| Mourilyan Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The Mourilyan sugar mill after Cyclone Larry | |||||||||||||||
  Mourilyan | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 17°34′S146°03′E / 17.567°S 146.050°E /-17.567; 146.050 | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 509 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4858 | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Cassowary Coast Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Hill | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Kennedy | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Mourilyan is a town andlocality in theCassowary Coast Region,Queensland, Australia.[2][3] It was established around the Mourilyan sugar mill which provided much of the employment in the area until it was destroyed byCyclone Larry on 20 March 2006. In the2021 census, the locality of Mourilyan had a population of 509 people.[1]
The town is located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south ofInnisfail on theBruce Highway.
Construction of the Mourilyan sugar mill began in 1882, rendering it among the oldest in Australia. Excavation of the site was undertaken mainly byKanakas, with assistance from Chinese and Anglo-Saxon labourers. After its completion in 1884, the mill had a processing capacity of 14 tonnes of sugar per 12-hour shift.[4]
In 1913, the Colonial Sugar Refining Company (nowCSR) began purchasing sugar refined at the mill. Mourilyan remained a small settlement, growing only very slowly since.
Mourilyan Post Office opened by September 1910 (areceiving office had been open from 1884 when the mill opened).[5]
Mourilyan is prone totropical cyclones; in 1918, a cyclone caused serious damage to the mill and surrounding community, having a drastic effect on sugar production in that year.[citation needed]
The Mourilyan parish of theRoman Catholic Vicariate Apostolic of Cooktown (now the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns) was established in 1935. It is now merged with theInnisfail andSouth Johnstone parishes.[6]
In 1986,Cyclone Winifred also caused substantial damage to the area.[citation needed]
In March 2006Cyclone Larry caused substantial damage to many households in the area, and destroyed the town's main source of employment. A major effort by theAustralian Defence Force helped restore Mourilyan Primary School to functioning capacity. Insurance payouts have helped to repair residential and commercial properties.[7]
In the2006 census, the town of Mourilyan had a population of 424 people.[8]
In the2016 census, the locality of Mourilyan had a population of 571 people.[9]
In the2021 census, the locality of Mourilyan had a population of 509 people.[1]
Mourilyan's main attraction is the Australian Sugar Industry Museum,[10] which contains several relics from North Queensland's extensive sugar farming history. It also serves as a gateway toMourilyan Harbour,Etty Bay andParonella Park.
Mourilyan State School opened on 29 January 1908 and as of July 2017, educates 167 students from Prep to Year 6.[11][12]
Christ the King Catholic Church is at 10 Harbour Road. It is within the Innisfail Parish of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Cairns.[6]
