Freshwater is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

in the

Cairns Region The Cairns Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, centred on the regional city of Cairns. It was established in 2008 by the amalgamation of the City of Cairns and the Shires of Douglas and Mulgrave. ...

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 , Freshwater had a population of 2,023 people. The suburb was once a separate town in the Shire of Mulgrave but was amalgamated into the City of Cairns, which subsequently was amalgamated into the

History

Kiplings Mill in Freshwater a suburb of Cairns Queensland circa 1890

Freshwater is in the traditional lands of the

Yidiny people The Yidiny (also spelt Yidindj, Yidinji or Yidiñ), are an Aboriginal Australian people in Far North Queensland. Their language is the Yidiny language. Language The last fluent speakers of Yidiny were Tilly Fuller (d. October 1974), George Davi ...

. European occupation along the banks of the Barron River began in late 1876 when the Douglas Track and Smith's Track were established around Lumley Hill and Mount Whitfield, linking the new port of

to the Hodgkinson goldfields. Chinese market gardeners moved into the area in the late 1870s, after exhausting their chances on the Hodgkinson Goldfields, leased small plots from the landowners, successfully growing rice, bananas, pineapples and other tropical crops. The need for a railway from the Herberton mines to the coast, resulted in the construction between Herberton and Cairns (now the

Tablelands railway line The Tablelands railway line is a railway line in North Queensland, Australia. It was opened in a series of sections between 1887 and 1916. It commences at Cairns and at its maximum extent, reached Ravenshoe at the southern end of the A ...

). The first 8 miles of this railway went from Cairns to Redlynch crossing over Freshwaster Creek . The development of the railway line encouraged land developers to release a land subdivision called Richmond Park Estate near the railway line and Freshwater Creek, which was sold from 1886 with advertising featuring the forthcoming "Richmond Park railway station" and its ten-minute rail journey to Cairns. When the railway line opened in late 1887, there were a number of railway sidings along the line: Stratford (5 miles from Cairns), Lily Bank (6 miles from Cairns), and Richmond (7 miles from Cairns). Richmond Siding was renamed Freshwater Siding (later Freshwater railway station) in January 1890. A rice mill was established on the Lower Freshwater Creek and was being successfully operated by local man, Joseph Kipling in 1891. Chinese farmers grew rice in the adjacent fields. Freshwater Provisional School opened on 20 August 1896. On 1 January 1909, it became Freshwater State School. Due to low students numbers, it closed on August 1918 but re-opened on 21 September 1923. Freshwater Post Office opened by April 1925 (a

receiving office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

, earlier named Stratford, had been open from 1897). Mason Memorial Methodist Church opened on Saturday 8 April 1939. It was called the Mason Memorial church because of the £60 pound bequest left by the late Mrs Mason to build the church. It is at 25 Vallely Street () and is now in private ownership in use as a house. On Sunday 20 November 1938,

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

John Heavey John Alphonsus Heavey (1868-1948) was a Roman Catholic bishop in Queensland, Australia. He was the Vicar Apostolic of Cooktown and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Cairns. Early life Heavey was born on 13 November 1868 in Roundwood, County Wi ...

officially opened and blessed the new Sacred Heart Catholic Church. At the , Freshwater had a population of 1,976. In the , Freshwater had a population of 2,104 people. In the , Freshwater had a population of 2,023 people.

Education

Freshwater State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 10 Corkill Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 738 students with 50 teachers (43 full-time equivalent) and 25 non-teaching staff (16 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 709 students with 52 teachers (46 full-time equivalent) and 24 non-teaching staff (16 full-time equivalent). There is no secondary school in Freshwater. The nearest government secondary school is Redlynch State College in neighbouring Redlynch to the south-west.

Amenities

Bunny Adair Park on Lower Freshwater Road (once in Freshwater but now in Barron, ) is named after Bunny Adair. The park has equestrian facilities and is home to the Freshwater Pony Club. The Freshwater 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 the CWA Hall on the corner of Kamerunga Road and Old Smithfield Road (opposite the Freshwater railway station, ). The branch was established in 1937 and held its meetings in the home of first president Mrs Odgen. In 1940, the railway square became available for recreational use and the CWA purchased the present site for their hall. However, it was not until after

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 opposin ...

that the branch focussed on raising funds for the building, having devoted their wartime activities to the manufacture of camouflage nets and contributions to the war effort. The building was completed in 1955. In additional to CWA activities, the hall is used for by other community groups and for private parties. Sacred Heart Catholic Church is at 15 Duffy Street (). It is within the Northern Beaches Parish of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns 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 ...

Attractions

The

Kuranda Scenic Railway The Kuranda Scenic Railway is a tourist railway service that operates along the heritage-listed Cairns-to-Kuranda railway line. Constructed in 1891, the line runs from Cairns, Queensland, over the Great Dividing Range to the town of Kuranda o ...

has a stop at the Freshwater railway station (), which is just outside the current suburb boundaries in the neighbouring suburb of Barron. In 2009 for the

Q150 Q150 was the sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) of the Separation of Queensland from New South Wales in 1859. Separation established the Colony of Queensland which became the State of Queensland in 1901 as part of the Federation of Australia. Q15 ...

commemorations, the Stratford and Freshwater Community Association built a heritage trail, with 22 signposted sites in Freshwater and 29 signposted sites in the neighbouring suburb of Stratford.

Notable people

Herbert Adair and Gladys Down, Freshwater Hall near Cairns after their marriage 1928

Bunny Adair Herbert Arthur "Bunny" Adair (23 August 1905 – 10 October 1994) was a politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Early life Herbert Arthur Adair was born 23 August 1905 at Wolfram Camp, Qu ...

, Member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

and publican at the Freshwater Hotel.

References

External links

{{Cairns Region Suburbs of Cairns