Innisfail Estate, Queensland

Innisfail Estate is bounded by the Johnstone River to the east, south and west. It is flat low-lying land, below {{Convert|10|m||abbr=}} above sea level. It is connected to Innisfail to the west across the river by the Geraldton Bridge (Geraldton being the former name of Innisfail).{{Queensland Globe|access-date=1 October 2020}}

Rocky Point is at the south-east of the locality on the Johnstone River ({{coord|-17.5166|146.05|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Rocky Point}}).{{cite QPN|28874|Rocky Point|point in Cassowary Coast Regional|access-date=18 September 2020}}

The south-western part of the locality near the bridge is suburban. The east of the locality is undeveloped wetlands. The remainder of the locality is used for agriculture, predominantly growing sugarcane.

File:Thomas Henry Fitzgerald, 1860.jpg

In 1879 Thomas Henry Fitzgerald came to North Queensland looking for locations suitable to grow sugarcane. He was impressed by the potential of the Johnstone River district. Returning to Brisbane he established a company Fitzgerald & Co with the assistance of Roman Catholic Bishop of Brisbane James O'Quinn. On 23 April 1880 he returns to the area and establishes the first sugarcane plantation (called Innisfail Estate) with its own sugar mill. The mill closed in 1885 but by then there were a number of other mills in the Johnstone River district.{{cite news|date=25 April 1934|title=SUGAR GROWING AT INNISFAIL|page=13 (MEMORIAL ISSUE)|newspaper=The Telegraph|location=Queensland, Australia|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article181875080|access-date=2 October 2020|via=National Library of Australia|archive-date=1 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001224934/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/181875080|url-status=live}}

By the 1940s there was a cane tramway through the Innisfail Estate, with a ferry connection for the tramway across the Johnstone River (approx {{Coord|-17.5078|146.0370|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|display=|name=Cane tramway ferry (site)}}) to Innisfail and from there to the sugar mill.{{Cite web|date=1943|title=Innisfail|url=https://gisservices.information.qld.gov.au/arcgis/rest/directories/historicalscans/topo_scans/topo-map-1mile-military-line-colour-innisfail-1943.jpg|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001220318/https://gisservices.information.qld.gov.au/arcgis/rest/directories/historicalscans/topo_scans/topo-map-1mile-military-line-colour-innisfail-1943.jpg|archive-date=1 October 2020|access-date=1 October 2020|publisher=Queensland Government|type=Map}}

Innisfail State High School opened on 24 January 1955 and operated until the end of 2009 at 2 Stitt Street in Mighell.{{Cite web |date=28 March 2013 |title=Local government meeting: Agenda |url=http://www.cassowarycoast.qld.gov.au/documents/1422210/41470060/2013-03-28%20-%20Agenda.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001224931/http://www.cassowarycoast.qld.gov.au/documents/1422210/41470060/2013-03-28%20-%20Agenda.pdf |archive-date=1 October 2020 |publisher=Cassowary Coast Regional Council |pages=176–180}} In 2010, it was amalgamated with the Innisfail Inclusive Education Centre (a special education facility) and Tropical North Queensland TAFE (Innisfail Campus) to form Innisfail State College using the site of the TAFE campus at Innisfail Estate.{{Cite QldSchool|access-date=18 April 2019}}{{Cite web |date=2020-04-16 |title=About us |url=https://innisfailsc.eq.edu.au/about-us |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001224940/https://innisfailsc.eq.edu.au/about-us |archive-date=1 October 2020 |access-date=2020-10-01 |website=Innisfail State College |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=20 August 2013 |title=Queensland state school - centre closures |url=https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tp/2013/5413T3241.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320144902/https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tp/2013/5413T3241.pdf |archive-date=20 March 2022 |access-date=6 April 2022 |website=Queensland Government}}

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In the {{CensusAU|2016}}, Innisfail Estate had a population of 1,338 people.{{Census 2016 AUS|id=SSC31415|name=Innisfail Estate (SSC)|accessdate=20 October 2018|quick=on}}

In the {{CensusAU|2021}}, Innisfail Estate had a population of 1,454 people.{{Census 2021 AUS|id=SAL31399|name=Innisfail Estate (SAL)|access-date=28 February 2023|quick=on}}

Innisfail State College is a government primary and secondary (Early Childhood-12) school for boys and girls at 45 Flying Fish Point Road ({{coord|-17.5159|146.0369|type:edu_region:AU-QLD|name=Innisfail State College}}).{{cite web|url=https://data.qld.gov.au/dataset/state-and-non-state-school-details/resource/5b39065c-df32-415c-994c-5ff12f8de997|title=State and non-state school details|date=9 July 2018|publisher=Queensland Government|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121065959/https://data.qld.gov.au/dataset/state-and-non-state-school-details/resource/5b39065c-df32-415c-994c-5ff12f8de997|archive-date=21 November 2018|access-date=21 November 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.innisfailsc.eq.edu.au/|title=Innisfail State College|access-date=21 November 2018|archive-date=23 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323152243/https://innisfailsc.eq.edu.au/|url-status=live}} In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 856 students with 85 teachers (81 full-time equivalent) and 57 non-teaching staff (43 full-time equivalent).{{cite web|url=http://www.acara.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/school-profile-20172c7b12404c94637ead88ff00003e0139.xlsx?sfvrsn=0|title=ACARA School Profile 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122010027/http://www.acara.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/school-profile-20172c7b12404c94637ead88ff00003e0139.xlsx?sfvrsn=0|archive-date=22 November 2018|url-status=live|access-date=22 November 2018}} It includes an early childhood developmental program, a diverse learning centre,{{cite web|url=https://www.innisfailsc.eq.edu.au/|title=Innisfail State College - Diverse Learning Centre|access-date=21 November 2018|archive-date=23 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323152243/https://innisfailsc.eq.edu.au/|url-status=live}} and a special education program.{{cite web|url=https://www.innisfailsc.eq.edu.au/|title=Innisfail State College - Special Education Program|access-date=21 November 2018|archive-date=23 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323152243/https://innisfailsc.eq.edu.au/|url-status=live}}

Although the college provides special education for primary school children, there is no mainstream primary school in Innisfail Estate. The nearest government primary school is Innisfail State School in Innisfail across the river to the west. Catholic primary and secondary schools are also in Innisfail.

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{{Cassowary Coast Region}}

Category:Cassowary Coast Region

Category:Localities in Queensland