Mirriwinni is a rural town and

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

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. H ...

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. The spelling ''Miriwinni'' has also been used historically, but ''Mirriwinni'' is the official spelling from 8 October 2010. In the , the locality of Mirriwinni had a population of 447 people.

Geography

Town of Mirriwinni on the Bruce Highway, 2018 02

The town is south of the centre of the locality. The Russell River forms the eastern and south-eastern boundary, while Babinda Creek forms part of the northern boundary. The foothills of

Mount Bartle Frere Mount Bartle Frere (pronunciation �mæɔnt̥ ˈbɐːɾəɫ ˈfɹɪə Ngajanji: Choorechillum) is the highest mountain in Queensland at an elevation of . The mountain was named after Sir Henry Bartle Frere, a British colonial administrator and ...

form the western boundary. Most of the land in the locality is flat low-lying land (approx 10 metres above sea level) and is used for farming, predominantly growing sugarcane. However, in the western edge of the locality, the land rises to up to 150 metres above sea level heading towards the peaks of Mount Bartle Frere in the adjacent locality of

Wooroonooran Wooroonooran is a locality split among the Cairns Region, the Cassowary Coast Region and the Tablelands Region in Queensland, Australia. In the , Wooroonooran had no population. Geography The locality is entirely within the Wooroonooran Nati ...

. The

Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Nat ...

and the North Coast railway line traverse the locality from south to west, both passing through the town. There is no railway station in the locality, but historically it was served by two now-abandoned stations: * Miriwinni railway station, in the town () * Pawngilly railway station, south of the town () There is a network of tramways that transport the harvested sugarcane to the local sugar mill.

History

The town takes its name from the railway station name, first used 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 ...

on 18 February 1915, reportedly an Aboriginal word meaning ''mountain rock''. Mooliba railway station opened in 1912. It was renamed Moolaba railway station in 1917 and renamed Pawngilly railway station in 1926. The name ''Pawngilly'' is an Aboriginal word meaning ''big hill''. On 20 April 1916, the Cane Beetles March commenced at Mooliba. It was a snowball march to

recruit __NOTOC__ Recruit can refer to: Military * Military recruitment * Recruit training, in the military * '' Rekrut'' (English: Recruit), a military recruit or low rank in German-speaking countries * Seaman recruit Books *''Le Réquisitionnaire'' (E ...

men into the Australian Imperial Force during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

at a time when enthusiasm to enlist had waned after the loss of life in the Gallipoli campaign. The march began at Mooliba with 4 men, passing through

Babinda Babinda is a rural town and locality in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Babinda had a population of 1,253 people. Geography Babinda is located south of Cairns. The town is noted for its proximity to Queensl ...

, Aloomba, Gordonvale, and

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, and ending in Cairns 60 kilometers later with 29 recruits. Miriwinni Provisional School opened on 16 October 1916 and became Miriwinni State School on 1 March 1918. On 9 July 2012, it was renamed Mirriwinni State School. Miriwinni Post Office opened on 1 July 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 s ...

had been open from 1915). In the , the locality of Mirriwinni had a population of 447 people.

Education

Mirriwinni State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 3 Whitman Street (). In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 58 children with 3 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 49 students with 3 teachers (2 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent). There is no secondary school in Mirriwinni. The nearest government secondary school is

Babinda State School Babinda is a rural town and locality in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Babinda had a population of 1,253 people. Geography Babinda is located south of Cairns. The town is noted for its proximity to Queensla ...

(to Year 12) in neighbouring

to the north.

Notable residents

* Brad Beven, triathlete

References

External links