Mossman 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
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.
It is the administrative centre for the
Douglas Shire Council
The Shire of Douglas is a local government area in Far North Queensland. It is located on the coast north of the city of Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Mossman, covers an area of , and existed as a local government entity f ...
In the , the locality of Mossman had a population of 1,937 people.
[
]
Geography
Mossman in Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf C ...
on the Mossman River
The Mossman River is a river located in the Cape York Peninsula of Far North Queensland, Australia.
The headwaters of the river rise under Devils Thumb on the Mount Carbine Tableland in the Great Dividing Range. The river flows through a dee ...
.
Mossman is located on 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 ...
north of the regional city of 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 ...
, and east of the Mount Carbine Tableland
The Mount Carbine Tableland is a plateau in Far North Queensland, Australia. Part of the Great Dividing Range, it lies in the Shire of Mareeba 15 km west of Mossman, and 1,460 km north-west of Brisbane, reaching an altitude of 1,383&n ...
. The Mossman River flows through the locality from west ( Finlayvale / Mossman Gorge
Mossman Gorge is a rural locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. In the , Mossman Gorge had a population of 246 people.
The locality takes its name from the valley Mossman Gorge created by the Mossman River through the Daintree ...
) to east ( Newell / Bonnie Doon).
Mossman Gorge
Mossman Gorge is a rural locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. In the , Mossman Gorge had a population of 246 people.
The locality takes its name from the valley Mossman Gorge created by the Mossman River through the Daintree ...
, a popular attraction within Daintree National Park
The Daintree rainforest is a national park in Far North Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane and northwest of Cairns. It was founded in 1981 and is part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland. In 1988 it became a World Heritage Site. The par ...
and the broader Wet Tropics of Queensland
The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8,940 km2 of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range. The Wet Tropics of Queensland meets all f ...
World Heritage area is located west of town.
Sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...
farming is an important aspect of the local economy, with Mossman Central Mill
Mossman is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre for the Douglas Shire Council In the , the locality of Mossman had a population of 1,937 people.
Geography
Mossman in F ...
, the only sugar mill in the district (), processing the cane before sending it to 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 ...
for shipping domestically and internationally. There is a network of cane tramways
The rail network in Queensland, Australia, was the first in the world to adopt narrow gauge for a main line, and now the second largest narrow gauge network in the world, consists of:
*the North Coast Line (NCL) extending from Brisbane to R ...
through Mossman and nearby sugarcane growing areas to deliver the harvested sugarcane to the mill.
History
The traditional language area of Kuka-Dyangan (also known as Djangun, Gugu Djangun and Kuka Djangun) includes landscape within the local government boundaries of the Douglas Shire
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 ...
and Cook Shire
The Shire of Cook (The Shire) is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia. The Shire covers most of the eastern and central parts of Cape York Peninsula, the most northerly section of the Australian mainland.
It covers an area ...
.
''Kuku Yalanji
The Kuku Yalanji, also known as Gugu-Yalanji, Kuku Yalandji or Kokojelandji, are an Aboriginal Australian people originating from the rainforest regions of Far North Queensland.
Language
The traditional language of the people is Guugu Yaland ...
'' (also known as ''Gugu Yalanji'', ''Kuku Yalaja'', and ''Kuku Yelandji'') is an Australian Aboriginal language
The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...
of the Mossman and Daintree areas of North Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...
. The language region includes areas within the local government area of 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 ...
and Shire of Cook
The Shire of Cook (The Shire) is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia. The Shire covers most of the eastern and central parts of Cape York Peninsula, the most northerly section of the Australian mainland.
It covers an area ...
, particularly the localities of Mossman, Daintree, Bloomfield River
The Bloomfield River is a river located in the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland, Australia, noted for its Bloomfield River cod fish species, found only in the river.
Course and features
The river rises in the Great Dividing Range below Zi ...
, China Camp, Maytown, Palmer
Palmer may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Palmer (pilgrim), a medieval European pilgrim to the Holy Land
* Palmer (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Palmer (surname), including a list of people and ...
, Cape Tribulation
Cape Tribulation is a headland and coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas in northern Queensland, Australia. In the , Cape Tribulation had a population of 118 people.
Geography
The locality is north of Cairns. It is within the Daintree Na ...
and Wujal Wujal
Wujal Wujal is a rural town and locality in the Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wujal Wujal had a population of 282 people. It is an Aboriginal community.
The community of Wujal Wujal is located in the Cape York r ...
.
'' Yalanji'' (also known as ''Kuku Yalanji'', ''Kuku Yalaja'', ''Kuku Yelandji'', and ''Gugu Yalanji)'' is an Australian Aboriginal language of Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf C ...
. The traditional language region is Mossman River
The Mossman River is a river located in the Cape York Peninsula of Far North Queensland, Australia.
The headwaters of the river rise under Devils Thumb on the Mount Carbine Tableland in the Great Dividing Range. The river flows through a dee ...
in the south to the Annan River
The Annan River ( Kuku Nyungkal: ''Yuku Baja'') is a river located in the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland, Australia.
Course and features
The river rises in the Yorkey Range below Mount Romeo near , north-northwest of . The river flows g ...
in the north, bordered by the Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
in the east and extending inland to west of Mount Mulgrave. This includes the local government boundaries of 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 ...
, the Shire of Cook
The Shire of Cook (The Shire) is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia. The Shire covers most of the eastern and central parts of Cape York Peninsula, the most northerly section of the Australian mainland.
It covers an area ...
and the Aboriginal Shire of Wujal Wujal
The Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is managed as a Deed of Grant in Trust under the ''Local Government (Community Government Areas) Act 2004''.
Geography
It is on the east coast of ...
and the towns and localities of Cooktown
Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs ...
, Mossman, Daintree, Cape Tribulation
Cape Tribulation is a headland and coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas in northern Queensland, Australia. In the , Cape Tribulation had a population of 118 people.
Geography
The locality is north of Cairns. It is within the Daintree Na ...
and Wujal Wujal
Wujal Wujal is a rural town and locality in the Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wujal Wujal had a population of 282 people. It is an Aboriginal community.
The community of Wujal Wujal is located in the Cape York r ...
. It includes the head of the Palmer River
The Palmer River is a river located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The area surrounding the river was the site of a gold rush in the late 19th century which started in 1873.
Course and features
The headwaters of the Palmer River rise in ...
, the Bloomfield River
The Bloomfield River is a river located in the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland, Australia, noted for its Bloomfield River cod fish species, found only in the river.
Course and features
The river rises in the Great Dividing Range below Zi ...
, China Camp
China Camp State Park is a state park in Marin County, California, surrounding a historic Chinese American shrimp-fishing village and a salt marsh. The park is located in San Rafael, California, on the shore of San Pablo Bay. It is known for ...
, Maytown, and Palmerville.
The district was originally known as Mossman River after the river which flows through it. The Mossman River
The Mossman River is a river located in the Cape York Peninsula of Far North Queensland, Australia.
The headwaters of the river rise under Devils Thumb on the Mount Carbine Tableland in the Great Dividing Range. The river flows through a dee ...
, in turn, was named by the explorer George Dalrymple on 6 December 1873 after Hugh Mosman
Hugh Mosman (11 February 1843 – 15 November 1909) was a mine owner and politician in Queensland, Australia. He discovered gold in Charters Towers. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Council.
Early life
Mosman was born on 11 Februa ...
who discovered gold in Charters Towers
Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits under ...
. Dalrymple wrote ''"I named this river the Mossman River, after Mossman, an explorer and mining man, member of a very prominent mining family"''. The town was also known for a brief time as Hartsville after Daniel Hart, an early settler. Later the name was changed to ''Mossman''.
The Mossman - Port Douglas parish of the Roman Catholic Vicariate Apostolic of Queensland (now the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns) was established in 1877.
Mossman River Post Office opened by 1895 (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 1883) and was renamed Mossman in 1899.
Mossman Central Sugar Mill commenced crushing on 23 August 1897.
Mossman River State School opened on 31 January 1898 under head teacher Thomas Garland. It was renamed Mossman State School in 1910. A secondary department was opened on 1 February 1955, which operated until a separate Mossman State High School opened on 30 January 1973.
The establishment and subsequent growth of Cairns and the completion of the Cairns Railway up through the Barron Gorge in 1891 gave a more direct gateway to the hinterland but, at this period, it was found that the Mossman district contained suitable land for sugar-growing. The establishment of the sugar mill at Mossman formed the nucleus of the town, which grew at the expense of Port Douglas.
The district was served by two separate 2-foot (610 mm) gauge tramway systems. Both at one time handled passengers and general goods, as well as sugar cane. Mossman district owes its present prosperity to these tramways which pioneered the first reasonable transport in the neighbourhood, for trafficable roads followed later.
In June 1905, tenders were called to erect a Catholic church in Mossman. On Sunday 21 January 1906, St Augustine's Catholic church was consecrated by 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 ...
James Murray in the presence of several hundred spectators.
On Thursday 16 March 1911, a cyclone hit Mossman and Port Douglas doing considerable damage. In Mossman, over 80 people were homeless and the Catholic and Anglican churches were destroyed.On Sunday 11 February 1912, a new St Augustine's Catholic Church was opened by Bishop Murray. It was in Junction Road (approx ), opposite the Mossman Butchery Company (established in 1927 at 3 Junction Road, ). As the population of Mossman grew, there was a desire to build a Catholic school, but the Junction Road site did not have the space, so a new site was purchased in Grogan Street. On Sunday 29 April 1934, 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 the new St Augustine's complex at Grogan Street, consisting of a presbytery, a combined church and school building, and a convent. The architect was Vibert McKirdy Brown. St Augustine's Catholic School opened with 70 students, with the initial teachers being Sisters Mary Agnes, Gabriel, Cecelia and Pius of the Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...
. On 30 January 1977, a new hexagonal-shaped St Augustine's church opened on the Grogan Street site with the former church being converted into school classrooms.
During 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 ...
, Mossman was attacked in a Japanese air raid on 31 July 1942. A single flying boat dropped a bomb that fell near a house and injured a child.
Mossman State High School opened on 30 January 1973.
Mossman Library opened in 1977.
At the , the town of Mossman had a population of 1,740.
Prior to 2008, Mossman was the seat of 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 ...
. In 2008, the Shire of Douglas was amalgamated into 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. ...
, which was administered from both Cairns and Mossman. In 2014, the Shire of Douglas was de-amalgamated from Cairns Region and reinstated as Shire of Douglas.
In the , the locality of Mossman had a population of 1,937 people.
Heritage listings
Mossman 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:
* Johnston Road: Mossman District Hospital
Mossman District Hospital is a heritage-listed public hospital at Johnston Road, Mossman, Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Hill & Taylor and built by J J Riley. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 1 ...
* 2 Front Street: Exchange Hotel (formerly Daintree Inn)
* 3 Foxton Avenue: St David's Anglican Church
* 8–14 Mill Street: Mossman Shire Hall and Douglas Shire Council Chambers
Mossman Shire Hall and Douglas Shire Council Chambers is a heritage-listed former town hall at 8-14 Mill Street, Mossman, Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Hill & Taylor and built in 1937 by Tarmey & Euhus. It was a ...
* 11 Mill Street: National Bank of Australasia Building
Mossman Central Mill
Mossman Central Mill Company Limited opened in 1894 as co-operative sugar mill owned by local sugarcane farmers. The first sugarcane was crushed on 23 August 1897, the sugarcane coming from Bonnie Doon. Annie Rose fed the first sugarcane into the mill, with the mill producing its first sugar after crushing of cane for the initial season.
In 1906, Mossman Mill became the first Queensland mill to crush over of cane. That season lasted just under 8 months, extending from June 1906 to late January 1907.
Initially, sugar was transported by sea from Port Douglas, but later the sugar was taken by road to the bulk sugar terminal in Cairns.
Louis John Frederick Prince (General Manager) pioneered the use of computers for cane payment accounting and, in 1971, Mossman purchased the first process control computer used in the world sugar industry.
Education
Mossman State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 30-34 Front Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 213 students with 16 teachers (13 full-time equivalent) and 22 non-teaching staff (13 full-time equivalent).
Mossman State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at 46-62 Front Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 611 students with 62 teachers (56 full-time equivalent) and 41 non-teaching staff (31 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education
Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...
program.
St Augustine's School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Grogan Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 217 students with 16 teachers (14 full-time equivalent) and 13 non-teaching staff (6 full-time equivalent).
The Tropical North Steiner School has been approved to open in 2022; it will offer Prep to Year 3 initially.
Amenities
Douglas Shire Council
The Shire of Douglas is a local government area in Far North Queensland. It is located on the coast north of the city of Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Mossman, covers an area of , and existed as a local government entity f ...
operates Mossman Library at 14 Mill Street ().
The Mossman 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 28 Front Street ().
There are a number of churches in Mossman, including:
* St Augustine's Catholic Church, at 24B Grogan Street (), within the Mossman-Port Douglas 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 ...
*St David's Anglican Church, 3 Foxton Avenue (), within the Anglican Diocese of North Queensland
The Diocese of North Queensland is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia, founded in 1879. It is situated in the northern part of the state of Queensland, Australia. As part of the Province of Queensland, it covers the Torres Strait Isl ...
*Mossman Uniting Church, 36 Front Street ()
*Mossman Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 60 Captain Cook Highway ()
Sport
Mossman has a number of sporting clubs such as the Mossman Sharks rugby league club, Coral Coast Judo Club, Douglas United Dragons Football (Soccer) Club, A Basketball League runs out of the high school Indoor Sport Centre. There is also the Port Douglas Crocs AFL club, Mossman Gymnastics, Port Douglas and Mossman Rugby Union club, and Lady Dragons Indigenous Rugby League Football Club.
See also
* List of sugar mills in Queensland
The sugar industry is an important industry in Australia valued at $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion per annum, much of which is generated through export. Requiring a hot climate and plenty of water, sugarcane is predominantly grown in Queensland w ...
* List of tramways in Queensland
List of tramways in Queensland provides three separate lists, each in alphabetical order of the key identifier. They are:
* Non sugar cane tramways, ordered by Tramway Name as contained in Wikipedia articles.
* Sugar cane tramways, ordered by Sug ...
References
External links
*
Town information from the Sydney Morning Herald
{{authority control
Towns in Queensland
Populated places in Far North Queensland
Shire of Douglas
Queensland in World War II
Localities in Queensland