History of Geraldton/Innisfail, Queensland-with Acknowledgement – Appreciation and Thanks Innisfail is a town located in the far north of the state of Queensland, Australia, which until 1910 was known as Geraldton. It is the major township of the Cassowary Coast and is well renowned for its sugar and banana industries, as well as for being one of Australias wettest towns. In March 2006 Innisfail gained worldwide attention when severe Tropical Cyclone Larry passed over causing extensive damage.[4][5] History Prior to European settlement the Innisfail area was occupied by five separate societies of the Mamu people. These Aboriginal people followed migratory lifestyles in the rainforest and traversed rivers in string-bark canoes. The first arrival of European people came in 1872 when survivors of the shipwreck, the Maria arrived on the coastal areas surrounding what is now the Johnstone River. Sub-Inspector Johnston’s search party came with the intention of rescuing remaining survivors. The crew would later venture up river between what is today Flying Fish and Coquette Points. Johnstone wrote very highly of the area, stating: A most glorious view appeared - a noble reach of fresh water, studded with blacks with their canoes and catamarans, others on the sandy beaches; deep blue fresh water expanding to an imposing breadth. Robert Johnstone (1872) Johnstone named the area after himself and upon his recommendation the explorer George Dalrymple arrived in the area in September 1873 to chart the area further. Later in 1879, Irishman Thomas Henry FitzGerald arrived in the area to establish a sugar industry. He was accompanied by large numbers of Kanaka South Sea Islanders workers accompanied by smaller numbers of Irish labourers. The house built by FitzGerald and thus the first establishment in the area was called Innisfallen, after the largest island in the Lakes of Killarney, Ireland. Banana plantations in Geraldton (now Innisfail) in 1902 From 1879, settlement was named Geraldton after FitzGerald, but in 1910 was renamed Innisfail to avoid confusion with the town of the same name in Western Australia. The Johnstone River Post Office opened on 1 November 1882 (a receiving office had been open from 1880), was renamed Geraldton two months later and Innisfail in 1910. The 1920s and 1930s saw the beginning of a major period of settlement by Italian immigrants and noteworthy populations from Greece and Malta. Later in this period populations from Yugoslavia, India and the Philippines would also settle in the area. Local rugby league footballer Kerry Boustead was the only player from outside the Sydney and Brisbane Leagues selected to represent Australia on the 1978 Kangaroo tour. Innisfail War Memorial, 2006 The Innisfail War Memorial in Jack Fossey Park on Fitzgerald Esplanade was dedicated on 16 April 2005; it commemorates those who served in all wars.[9] Today the town still boasts many good examples of the Art Deco and Streamline Modern styles of architecture.
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 06:13:21 +0000