Flying Fish Point is a coastal town,

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 ...

and headland in the

Cassowary Coast Region 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 ...

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 , establishe ...

, Australia. In the , Flying Fish Point had a population of 425 people.

Geography

Flying Fish Point is on the northern shore of the mouth of the

Johnstone River The Johnstone River, comprising the North Johnstone River and the South Johnstone River, is a river system located in Far North and North Queensland, Australia. The headwaters of the river system rise in the Atherton Tablelands. The north ...

as it enters the Coral Sea.

History

StateLibQld 1 258837 Enjoying the beach at Flying Fish Point, Innisfail, 1930

The town was originally called Musgrave, but on 1 December 1961 it was officially changed to Flying Fish Point. The town's name comes from the headland, which in turn was named by explorer

George Elphinstone Dalrymple George Augustus Frederick Elphinstone Dalrymple (6 May 1826 – 22 January 1876) was a colonist, explorer, public servant and politician, member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. He founded the towns of Bowen and Cardwell, and pioneer ...

on 4 October 1873, after the twelve ton cutter Flying Fish which was the principal vessel of his North East Coast Expedition. The southern shore of the mouth of the Johnstone River, Coquette Point, was named after another cutter in the expedition. C Thomas Henry Fitzgerald had successfully established sugarcane plantations in the

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airpor ...

area and in April 1880 came to Flying Fish Point and planted sugarcane there on 15 June 1880. The focus of his sugarcane interests shifted further up the Johnstone River resulting in the establishing of Geraldton (later Innisfail) as the major sugarcane growing area. Flying Fish Point with its sandy beach instead became a popular holiday town for the area. The first Catholic mass was celebrated in Flying Fish Point on 1 January 1940 in Edwin Shaw's hut. Flying Fish Point Provisional School opened on 23 January 1899. It closed on a number of occasions due to low student numbers. It also closed for a period in 1918 after the school building was destroyed in a cyclone in March 1918. The school also closed for a period in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

from about February 1942 when people were evacuated from the district due to fears of a Japanese invasion but the school did not reopen until 1947. It is unclear when it became Flying Fish Point State School as it is today. In the , Flying Fish Point had a population of 425 people.

Education

Flying Fish Point State School is a government co-educational primary (P-6) school on Maud Street. In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 56 students with 5 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 10 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).

Community groups

The Flying Fish Point branch of the

Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...

meets at QCWA Hall on Alice Street.

Amenities

The town is home to the Flying Fish Point Tourist Park
Tripadvisor. Retrieved 19 September 2021

Gallery

Image:Flying Fish Point beach.jpg, Flying Fish Point Beach Image:Flying Fish Point sign.jpg, Beach Warning Sign Image:Flying Fish Point CP.jpg, Flying Fish Point Tourist Park Image:Flying Fish Point cafe.jpg, Flying Fish Point Cafe

References

External links

*
Town map of Flying Fish Point, 1984
{{authority control Towns in Queensland Cassowary Coast Region Localities in Queensland