Cassowary Coast Region

The Cassowary Coast Region is a local government area in the Far North Queensland region of Queensland, Australia, south of Cairns and centred on the towns of Innisfail, Cardwell and Tully. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Cardwell and the Shire of Johnstone.

Cassowary Coast Region Queensland
Location within Queensland
Population	29,689 (2018)[1]
• Density	6.3330/km^2 (16.4023/sq mi)
Established	2008
Area	4,688 km^2 (1,810.0 sq mi)[1]
Mayor	Timothy Mark Nolan
Council seat	Innisfail
Region	Far North Queensland
State electorate(s)	Mulgrave, Hinchinbrook
Federal Division(s)	Kennedy
Website	Cassowary Coast Region
LGAs around Cassowary Coast Region: Tablelands Cairns Tablelands Cassowary Coast Region Coral Sea Charters Towers Hinchinbrook

On the Liverpool Creek near Japoonvale (between Tully and Innisfail)

The Regional Council, which administers the Region, has an estimated operating budget of A$64 million.

History

Prior to the 2008 amalgamation, the Cassowary Coast Region consisted of the entire area of two previous local government areas:

• the Shire of Cardwell
• and the Shire of Johnstone

The Hinchinbrook Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. On 28 October 1881, the Johnstone Division split away from it. On 18 January 1884, the Cardwell Division also split away.[2] With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, both Cardwell and Johnstone became shires on 31 March 1903.

In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that Cardwell and Johnstone merge. Cardwell was in particular opposed because Johnstone was rated as "financially distressed" and its council had just been sacked by the state government.[3] On 15 March 2008, the two shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect six councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council.

Mayors

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• 2008 - 2016: Bill Shannon [4][5]
• 2016 - 2020 : John Kremastos [6]
• 2020- :- Timothy Mark Nolan [7]

Wards and councillors

Although the commission recommended the council be undivided with six councillors and a mayor, the gazetted form was that of six divisions each electing a single councillor, plus a mayor.

Those elected on April 2016 were:[8]

• Mayor: John Kremastos
• Division 1 councillor: Glenn Raleigh
• Division 2 councillor: Rick Taylor
• Division 3 councillor: Wayne Kimberley
• Division 4 councillor: Mark Nolan
• Division 5 councillor: Jeff Baines
• Division 6 councillor: Ben Heath

Towns and localities

The Cassowary Coast Region includes the following settlements:

Greater Innisfail area: Innisfail Belvedere Cullinane Eaton East Innisfail Eubenangee^1 Goondi Goondi Bend Goondi Hill Hudson Innisfail Estate Jubilee Heights Mighell Palmerston^2 Ngatjan^1 South Innisfail Sundown Webb Wooroonooran^3 Greater Tully area: Tully Birkalla Dingo Pocket Silky Oak

Cardwell area: Cardwell Carruchan Bilyana Bulgun Cardstone Carmoo Coquette Point Damper Creek Djiru East Feluga Ellerbeck Euramo Feluga Hull Heads Jarra Creek Jumbun Kennedy Lower Tully Lumholtz Merryburn Midgenoo Murray Upper Murrigal Rockingham South Mission Beach Tam O'Shanter Tully Heads Walter Hill Wongaling Beach

Johnstone area: Basilisk Bingil Bay Camp Creek Comoon Loop Coconuts Coorumba Cowley Daradgee East Palmerston El Arish Etty Bay Fitzgerald Creek Flying Fish Point Garners Beach Garradunga Germantown Gulngai Japoonvale Kurrimine Beach Maria Creeks Mena Creek Midgeree Bar Mission Beach Moresby Mourilyan Mourilyan Harbour Mundoo New Harbourline Silkwood South Johnstone Vasa Views Wangan

¹ - shared with Cairns Region
² - shared with Tablelands Region
³ - shared with Cairns Region and Tablelands Region

Libraries

The Cassowary Coast Regional Council operate public libraries in Cardwell, Tully (Dorothy Jones Library), Innisfail and Wongaling Beach.[9]

Population

The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008. The next census, due in 2011, will be the first for the new Region.

Year	Population (Region total)	Population (Johnstone)	Population (Cardwell)
1933	17,193	12,777	4,416
1947	16,611	12,265	4,346
1954	20,025	14,980	5,045
1961	20,967	15,784	5,183
1966	22,169	16,529	5,640
1971	21,614	15,878	5,736
1976	23,254	16,776	6,478
1981	25,291	17,438	7,853
1986	26,123	17,457	8,666
1991	29,066	19,184	9,882
1996	30,604	20,474	10,130
2001	30,145	19,511	10,634
2006	29,501	18,917	10,584
2016	29,585	n/a	n/a

Heritage places

As part of preparing the Cassowary Coast Planning Scheme 2014, the council consulted with the region's heritage groups to compile a list of local heritage places.[10]

References

1. "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
2. Queensland Archives. "Agency Details – Cardwell Divisional Board". Archived from the original on 16 March 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
3. Queensland Local Government Reform Commission (July 2007). Report of the Local Government Reform Commission (PDF). 2. pp. 75–79. ISBN 1-921057-11-4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 April 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
4. "2008 Cassowary Coast Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
5. "2012 Cassowary Coast Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
6. "2016 Cassowary Coast Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
7. "2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
8. Cassowary Coast Regional Council. "Councillors". Archived from the original on 19 June 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
9. "Cassowary Coast Libraries". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. 20 September 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
10. "Draft Cassowary Coast Planning Scheme 2014". Cassowary Coast Regional Council. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.

External links

• 2008 Election results – Mayoral
• 2008 Election results – Councillors
• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Cassowary Coast Regional Council
• "Cassowary Coast Regional Council: Local Heritage Places" (PDF). Cassowary Coast Regional Council. May 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.