Babinda
Queensland
Babinda on a typical rainy day
Babinda is located in Queensland
Babinda
Babinda
Coordinates17°20′32″S 145°55′25″E / 17.3422°S 145.9236°E / -17.3422; 145.9236 (Babinda (town centre))
Population1,253 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density31.40/km2 (81.33/sq mi)
Establishedcirca 1880 - circa 1900
Postcode(s)4861
Elevation18.3 m (60 ft)
Area39.9 km2 (15.4 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)Cairns Region
State electorate(s)Hill
Federal division(s)Kennedy
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
27.66 °C
82 °F		 19.92 °C
68 °F		 4,279.4 mm
168.5 in
Localities around Babinda:
Wooroonooran Bellenden Ker East Russell
Wooroonooran Babinda East Russell
Mirriwinni Mirriwinni Eubenangee

Babinda is a rural town and locality in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2016 census, the locality of Babinda had a population of 1,253 people.[1]

Geography

Babinda is located 60 kilometres (37 mi) south of Cairns.

The town is noted for its proximity to Queensland's two highest mountains Mount Bartle Frere (Queensland's highest peak) and Mount Bellenden Ker.

Babinda and Tully annually compete for the Golden Gumboot, an award for Australia's wettest town. Babinda is usually the winner, recording an annual average rainfall of over 4,279.4 millimetres (168.48 in) each year.[4]

History

Babinda takes its name from the local Indigenous Australian language for mountain.[5] Other sources, however, claim it is a Yidinji word for water, possibly referring to the high rainfall of the area.[2][6]

Babinda State School opened on 4 November 1914.[7] Initially occupying temporary premises, the school's first permanent site was 24-34 Church Street (17°20′33″S 145°55′17″E / 17.34241°S 145.92151°E / -17.34241; 145.92151 (Babinda State School (1916-1969))), now Babinda Swimming Pool and adjacent properties.[8] In 1963, it expanded to offer secondary schooling to Year 10. The school relocated to its present site in Boulders Road in 1969, although it continued to use some facilities on the old site until 1973. In 1983, the school expanded to offer secondary schooling to Year 12.[9]

Babinda Post Office opened by 1915 (a Babinda Creek receiving office had been open since 1891).[10]

The Babinda Sugar Mill opened on 15 September 1915. It closed on 23 February 2011.[11]

On 20 April 1916, the Cane Beetles March commenced at Mooliba (now Mirriwinni). It was a snowball march to recruit men into the Australian Imperial Force during World War I at a time when enthusiasm to enlist had waned after the loss of life in the Gallipoli campaign. The march began at Mooliba with 4 men, passing through Babinda, Aloomba, Gordonvale, and Edmonton, and ending in Cairns 60 kilometres later with 29 recruits.[12][13]

Babinda Presbyterian church was officially opened on 5 November 1916 by Reverend S. Mitchell.

On Sunday 18 March 1917, Bishop John Heavey laid the foundation for Babinda's Catholic Church. Heavey returned on Sunday 15 July to dedicate the church.[14]

On 10 March 1918, a cyclone badly damaged the town with some reports saying that no building was left standing.[15][16][17] An entire train at the railway station was blown over.[18] Both the Presbyterian and Catholic churches were "blown to pieces".[19][20]

On Sunday 16 March 1919, the new Presbyterian Church was officially opened by the Reverend Fixter.[21]

On Sunday 9 July 1922, Heavey officially opened and blessed the rebuilt Catholic church.[22]

World War 1 memorial, Babinda, 2006

The Babinda War Memorial was unveiled by the chairman of the Cairns Shire Council Seymour Warner on 25 April 1927.[23]

The Babinda Parish of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Cooktown (now the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns) was established in 1934.[24]

The Babinda Public Library building opened in 1955.[25]

In March 2006, Babinda was struck by Cyclone Larry, damaging up to 80% of buildings.[26]

In the 2006 census, the locality of Babinda had a population of 1,167 people. Of these, 49.7% were male and 50.3% were female.[27] The majority of residents (79.7%) were of Australian birth, with other common census responses being Italy (2.7%) and New Zealand (2.0%).[27] The age distribution of Babinda residents was skewed slightly higher than the greater Australian population. 70.1% of residents were over 25 years in 2006, compared to the Australian average of 66.5%; and 29.9% were younger than 25 years, compared to the Australian average of 33.5%.[27]

At the 2011 census, the town recorded a population of 1,068.[28]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Babinda had a population of 1,253 people.[1]

Heritage listings

Babinda has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Media

The local newspapers are The Cairns Post or the Wet Tropic Times.

Education

St Rita's School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 7-13 Church Street (17°20′35″S 145°55′21″E / 17.3430°S 145.9225°E / -17.3430; 145.9225 (St Rita's School)).[31][32] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 22 students with 7 teachers (5 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[33]

Babinda State School is a government primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at Boulders Road (corner of Pollard Road, 17°20′45″S 145°54′45″E / 17.3459°S 145.9126°E / -17.3459; 145.9126 (Babinda State School)).[31][34] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 257 students with 30 teachers (27 full-time equivalent) and 22 non-teaching staff (13 full-time equivalent).[33] It includes a special education program.[31]

Babinda Kindergarten is on Church Street and Babinda Early Learning is on Pollard Road.

Amenities

Babinda Public Library, 2018

The Cairns Regional Council operates a public library in Babinda at 24 Munro Street.[35]

The Babinda branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the QCWA Hall in School Road.[36]

St Rita's Catholic Church is at 15 Church Street. It is within the Babinda Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns and is administered from Innisfail.[24]

The Babinda Munro Picture Theatre operates Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Events

There are many different community events in Babinda. The annual Harvest Festival is celebrated in October and features some unusual events including the Sugar Bowl competition, the Gumboot Toss and the Umbrella Toss (reflecting Babinda's connection to the sugar industry and its wet weather). The festival has been running since the 1960s but did not occur in 2006 due to Cyclone Larry.[37][38][39]

Attractions

Babinda Creek, as seen from The Boulders picnic area

The Boulders and Devil's Pool are popular tourist attractions. A picnic area is located nearby, beside Babinda Creek.

Babinda Rotary Park is on Howard Kennedy Drive (17°20′48″S 145°55′35″E / 17.3467°S 145.9264°E / -17.3467; 145.9264 (Babinda Rotary Park)).[40] It provides free camping for up to 3 days.[41]

Transportation

Babinda is situated on the Bruce Highway. The town has a railway station for access to the long-distance train services, currently only the Spirit of Queensland for which an advance booking must be made for the train to stop in Babinda.[42]

Climate

Babinda has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with humid and persistently wet weather. It is well known and recognised as the wettest town in Australia, with an annual average rainfall of 4279.4 mm. Monthly totals over 1000 mm are not uncommon, and sometimes, usually between January and April, whole months will go by without a single sunny day.

The wet season lasts from December to May, while the 'dry season' occurs from June to November. During the wet season, heavy monsoonal downpours occur almost daily and occasionally even heavier rain from tropical lows or cyclones occurs. Rainfall still totals well over 100mm a month during the dry season; however, it is usually in the form of coastal showers, which can range from 1 or 2 millimetres, to brief downpours of 100mm or more. Thunderstorms with dangerous lightning and damaging winds can be a threat from October to December; however, this threat decreases when the monsoon begins to take over in January.

Climate data for Babinda Post Office
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30.6
(87.1)		 30.4
(86.7)		 29.5
(85.1)		 28.0
(82.4)		 26.1
(79.0)		 24.3
(75.7)		 23.8
(74.8)		 24.9
(76.8)		 26.5
(79.7)		 28.0
(82.4)		 29.4
(84.9)		 30.4
(86.7)		 27.7
(81.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 23.2
(73.8)		 23.3
(73.9)		 22.5
(72.5)		 21.0
(69.8)		 19.0
(66.2)		 16.7
(62.1)		 15.7
(60.3)		 16.2
(61.2)		 17.6
(63.7)		 19.6
(67.3)		 21.5
(70.7)		 22.7
(72.9)		 19.9
(67.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 644.9
(25.39)		 744.9
(29.33)		 801.0
(31.54)		 535.1
(21.07)		 348.2
(13.71)		 202.1
(7.96)		 143.9
(5.67)		 113.2
(4.46)		 123.5
(4.86)		 125.1
(4.93)		 190.6
(7.50)		 306.9
(12.08)		 4,279.4
(168.5)
Source: bom.gov.au[43]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Babinda (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Babinda – town in Cairns Region (entry 1081)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  3. ↑ "Babinda – locality in Cairns Region (entry 48502)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  4. ↑ Geiger, Dominic (14 December 2016). "Bets on Babinda in race to record rainfall gold". Mackay Mercury. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  5. ↑ (31 October 2001). What's in a name? – 3 Archived 8 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  6. ↑ Babinda Archived 10 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Cairns Connect. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  8. ↑ "Town of Babinda" (Map). Queensland Government. 1971. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  9. ↑ "History". Babinda State School. 19 February 2020. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  10. ↑ Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  11. ↑ Bain, Lee. "Mill Memorabilia Project Report: Babinda Sugar Mill 1915 - 2011" (PDF). Babinda Information Centre. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  12. ↑ Clarke, Harry (24 April 2015). "'Cane Beetles March' mobilised farmers from Babinda to Cairns to join Australian Imperial Force in WWI". The Cairns Post. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  13. ↑ "CAIRNS NEWS". Daily Standard. No. 1011. Queensland, Australia. 1 April 1916. p. 5 (SECOND EDITION). Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ↑ "Dedication". Cairns Post. Vol. XXX, no. 2867. Queensland, Australia. 14 July 1917. p. 4. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ↑ "Cyclone March 1918". Harden Up - Protecting Queensland. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  16. ↑ "CYCLONE DAMAGE AT BABINDA". The Northern Herald. Vol. XXI, no. 261. Queensland, Australia. 4 April 1918. p. 30. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ↑ "ANOTHER QUEENSLAND CYCLONE". Casino and Kyogle Courier and North Coast Advertiser. Vol. 14, no. 20. New South Wales, Australia. 13 March 1918. p. 2. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ↑ "BABINDA ALMOST BLOWN AWAY". Kalgoorlie Miner. Vol. 24, no. 5980. Western Australia. 15 March 1918. p. 3. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ↑ "THE RECENT CYCLONE". The Dalby Herald. Queensland, Australia. 30 March 1918. p. 3. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ↑ Waddell, A. Moffatt (September 1979). "1918 Cyclone" (PDF). Bulletin. Mulgrave Shire Historical Society. 20. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  21. ↑ "Babinda Presbyterians". Cairns Post. Vol. XXXII, no. 3304. Queensland, Australia. 13 March 1919. p. 4. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. ↑ "Blessing Babinda Church". Cairns Post. Vol. XXXV, no. 4311. Queensland, Australia. 8 July 1922. p. 4. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  23. ↑ "Babinda War Memorial". Monument Australia. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  24. 1 2 "Babinda Parish". Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  25. ↑ "Queensland Public Libraries Statistical Bulletin 2016-2017" (PDF). Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. November 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  26. ↑ "Larry's catastrophic toll". The Courier-Mail. 20 March 2006. Archived from the original on 26 June 2006. Retrieved 21 March 2006.
  27. 1 2 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Babinda (Cairns City) (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  28. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Babinda (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  29. ↑ "Babinda Hotel (entry 602189)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  30. ↑ "Babinda Air Raid Shelter (entry 602743)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  31. 1 2 3 "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  32. ↑ "St Rita's School". Archived from the original on 31 January 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  33. 1 2 "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  34. ↑ "Babinda State School". Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  35. ↑ "Babinda Library". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. 25 March 2015. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  36. ↑ "Branch Locations". Queensland Country Women's Association. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  37. ↑ "Babinda Harvest Festival". Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  38. ↑ "Babinda Harvest Festival". Northern Greenhouse, Cairns. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  39. ↑ "Operation Recovery Update: Issue 44" (PDF). Queensland Government. July 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  40. ↑ "Land for public recreation - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  41. ↑ "Caravans and Camping". Babinda Information Centre. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  42. ↑ Spirit of Queensland timetable Archived 10 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine Traveltrain 15 October 2018
  43. ↑ "Climate Statistics for Babinda, QLD". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
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