Yorkeys Knob, Queensland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yorkeys KnobCairns, Queensland |
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Yorkeys Knob Beach
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 Yorkeys Knob
Location in Queensland
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| Population | 2,794 (2021 census) | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 201.0/km2 (521/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4878 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 13.9 km2 (5.4 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Cairns Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Barron River | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Leichhardt | ||||||||||||||
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Yorkeys Knob is a beautiful coastal suburb located near Cairns in Queensland, Australia. It's known for its sandy beach and a small hill, which locals call "the knob."
In 2021, about 2,794 people lived in Yorkeys Knob. The name "Yorkeys Knob" is often seen as a bit funny or unusual because of the word "knob," which here means a rounded hill or point of land.
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Exploring Yorkeys Knob's Geography
Yorkeys Knob is a beachside area found north of the main Cairns CBD. Most of the land is quite flat, less than 10 meters above sea level. However, there's a special hill, also called Yorkeys Knob, that rises to 60 meters right on the coast at Yorkeys Point.
The northern part of the suburb, close to the ocean, is where people live. But most of the land is used for farming, especially growing sugarcane. There's also a long, sandy beach along the beautiful Coral Sea.
Farming and Fishing in Yorkeys Knob
Besides sugarcane, Yorkeys Knob is home to a special fish farm called Ponderosa. This farm covers 17 hectares and can produce a lot of fish each year. They mainly raise giant grouper fish. These fish grow quickly and are very valuable.
The suburb is surrounded by the Coral Sea to the north. Thomatis Creek is to the east, and the Captain Cook Highway forms its southern border. Half Moon Creek is to the north-west.
The History of Yorkeys Knob
Yorkeys Knob got its name from a man named George Lawson. He was a fisherman from Yorkshire, England, who lived in Cairns. He used to fish for beche-de-mer, which are sea cucumbers.
In 1886, Yorkey Lawson reported that a man and his wife went missing near Green Island. They had gone to see a shipwreck and didn't return. Lawson searched for them but couldn't find any clues.
Lawson built his home near what is now Yorkeys Knob. When he wasn't fishing, he and his sons tried farming. They grew pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and paddy melons. However, wild animals like bandicoots, pigs, and even crocodiles often ate their crops. Lawson also used the mangroves near his home to get wood and water for his beche-de-mer smoking station on Green Island.
People who live in Yorkeys Knob really love its unique name. They even stopped a developer from trying to advertise a new building project as being in "Yorkeys Beach." They wanted to keep the original name!
Education and Learning in Yorkeys Knob
Yorkeys Knob has its own primary school called Yorkeys Knob State School. It's a government school for students from Prep (the first year of school) to Year 6. Boys and girls attend this school at 26-38 Clinton Street. In 2018, the school had 252 students.
There isn't a high school directly in Yorkeys Knob. The closest government high school is the Tropical North Learning Academy. This school is located in the nearby suburb of Smithfield, to the west.
Fun Things to Do and Places to Visit
Yorkeys Knob has several places for the community to gather and enjoy activities.
Community Spaces and Services
The Yorkeys Knob Community Hall is a place where people can hold events. It's located at 58 Wattle Street and can fit up to 80 people. The Cairns Regional Council manages this hall.
The Yorkeys Knob SES Facility is also in the area. It's in the old schoolhouse at Old School Park, right next to the community hall. The SES helps people during emergencies.
Boating and Golfing Adventures
Half Moon Bay Marina is a large marina covering 3.8 hectares. It's a great spot for boats! The Yorkeys Knob Boating Club is located here. There's also a public boat ramp at the marina, managed by the Cairns Regional Council, making it easy to launch boats.
If you enjoy golf, the Half Moon Bay Golf Club is at the western end of Wattle Street. It's a challenging course with water hazards. The course is 5,129 meters long.
Beach Safety and Relaxation
The main swimming area at Yorkeys Knob beach is at the northern end of Sims Esplanade. For six months of the year, Surf Lifesaving Queensland lifeguards patrol this area. There's also a special stinger net to protect swimmers from box jellyfish. It's always safest to swim between the flags placed by the lifesavers. The beach also has barbecue areas, picnic spots, public toilets, and showers for everyone to use.
Parks to Explore
Yorkeys Knob has several lovely parks where you can relax and play:
- Haling Park
- Old School Park, at the corner of Wattle Street and Cunningham Street
- Ray Howarth Park
Amazing Wildlife in Yorkeys Knob
Yorkeys Knob is a fantastic place to spot different kinds of wildlife!
Birds and Flying Foxes
The golf club is a great spot for bird-watching. You might see masked lapwings, bush stone-curlews, different types of kingfishers, rainbow lorikeets, and even sea eagles.
Between the 12th and 13th holes of the golf course is Ray Howarth Park. This park is home to a huge group of flying foxes. In the early evenings, you can watch them fly out to find food. During the day, they hang upside down from mangrove trees and make a lot of noise! When the melaleuca trees are flowering, you'll find them eating nectar from the trees at the northern end of Sim's Esplanade.
Reptiles and Ocean Creatures
A small bush track near the State school offers a chance to see various birds, monitor lizards, and many skinks. Along the beach, you'll find pied oyster catchers, bush stone-curlews, ghost fiddler crabs, and sand-bubbler crabs.
Near the rocks at the end of the beach, keep an eye out for the beach tree skink. They scamper around the rocks looking for food. You might also spot a group of bottlenose dolphins that sometimes visit the small bay on the northern side of the groyne.
Getting Around Yorkeys Knob
Yorkeys Knob has bus services provided by Sunbus every day of the week. The normal bus, route 112, runs every hour from Monday to Sunday. This bus goes to the Smithfield shopping center, which is the closest large shopping area. From Smithfield, you can connect to bus route 120 to go to Cairns City.
There's also a direct bus service, route 113, available during busy times. This bus travels directly to Cairns in the mornings and back to Yorkeys Knob in the late afternoons.
