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Babinda
Queensland
Babinda.JPG
Babinda on a typical rainy day
Babinda is located in Queensland
Babinda
Babinda
Location in Queensland
Population 1,253 (2016 census locality)
 • Density 31.40/km2 (81.3/sq mi)
Established circa 1880 - circa 1900
Postcode(s) 4861
Elevation 18.3 m (60 ft)
Area 39.9 km2 (15.4 sq mi)
Time zone AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s) Cairns Region
State electorate(s) Hill
Federal Division(s) Kennedy
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
27.66 °C
82 °F
19.92 °C
68 °F
4,279.4 mm
168.5 in
Localities around Babinda:
Wooroonooran Bellenden Ker East Russell
Wooroonooran Babinda East Russell
Mirriwinni Mirriwinni Eubenangee

Babinda is a rural town and locality in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census the locality of Babinda had a population of 1,253 people.

History

Babinda takes its name from the local Indigenous Australian language for mountain. Other sources, however, claim it is a Yidinji word for water, possibly referring to the high rainfall of the area.

Babinda State School opened on 4 November 1914.

Babinda Post Office opened by 1915 (a Babinda Creek receiving office had been open since 1891).

WW1-Babinda
World War 1 memorial, Babinda, 2006

The Babinda War Memorial was unveiled by the chairman of the Cairns Shire Council Seymour Warner on 25 April 1927.

In March 2006, Babinda was struck by Cyclone Larry, damaging up to 80% of buildings.

Heritage listings

Babinda has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Demographics

The 2006 Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics counted 1,167 persons in Babinda on census night. Of these, 49.7% were male and 50.3% were female.

The majority of residents (79.7%) are of Australian birth, with other common census responses being Italy (2.7%) and New Zealand (2.0%).

The age distribution of Babinda residents is skewed slightly higher than the greater Australian population. 70.1% of residents were over 25 years in 2006, compared to the Australian average of 66.5%; and 29.9% were younger than 25 years, compared to the Australian average of 33.5%.

Community

The local newspaper is the Innisfail Advocate. There are many different community events in Babinda. The annual Harvest Festival is celebrated in June and features some unusual events including the Sugar Bowl competition, the Gumboot Toss and the Umbrella Toss (reflecting Babinda's connection to the sugar industry and its wet weather). The festival has been running since the 1960s but did not occur in 2006 due to Cyclone Larry.

Schools

Babinda is served by Babinda P-12 State School, on Boulders Road, and St Rita's School, on Church Street.

Attractions

BabindaCreek11
Babinda Creek, as seen from The Boulders picnic area

The Boulders and Devil's Pool are popular tourist attractions. A picnic area is located nearby, beside Babinda Creek.

Transportation

Babinda is situated on the Bruce Highway. The town has a railway station for access to the long-distance train services, currently only the Spirit of Queensland for which an advance booking must be made for the train to stop in Babinda.

Climate

Babinda has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with humid and persistently wet weather. It is well known and recognised as the wettest town in Australia, with an annual average rainfall of 4279.4 mm. Monthly totals over 1000 mm are not uncommon, and sometimes, usually between January and April, whole months will go by without a single sunny day.

The wet season lasts from December to May, while the 'dry season' occurs from June to November. During the wet season, heavy monsoonal downpours occur almost daily and occasionally even heavier rain from tropical lows or cyclones occurs. Rainfall still totals well over 100mm a month during the dry season; however, is usually in the form of coastal showers, which can range from 1 or 2 millimeters, to brief 100mm+ downpours. Thunderstorms with dangerous lightning and damaging winds can be a threat from October to December; however, this threat decreases when the monsoon begins to take over in January.

Climate data for Babinda Post Office
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 30.6
(87.1)
30.4
(86.7)
29.5
(85.1)
28.0
(82.4)
26.1
(79.0)
24.3
(75.7)
23.8
(74.8)
24.9
(76.8)
26.5
(79.7)
28.0
(82.4)
29.4
(84.9)
30.4
(86.7)
27.7
(81.8)
Average low °C (°F) 23.2
(73.8)
23.3
(73.9)
22.5
(72.5)
21.0
(69.8)
19.0
(66.2)
16.7
(62.1)
15.7
(60.3)
16.2
(61.2)
17.6
(63.7)
19.6
(67.3)
21.5
(70.7)
22.7
(72.9)
19.9
(67.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 644.9
(25.39)
744.9
(29.33)
801.0
(31.54)
535.1
(21.07)
348.2
(13.71)
202.1
(7.96)
143.9
(5.67)
113.2
(4.46)
123.5
(4.86)
125.1
(4.93)
190.6
(7.50)
306.9
(12.08)
4,279.4
(168.5)
Source: bom.gov.au

Education

St Rita's School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 7-13 Church Street (17°20′35″S 145°55′21″E / 17.3430°S 145.9225°E / -17.3430; 145.9225 (St Rita's School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 22 students with 7 teachers (5 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).

Babinda State School is a government primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at Boulders Road (corner of Pollard Road, 17°20′45″S 145°54′45″E / 17.3459°S 145.9126°E / -17.3459; 145.9126 (Babinda State School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 257 students with 30 teachers (27 full-time equivalent) and 22 non-teaching staff (13 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.

Babinda Kindergarten is on Church Street and Babinda Early Learning is on Pollard Road.

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