Mission Beach, Queensland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mission BeachQueensland |
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Mission Beach
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 Mission Beach
Location in Queensland
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| Population | 1,014 (2021 census) | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 74.56/km2 (193.1/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1914 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4852 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 10 m (33 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 13.6 km2 (5.3 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Cassowary Coast Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Hill | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Kennedy | ||||||||||||||
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Mission Beach is a coastal town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Mission Beach had a population of 1,014 people.
Geography
Mission Beach is bounded on the east by the Coral Sea. The popular tourist destination of Dunk Island lies 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) offshore.
Today, what were once separate villages have now grown such that they are considered one town, Mission Beach. The villages are, from south to north, South Mission Beach, Wongaling Beach, Mission Beach, Bingil Bay, Brooks Beach and Carmoo. Development has also begun at Garners Beach to the north.
History
In 1872 it was alleged by two sailors (Wilson and Sullivan), that the captain (Stratman) and some of the crew of the ill-fated Maria which was wrecked in a "typhoon", were killed and eaten by natives north of Tam O'Shanter Point. Survivor Thomas Ingham attests that the aborigines were initially friendly with his party until joined by another group of unfriendly natives. A group of vigilantes raided the area now called South Mission Beach and attacked a local aboriginal camp. In 1916 Ingham wrote : "Sub-Inspector Johnstone gave short-shrift to the cannibals, who had eaten the captains party, and the brutes who had speared me and taken my belt was seen to be wearing it around his head like a crown. That sealed his fate. This belt saved my life when I gave it to him. It made him a king when he crowned himself with it and bought about his demise. Sub-Inspector Johnstone gave it back to me, and I have kept it ever since." The river Louisa was renamed Maria Creek after the wreck. Johnstone River was named after Sub Inspector Johnstone.
In the early 20th century Chinese banana farmers used Aborigines as labourers in the Tully River region. Opium addiction and conflict with European settlers resulted in the Queensland government creating an Aboriginal internment centre at the present Mission Beach. Superintendent John Martin Kenny started the necessary work on 1 September 1914. There was no mission in the religious sense. The settlement had characteristics of a penal settlement.
The Hull River detention centre and superintendent's residence were destroyed in the cyclone of 10 March 1918 and were not rebuilt. Superintendent Kenny and his daughter escaped the collapsing residence and were killed by debris. The surviving Aborigines were forcefully moved to Palm Island, Queensland.
The first white settlers, the Cutten brothers, came to Mission Beach area in 1882 and settled at Bingil Bay, where they farmed mangoes, bananas, pineapples, coffee, citrus fruit and coconuts. They also manufactured their own coffee. Produce was shipped south on cargo-boats. Before this the only white people to enter this area were the timber-getters who sometimes camped on the beach and retrieved timber from the adjacent rain forests. They employed local Aborigines for their assistance in their timber hauling, paying the Aboriginal labourers with tobacco and tools. The natives were generally friendly.
In 1872 it was alleged by two sailors (Wilson and Sullivan), that the captain (Stratman) and some of the crew of the ill-fated Maria which was wrecked were killed and eaten by the natives north of Tam O'Shanter . Survivor Thomas Ingham attests that the aborigines were initially friendly with his party until joined by another group of unfriendly natives. In 1916 Ingham wrote : "Sub-Inspector Johnstone gave short-shrift to the cannibals, who had eaten the captains party, and the brutes who had speared me and taken my belt was seen to be wearing it around his head like a crown. That sealed his fate. This belt saved my life when I gave it to him. It made him a king when he crowned himself with it and bought about his demise. Sub-Inspector Johnstone gave it back to me, and I have kept it ever since." By all accounts any native that was wearing or had in their possession an item previously belonging to a survivor of the Maria was considered as a sign of guilt and revenge without trial was taken on the camp. The wreck of the Maria and its impact on the history of Mission Beach cannot be understated. The river Louisa was renamed Maria Creek after the wreck. Johnstone River was named after Sub Inspector Johnstone. Murray River was named after Inspector John Murray.
After the Cutten brothers, the Unsworths settled at Narragon Beach, the Garners came and settled at Garners Beach, and the Porter brothers settled at what the locals refer to as Porter's Creek (also called Wongaling Creek) at the south end of North Mission Beach.
Mission Beach Post Office opened on 15 December 1949.
In the 2006 census Mission Beach had a population of 515.
Demographics
In the 2016 census, the locality of Mission Beach had a population of 815 people.
In the 2021 census, the locality of Mission Beach had a population of 1,014 people.
Economy
The Mission Beach area also supports a sizeable agricultural industry, particularly the cultivation of sugar and bananas.
Education
There are no schools in Mission Beach. The nearest government primary school is Mission Beach State School in Webb Road, Wongaling Beach. The nearest government secondary school is Tully State High School in Tully to the south-west.
Amenities
Mission Beach Uniting Church is at 2224 Tully Mission Beach Road (17°52′37″S 146°05′32″E / 17.8769°S 146.0921°E). It is part of the Cassowary Coast Uniting Church.
The Mission Beach Barracudas football club fields teams that play in the local Johnstone River Football Association league.
Events
In September, Mission Beach hosts the annual Cassowary Festival. This festival was created to promote the unique wildlife of the region and to celebrate the community through music, activities and education. The town also formerly celebrated the annual aquatic festival, it has since been discontinued since 2017.
Tourism
The beach is flanked by green mountains rising just a short distance inland, and provides views out to the Family Islands. Close to shore at Mission Beach lies a shallow reef; during very low tides portions of this reef are exposed. The reef runs from the mouth of Porter's Creek at the south end of North Mission Beach almost to Clump Point, and is a popular fishing spot.
Surrounded by World Heritage rainforest on one side and the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef on the other, Mission Beach is home to many wildlife species, most notable is the cassowary. This large flightless bird can be found in the rainforest surrounding the area but appears to be thriving in spite of land clearing, traffic and predators such as wild dogs and feral pigs. Much of the area is part of the Coastal Wet Tropics Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance for the conservation of lowland tropical rainforest birds.
Mission Beach is also the mainland gateway to Dunk Island, with water-taxis shuttling day-trippers out to the island.
