Lakeland, Queensland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lakeland Queensland
Lakeland Downs
Lakeland Location in Queensland
Population	333 (2021 census)
• Density	0.07028/km2 (0.1820/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4871
Area	4,738.0 km2 (1,829.4 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	78.5 km (49 mi) SW of Cooktown 248 km (154 mi) NNW of Cairns 1,902 km (1,182 mi) NNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Shire of Cook
State electorate(s)	Cook
Federal Division(s)	Leichhardt
Localities around Lakeland: Laura Cooktown Rossville Palmer Lakeland Bloomfield Dedin Groganville Hurricane Desailly Spurgeon Mount Carbine

Lakeland is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Lakeland had a population of 333 people.

Geography

Lakeland is a small farming centre on the Cape York Peninsula. It is at the junction of the main Peninsula Developmental Road (which is paved all the way from Cairns to Lakeland), and the Mulligan Highway.

It contains a hotel, a cafe, and roadhouse and a small store. The main products are peanuts, maize, sorghum and cattle, coffee, tea and tropical fruits.

History

The village is named for William Lakeland who was one of the earliest prospectors of Cape York Peninsula.

Demographics

In the 2011 census, the locality of Lakeland had a population of 227 people.

In the 2016 census, the locality of Lakeland had a population of 299 people.

In the 2021 census, the locality of Lakeland had a population of 333 people.

Heritage listings

Stone pitching at Nuggety Gully, 2014 (mobile phone in lower left for scale)

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

• Mareeba Mining District (15°58′39″S 144°55′58″E / 15.9776°S 144.9328°E / -15.9776; 144.9328 (Nuggety Gully (heritage site))): Nuggety Gully Water Race and Chinese Camp

Economy

At Lakeland, most of the irrigation water comes from farm dams. Licenses are required to extract surface or bore water for irrigation purposes. In 2012 there were 16 licenses to impound water in the Normanby catchment, with most occurring in the Lakeland area. Many of the dams are located on small creeks. Honey Dam is the largest and is located on Bullhead Creek, which flows into the Laura River. Dams are only permitted to store wet season run off.

The main products are cattle and cropping, including bananas.

Education

Lakeland State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls on the corner of Peninsula Developmental Road and the Mulligan Highway (15°51′25″S 144°51′24″E / 15.8569°S 144.8568°E / -15.8569; 144.8568 (Lakeland State School)). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 17 students with 2 teachers and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).

Cooktown orchid - Dendrobium bigibbum. Queensland 2008

There is no secondary school in Lakeland. The nearest government secondary school is Cooktown State School in Cooktown to the north-east. Given the distances involved, distance education and boarding school are other options.

Environmental

The Lakeland Agricultural Area Water Quality Monitoring Program is a project to work with landowners to monitor water quality.

Northern quoll - Dasyurus hallucatus. Queensland, 2009

In 2016 the Queensland Government purchased Springvale Station, a 56,295-hectare (139,110-acre) property situated in the east of the locality. Springvale Station was purchased to add to the State's protected area network and complement activities being taken to reduce sediment run-off entering the Normanby River catchment that flows into Princess Charlotte Bay and the Great Barrier Reef. The Department of Environment and Science contracted Cape York Natural Resource Management (Cape York NRM) to work with Traditional Owners, Griffith University, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and erosion, water quality and vegetation scientists to develop the Springvale Erosion Management Plan.

Springvale Station Nature Refuge provides important habitat for endangered or vulnerable flora and fauna including the Cooktown orchid, ghost bat, northern quoll, red goshawk, spectacled flying-fox, spotted-tailed quoll, Semon's leaf nosed bat and large eared-horseshoe bat. There is no public access on the Nature Refuge.

Amenities

Lakeland Coffee House and Store, 2014

Lakeland has a hotel, a cafe, and roadhouse and a hardware store.

Attractions

James Earl Lookout is off the Mulligan Highway, 14.7 kilometres (9.1 mi) SSE of the town (15°58′30″S 144°49′44″E / 15.9751°S 144.8289°E / -15.9751; 144.8289 (James Earl Lookout)).

See James Earl for more information regarding the lookout namesake.

Transport

Lakeland Airport (YLND) is located north of the township, beside the Mulligan Highway.