Cassowary is a rural

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...

in the

Shire of Douglas The Shire of Douglas is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Far North Queensland, Far North Queensland. It is located on the coast north of the city of Cairns, Queensland, Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Mo ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. In the Cassowary had a population of 119 people.

Geography

The north-western part of the locality is low-lying coastal plains (10–20 metres about sea level) and is used for farming, predominantly

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

. The eastern and southern parts of the locality form part of the

Cassowary Range Cassowaries ( tpi, muruk, id, kasuari) are flightless birds of the genus ''Casuarius'' in the order Casuariiformes. They are classified as ratites (flightless birds without a keel on their sternum bones) and are native to the tropical forest ...

, rising to unnamed peaks of about 350 metres, and are within the

Mowbray National Park Mowbray is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1441 km northwest of Brisbane. The park forms part of the Wooroonooran Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because it supports populations of a range of bi ...

. The Mossman - Mount Molloy Road which winds up and down the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

forms the north-western boundary of the locality. The

Captain Cook Highway The Captain Cook Highway is a short, regional highway in Queensland which originates in Cairns and terminates in Mossman, where it joins Mossman-Daintree Road, continuing to Daintree. The Captain Cook Highway is used to connect the CBD of Ca ...

forms a short northern boundary. A cane tramway carries harvested sugarcane to the sugar mill at Mossman.

History

The locality presumably takes its name from the large Australian flightless bird, the

cassowary Cassowaries ( tpi, muruk, id, kasuari) are flightless birds of the genus ''Casuarius'' in the order Casuariiformes. They are classified as ratites (flightless birds without a keel on their sternum bones) and are native to the tropical forest ...

, which is found in the northern tropics of Queensland. Cassowary State School opened on 3 February 1913. It closed in 1967. It was located on

(), now just across the locality boundary in neighbouring Shannonvale. In the Cassowary had a population of 119 people.

Education

There are no schools in Cassowary. The nearest government primary schools are Mossman State School in Mossman to the north-west and Port Douglas State School in

Port Douglas Port Douglas is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia, approximately 60 km north of Cairns. In the , Port Douglas had a population of 3,504 people. The town's population can often double, however, with the in ...

to the east. The nearest government secondary school is Mossman State High School in Mossman to the north-west.

References

{{authority control Towns in Queensland Shire of Douglas Localities in Queensland