Mount Peter is a

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. ...

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 , Mount Peter had a population of 92 people.

Geography

Despite its name, the locality of Mount Peter is predominantly flat farming land (30–40 metres) nestled in the foothills of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

in the south and western edge of the locality. The principal crop is

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 ...

. There is also a quarry in the southern part of the locality. 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 Na ...

and the North Coast railway line (immediately parallel and north-east of the highway) form the north-east boundary of the locality. A cane tramway delivers harvested sugarcane to the

Mulgrave Sugar Mill The Mulgrave Sugar Mill is a sugar mill in Gordonvale, Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. It commenced operations in 1896. It is operated by MSF Sugar, a subsidiary of the Mitr Phol Group. It is also known as Mulgrave Central Mill. History ...

in neighbouring

Gordonvale Gordonvale is a rural sugar-growing town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality situated on the southern side of Cairns, Queensland, Cairns in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Gordonvale had a populati ...

; the tramway is part of north-south corridor through the Cairns urban area enabling sugarcane grown in the Barron River delta north of Cairns to reach the mill. Due to continuing population growth in Cairns, Mount Peter has been identified as a priority urban growth corridor for Cairns with a master plan developed for 1582 hectares of land for development as 18,500 homes for approximately 40,000 people.

History

Mount Peter is situated in the Yidinji traditional Aboriginal country. Sikh temple, Bruce Highway, Mount Peter, Cairns, 2016

The locality of Mount Peter is presumably named from the mountain of the same name in neighbouring

Lamb Range Lamb Range is a locality in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Lamb Range had a population of 0. Geography The locality takes its name from the mountain range Lamb Range. The locality that lies to the west of most of the south ...

, which in turn may have been named after Peter Petersen who established a sugarcane plantation in the area in about 1897. In May 1904, Petersen and his son Henry discovered gold on their property. They managed to mine the gold and keep it secret until 1915. By 1932 there were 40 people mining the gold field. The last mine to close was the Talisman Mine in 1985. In 1983, the first Sikh temple in Queensland was established in Mount Peter on the Bruce Highway. Mackillop Catholic College opened in 2016 for students in Prep to Year 3, planning to expand from Prep to Year 12 in a number of years.

References

External links

{{Cairns Region Cairns Region Localities in Queensland