Far North Queensland
Encyclopedia
Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australia
n state
of Queensland
. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland
area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait
. To the west lies the Gulf Country
and North Queensland
is the region to the south.
Various Government Departments and agencies have different definitions for the region. The Queensland Government Planning Department's Population Growth - The Far North Queensland Region 2005 document defines the region as an area comprising tthe Cairns Region, Tablelands Region and two Aboriginal Councils (Wujal Wujal and Yarrabah
). The Australian Bureau of Statistics
defines the region as containing most of Cape York Peninsula
(excluding the south western quarter, half way up the Gulf of Carpentaria
coast) and the Torres Strait Islands
and extending as far south as Hinchinbrook Island
and the town of Cardwell
, but excluding the city of Townsville. This larger definition is also used by other State Government agencies and also encompasses the local government areas of Aurukun, Cook, Croydon, Etheridge, and Lockhart River
, as well as the Northern Peninsula Area Region and Torres Strait Islands Region. It has a total area of 272,655.2 km².
The main population and administrative centre of the region is Cairns. Other key population centres include Cooktown
, the Atherton Tableland
, Weipa
, Innisfail
and the Torres Strait Islands
. The region also consists of many Aboriginal
and farming communities. The Bruce Highway
links southern coastal parts of the region with the rest of the state.
Significant industries include tourism, cattle grazing, agriculture (sugar cane and tropical fruits) and mining of both sand and bauxite
. Over the past few years, Far North Queensland has become increasingly known for its artistic and creative offerings, with experimental and contemporary projects happening through the work of The Upholstery, Merchants of Fine Objects, Cupcake Studio, KickArts, On Edge Festival, New Move Dance Network, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair
, and Cairns Festival. As the major urban centre in Far North Queensland, Cairns is home to cultural influences from Cape York
Peninsula and the Torres Strait
Islands, to inland communities and the Gulf of Carpentaria
and South Pacific islands. Active arts organisation include End Credits Film Club, Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns Civic Theatre, UMI Arts, JUTE Theatre, Centre of Contemporary Arts, Rondo Theatre
, Reggaetown, and Cairns Regional Gallery.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates the region's population at 30 June 2003 to have been 231,494 of which 117,531 lived in Cairns. The region contains 25.6% of the state's Indigenous
population, or 28,909 people, making up 11.8% of the region's population.
Far North Queensland is the location of the first amber
fossils to be found in Australia. The 4 million years old fossils were found on a beach in Cape York Peninsula
but were probably washed ashore after drifting with the currents for about 200 km.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n state
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland
Tropical North Queensland
Tropical North Queensland is general term referring to varying regions of the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland. The generally accepted definition is an area from about the city of Mackay north to the tip of Cape York....
area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait
Torres Strait
The Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the Australian state of Queensland...
. To the west lies the Gulf Country
Gulf Country
The Gulf Country is the name given to the region of woodland and savanna grassland surrounding the Gulf of Carpentaria in north western Queensland and eastern Northern Territory on the north coast of Australia...
and North Queensland
North Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. Queensland is a massive state, larger than most countries, and the tropical northern part of it has been historically remote and undeveloped, resulting in a distinctive regional character and...
is the region to the south.
Various Government Departments and agencies have different definitions for the region. The Queensland Government Planning Department's Population Growth - The Far North Queensland Region 2005 document defines the region as an area comprising tthe Cairns Region, Tablelands Region and two Aboriginal Councils (Wujal Wujal and Yarrabah
Aboriginal Shire of Yarrabah
The Aboriginal Shire of Yarrabah is a special Local Government Area in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, located east and southeast of Cairns on Cape Grafton. It is managed under a Deed of Grant in Trust under the Local Government Act 2004.-History:The area originally was set up as an...
). The Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
defines the region as containing most of Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
(excluding the south western quarter, half way up the Gulf of Carpentaria
Gulf of Carpentaria
The Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
coast) and the Torres Strait Islands
Torres Strait Islands
The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea but Torres Strait Island known and Recognize as Nyumaria.The islands are mostly part of...
and extending as far south as Hinchinbrook Island
Hinchinbrook Island
Hinchinbrook Island lies east of Cardwell and north of Lucinda, Queensland Australia. Hinchinbrook Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and wholly protected within the Hinchinbrook Island National Park, except for a small resort. It is the largest island on the Great Barrier Reef...
and the town of Cardwell
Cardwell, Queensland
Cardwell is a tropical coastal town in northeastern Queensland. It is located at the southern extremity of the Cassowary Coast. At the 2006 census, Cardwell had a population of 1,250. The Bruce Highway National Highway 1 and the North Coast railway line are the dominant transport routes;...
, but excluding the city of Townsville. This larger definition is also used by other State Government agencies and also encompasses the local government areas of Aurukun, Cook, Croydon, Etheridge, and Lockhart River
Lockhart River, Queensland
Lockhart River is a coastal Aboriginal community situated on the eastern coast of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. The population consists mostly of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, whose ancestors were forcibly moved to the area beginning in 1924...
, as well as the Northern Peninsula Area Region and Torres Strait Islands Region. It has a total area of 272,655.2 km².
The main population and administrative centre of the region is Cairns. Other key population centres include Cooktown
Cooktown, Queensland
Cooktown is a small town located at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs in 1770. At the 2006 census, Cooktown had a population of 1,336...
, the Atherton Tableland
Atherton Tableland
The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. It is located west to south-south-west inland from Cairns, well into the tropics, but its elevated position provides a climate suitable for dairy farming. It has an area of around...
, Weipa
Weipa, Queensland
Weipa is the largest town on the Gulf of Carpentaria coast of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Weipa had a population of 2,830; the largest community on Cape York Peninsula. It exists because of the enormous bauxite deposits along the coast...
, Innisfail
Innisfail, Queensland
Innisfail is a town located in the far north of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the major township of the Cassowary Coast and is well renowned for its sugar and banana industries, as well as for being one of Australia's wettest towns...
and the Torres Strait Islands
Torres Strait Islands
The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea but Torres Strait Island known and Recognize as Nyumaria.The islands are mostly part of...
. The region also consists of many Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
and farming communities. The Bruce Highway
Bruce Highway
The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is a part of the Australian National Highway and also part of Highway 1...
links southern coastal parts of the region with the rest of the state.
Significant industries include tourism, cattle grazing, agriculture (sugar cane and tropical fruits) and mining of both sand and bauxite
Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...
. Over the past few years, Far North Queensland has become increasingly known for its artistic and creative offerings, with experimental and contemporary projects happening through the work of The Upholstery, Merchants of Fine Objects, Cupcake Studio, KickArts, On Edge Festival, New Move Dance Network, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair
Cairns Indigenous Art Fair
Cairns Indigenous Art Fair is an arts and cultural event in the northern Australian city of Cairns that brings together Indigenous art centres, commercial and public galleries, artist collectives, studios and arts organisations to sell and exhibit the art work of Queensland’s recognised and leading...
, and Cairns Festival. As the major urban centre in Far North Queensland, Cairns is home to cultural influences from Cape York
Cape York
Cape York may refer to:* Cape York , a cape at the north-west coast of Greenland, in northern Baffin Bay* Cape York meteorite, meteorite found in 1894 near Cape York, Greenland...
Peninsula and the Torres Strait
Torres Strait
The Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the Australian state of Queensland...
Islands, to inland communities and the Gulf of Carpentaria
Gulf of Carpentaria
The Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
and South Pacific islands. Active arts organisation include End Credits Film Club, Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns Civic Theatre, UMI Arts, JUTE Theatre, Centre of Contemporary Arts, Rondo Theatre
Rondo Theatre
The Rondo Theatre, in Bath, was established in 1989 through the generosity of Doreen and Wilf Williams, who bought the former church hall from St. Saviours Church, Larkhall in 1976 and gifted the freehold to a newly formed charity, The Rondo Trust for the Performing Arts...
, Reggaetown, and Cairns Regional Gallery.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates the region's population at 30 June 2003 to have been 231,494 of which 117,531 lived in Cairns. The region contains 25.6% of the state's Indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
population, or 28,909 people, making up 11.8% of the region's population.
Far North Queensland is the location of the first amber
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
fossils to be found in Australia. The 4 million years old fossils were found on a beach in Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
but were probably washed ashore after drifting with the currents for about 200 km.
See also
- North Queensland PartyNorth Queensland PartyThe North Queensland Party is a group aspiring to become a political party in Queensland, Australia. They aim to achieve the best possible political outcomes for the North Queensland region. - External links :* * * *...
- Proposal for a new state of North Queensland
- Regions of QueenslandRegions of QueenslandThe Regions of Queensland refers to the geographic areas of the Australian state of Queensland. Due to its large size and decentralised population, the state is often divided into regions for statistical and administrative purposes. Each region varies somewhat in terms of its economy, population,...