
4. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland . Retrieved 13 December 2017.
5. "Kamma – railway station in the Cairns Region (entry 17631)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 31 March 2024.
6. "Kamma – railway station in Cairns Region (entry 17631)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 13 December 2017.
7. "Indigenous culture and history". Cairns Regional Council. Archived from the original on 9 April 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
8. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN   978-1-921171-26-0
9. "HISTORIC SCHOOL CLOSING". Cairns Post . No. 16, 0[?]6. Queensland, Australia. 30 September 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 31 March 2024– via National Library of Australia.
10. "Gordonvale" (Map). Queensland Government. 1942. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
11. "Queensland Two Mile series sheet 2m425" (Map). Queensland Government. 1950. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
12. "Railway stations and sidings - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
13. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Wrights Creek (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
14. "Layers: Locality; Schools and school catchments". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
15. "Cairns South state development area". State Development. Queensland Government. 13 October 2019. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
16. Cluff, Renee (8 October 2019). "Council concerned industrial hub could bring unwelcome competition". TropicNow. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
17. "Bruce Highway - Cairns Southern Access Corridor - Stage 3: Edmonton to Gordonvale". Transport and Main Roads. Queensland Government. 2 August 2019. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
18. Cluff, Renee (23 September 2019). "Bike path to connect Cairns and Gordonvale". TropicNow. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.

External links

Media related to Wrights Creek, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons