Mourilyan is a town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was established around the Mourilyan sugar mill which provided much of the employment in the area until it was destroyed by Cyclone Larry on 20 March 2006. In the , Mourilyan had a population of 571 people.

Geography

The town is located south of Innisfail on the Bruce Highway.

History

Construction of the Mourilyan sugar mill began in 1882, rendering it among the oldest in Australia. Excavation of the site was undertaken mainly by Kanakas, with assistance from Chinese and Anglo-Saxon labourers. After its completion in 1884, the mill had a processing capacity of 14 tonnes of sugar per 12-hour shift. In 1913, the Colonial Sugar Refining Company (now CSR) began purchasing sugar refined at the mill. Mourilyan remained a small settlement, growing only very slowly since. Mourilyan Post Office opened by September 1910 (a receiving office had been open from 1884 when the mill opened). Mourilyan is prone to tropical cyclones; in 1918, a cyclone caused serious damage to the mill and surrounding community, having a drastic effect on sugar production in that year. The Mourilyan parish of the

Roman Catholic Vicariate Apostolic of Cooktown 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 ...

(now the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns) was established in 1935. It is now merged with the Innisfail and

South Johnstone South Johnstone is a rural town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Johnstone had a population of 413 people. Geography South Johnstone is in North Queensland, approximately south-west of Innisfai ...

parishes. In 1986,

Cyclone Winifred Severe Tropical Cyclone Winifred was the worst tropical cyclone to make landfall in northern Queensland and the first since Althea in 1971 to inflict significant damage on the northeastern coast of Australia. The sixth named storm of the 1985– ...

also caused substantial damage to the area. In March 2006 Cyclone Larry caused substantial damage to many households in the area, and destroyed the town's main source of employment. A major effort by the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Forc ...

helped restore Mourilyan Primary School to functioning capacity. Insurance payouts have helped to repair residential and commercial properties. At the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

, Mourilyan had a population of 424 people. At the , Mourilyan had a population of 571 people.

Attractions

Mourilyan's main attraction is the Australian Sugar Industry Museum, which contains several relics from North Queensland's extensive sugar farming history. It also serves as a gateway to

Mourilyan Harbour Mourilyan Harbour is a coastal locality and harbour within the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Mourilyan Harbour had a population of 156 people. Geography The locality of Mourilyan Harbour is a coastal area bounded by th ...

, Etty Bay and

Paronella Park Paronella Park is a heritage-listed tourist attraction located at Mena Creek, Queensland, Australia, south of Cairns. It was designed and built between 1929 and 1935. History Paronella Park was built in the 1930s by José Paronella (ca.188 ...

Education

Mourilyan State School opened on 29 January 1908 and as of July 2017, educates 167 students from Prep to Year 6.

Amenities

Christ the King Catholic Church is at 10 Harbour Road. It is within the Innisfail Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns.

References

External links

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Mourilyan

Town map, 1979
{{authority control Towns in Queensland Populated places in Far North Queensland Cassowary Coast Region Localities in Queensland