Garradunga 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

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 , established_ ...

, Australia. In the , Garradunga had a population of 170 people.

Geography

Garradunga is located north of Innisfail. The North Coast railway line enters from the south ( Daradgee) and exits to the west ( Eubenangee). Historically, the locality was served by the now-abandoned Garradunga railway station (). The land use is predominantly growing

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 ...

with some

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to roam around and consume wild vegetations in order to convert the otherwise indigestible (by human gut) cellulose within grass and other ...

on native vegetation. There is also some

rural residential A hobby farm (also called a lifestyle block in New Zealand, or acreage living or rural residential in Australia) is a smallholding or small farm that is maintained without expectation of being a primary source of income. Some are held merely to ...

housing.

History

It has been suggested that the locality takes its name from its railway station, which was named on 10 October 1918 by the

Queensland Railways Department Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining approximately 6,600 kilometres of track and relate ...

, using an Aboriginal word meaning ''feasting place on a ridge''. However, the name was already in use in the area prior to that time. Garradunga Provisional School opened circa June 1902 and closed later that year due to low student numbers. It reopened in 1903 but low student numbers resulted in it being closed permanently in 1904. Garradunga Post Office opened on 1 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 ...

had been open from 1923, and between 1901 and 1906).

Demographics

In the , Garradunga had a population of 329 people. In the , Garradunga had a population of 142 people. In the , Garradunga had a population of 170 people.

Heritage listings

Garradunga has a number of

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...

sites, including: * McCowat Road:

McCowat's Farm McCowat's Farm is a heritage-listed plantation at McCowat Road, Garradunga, Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1920 by William Purdy. It is also known as Koodla. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 2 ...

Education

There are no schools in Garradunga. The nearest government primary school is Goondi State School in Goondi Bend to the south. The nearest government secondary school is

Innisfail State College Innisfail State College is a government secondary school and technical college in Innisfail Estate, a suburb of Innisfail, Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It is a combined secondary school and TAFE facility which opened in 2010 ...

in Innisfail Estate to the south-east.

References

{{Cassowary Coast Region Cassowary Coast Region Localities in Queensland