Ingham, Queensland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ingham Queensland
Clock at Rotary park
Ingham Location in Queensland
Population	4,426 (2016 census)
• Density	109.01/km2 (282.3/sq mi)
Established	1864
Postcode(s)	4850
Elevation	11.8 m (39 ft)
Area	40.6 km2 (15.7 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	112 km (70 mi) NW of Townsville 235 km (146 mi) S of Cairns 1,443 km (897 mi) NNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Shire of Hinchinbrook
County	Cardwell
State electorate(s)	Hinchinbrook
Federal Division(s)	Kennedy
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 29.1 °C 84 °F 18.8 °C 66 °F 2,046.5 mm 80.6 in
Localities around Ingham: Hawkins Creek Hawkins Creek Gairloch Foresthome Trebonne Ingham Victoria Plantation Trebonne Toobanna Blackrock

Ingham is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Hinchinbrook, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Ingham had a population of 4,426 people. It is named after William Bairstow Ingham and is the administrative centre for the Shire of Hinchinbrook.

Geography

Ingham is approximately 110 kilometres (68 mi) north of Townsville and 1,437 kilometres (893 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane. The town is positioned about 17 km inland within the Herbert River floodplain where Palm Creek drains the low-lying lands. It is surrounded by sugar cane farms which are serviced by a number of private railways.

The North Coast railway line passes through the town, which is served by the Ingham railway station. The Bruce Highway also passes through the town.

History

Prior to European settlement, the Ingham area was inhabited by the Warakamai People.

The town was founded in 1864. It gazetted as the local government area Hinchinbrook Division in 1879, becoming the Shire of Hinchinbrook in 1903. The town is named after William Bairstow Ingham, a pioneer sugar planter on the Herbert River in 1874.

Lower Herbert Post Office opened on 1 January 1871 and was renamed Ingham in 1882.

Attractions

The town is home to the regional art gallery called TYTO Regional Art Gallery which sits alongside the TYTO Wetlands and Tiddaliks Cafe (no longer open). In the same precinct is the Hinchinbrook Shire Library. Wallaman Falls are about 40 km to the west of the town. Hinchinbrook Island is about 20 km north of Ingham.

CSR no longer owns the Sugar Mills in Ingham because they sold them to Sucrogen, an offshore-based company.

Australian-Italian Festival

The Australian-Italian Festival is held in Ingham the first weekend in August each year and is one of the most popular events in the region, with thousands of people attending the event. The festival celebrates Ingham's cultural background, dating from the 1890s, when the first Italian immigrants came to the region. More than half the population of the town are of Italian descent. The town is known as "Little Italy".

The annual festival, held at TYTO Wetlands, began as an idea from a community workshop. Many Italians visit from Italy to celebrate the event, reinforcing the cultural ties between the inhabitants of Ingham and Italy.

Heritage listings

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

• Old Bruce Highway: Gairloch Bridge
• 5 Lynch Street: Ruth Fairfax House
• 35-39 Palm Terrace: Ingham Court House

People

Notable individuals born in Ingham include:

• Sam Backo (rugby league)
• Tracey Curro (journalist)
• Francis Patrick Donovan (Ambassador)
• Greg Dowling (rugby league)
• Nick Euclid (rugby league)
• Arthur Fadden (13th Prime Minister of Australia)
• Walter Mason (author)
• Keith Payne (Victoria Cross recipient)
• Laurie Spina (rugby league)

Climate

Ingham has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am). Which like the rest of Far North Queensland has a Very humid and hot wet season that runs from November to April and a less humid and warm dry season that runs from May to October. Ingham is part of the Queensland Wet Tropics bioregion.

Cyclone shelter

Following the devastation caused by cyclone Yasi in Far North Queensland in February 2011, Ingham is one of a number of towns where a cyclone shelter was built. The Ingham cyclone shelter is capable of withstanding winds of more than 300 kilometres (190 mi) per hour, as experienced in a category five cyclone. The building serves as a multi-purpose sports facility for the Ingham State High School while in a cyclone it provides shelter for up to 800 people. The shelter was opened by Premier Campbell Newman in January 2013.

Economy

Ingham is the service centre for many sugarcane plantations, which are serviced by the two sugar mills located in the Ingham district: Victoria Sugar Mill (located approximately 6 km from Ingham), which is the largest sugar mill in Australia and one of the largest in the southern hemisphere, and Macknade Mill, which is the oldest operating sugar mill in Queensland. Both mills are owned and operated by Wilmar Sugar Australia Limited. The majority of the cane is transported to the mills by light tramlines. Once processed by the mills, the raw sugar is then transported by tramline to the bulk sugar terminal at the nearby seaside port of Lucinda and loaded onto ships for export via the longest pier in the southern hemisphere (4.75 km long).

Other industries in the Ingham area include cattle, watermelons, rice, horticulture, fishing, timber and tourism.

Education

Ingham State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls at 28 McIlwraith Street (18°39′09″S 146°09′41″E / 18.6525°S 146.1615°E / -18.6525; 146.1615 (Ingham State School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 334 students with 29 teachers (24 full-time equivalent) and 25 non-teaching staff (13 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.

Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 18 Abbott Street (18°39′14″S 146°09′33″E / 18.6538°S 146.1592°E / -18.6538; 146.1592 (Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 288 students with 20 teachers (18 full-time equivalent) and 17 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent).

Hinchinbrook Christian School is a private primary and secondary (Prep-10) school for boys and girls at 77 Halifax Road (18°38′19″S 146°10′03″E / 18.6387°S 146.1676°E / -18.6387; 146.1676 (Hinchinbrook Christian School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 13 students with 3 teachers and 0 non-teaching staff. The school also provides distance education.

Ingham State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at 12 Menzies Street (18°39′13″S 146°10′07″E / 18.6537°S 146.1686°E / -18.6537; 146.1686 (Ingham State High School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 425 students with 47 teachers (45 full-time equivalent) and 26 non-teaching staff (19 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.

Gilroy Santa Maria College is a Catholic secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at 17 Chamberlain Street (18°38′40″S 146°09′20″E / 18.6445°S 146.1555°E / -18.6445; 146.1555 (Gilroy Santa Maria College)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 291 students with 33 teachers (29 full-time equivalent) and 26 non-teaching staff (18 full-time equivalent).

Notable residents

Notable individuals born in Ingham include:

• Sam Backo (rugby league)
• Harriet Brims, (pioneer female photographer)
• David Crisafulli (Leader of the Liberal National Party and Leader of the Opposition in Queensland)
• Tracey Curro (journalist)
• Francis Patrick Donovan (Ambassador)
• Greg Dowling (rugby league)
• Nick Euclid (rugby league)
• Arthur Fadden (13th Prime Minister of Australia)
• Eric Feldt (Head of the Coastwatchers in WWII), born in Ingham
• Beryl Friday, netballer
• Joice NanKivell Loch, humanitarian worker, born in Ingham
• Walter Mason (author)
• Keith Payne (Victoria Cross recipient)
• Ted Row (politician)
• Laurie Spina (rugby league)
• Origlasso sisters (The Veronicas)

Images for kids

• 

  Architectural plans for Ingham Gaol

• 

  Hinchinbrook Shire Library

See also

In Spanish: Ingham (Australia) para niños