Shire of Douglas

Shire of Douglas
Queensland

Location within Queensland
Population 14,024 (2006 census)[1]
 • Density 5.7553/km2 (14.9062/sq mi)
Established 1880 until 2008, 2014
Area 2,436.7 km2 (940.8 sq mi)
Mayor Julia Leu
Council seat Mossman
Region Far North Queensland
Website Shire of Douglas
LGAs around Shire of Douglas:
Cook Cook & Wujal Wujal Coral Sea
Mareeba Shire of Douglas Coral Sea
Mareeba Cairns Cairns

The Shire of Douglas is a local government area in Far North Queensland. It is located on the coast north of the city of Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Mossman, covers an area of 2,436.7 square kilometres (940.8 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1880 until 2008, when it was amalgamated with the City of Cairns to become the Cairns Region. Following a referendum in 2013, the Shire of Douglas was re-established on 1 January 2014.

The major industries are tourism and sugar production. Minor industries include tropical fruit and beef.

History

Map of Douglas Division and adjacent local government areas, March 1902

On 11 November 1879, the Cairns Division was one of the initial 74 divisions created under the Divisional Boards Act 1879.[2] On 3 June 1880, the northern part of Cairns Division was excised to create Douglas Division.[3]

With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Douglas Division became the Shire of Douglas on 31 March 1903.

On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Douglas merged with the City of Cairns to form the Cairns Region.

In 2012, a proposal was made to de-amalgamate the Shire of Douglas from the Cairns Region.[4] On 6 December 2012, the Queensland Minister for Local Government, the Hon. David Crisafulli, granted the people of the former Douglas Shire a vote on possible de-amalgamation from the Cairns Regional Council, even though the Queensland Treasury Corporation had calculated the costs to be too high a burden on the few ratepayers of this small Shire, and the Shire to be unviable in the long term. Despite strong opposition from many parties, on 9 March 2013 the citizens of the former Douglas shire voted in a referendum to de-amalgamate.[5] The shire was re-established on 1 January 2014.[6][7]

Towns and localities

The Shire of Douglas includes the following settlements:
  • Dedin
  • Degarra
  • Diwan
  • Ellis Beach2
  • Finlay Vale
  • Forest Creek
  • Four Mile Beach
  • Killaloe
  • Low Isles
  • Lower Daintree
  • Miallo
  • Mossman Gorge
  • Mowbray
  • Newell
  • Noah
  • Oak Beach
  • Rocky Point
  • Shannonvale
  • Spurgeon
  • Stewart Creek Valley
  • Syndicate
  • Thornton Beach
  • Upper Daintree
  • Wangetti
  • Whyanbeel
  • Wonga Beach

1 - shared with the Shire of Cook
2 - until 1995, it was part of the Shire, now it's part of the Cairns Region

Population

Year Population
1933 2,901
1947 2,493
1954 3,100
1961 3,354
1966 3,919
1971 4,072
1976 4,746
1981 5,957
1986 7,750
1991 12,440
1996 12,980
2001 13,966
2006 14,024

Chairmen and mayors

The following were the chairmen and mayors of the Shire of Douglas in its first incarnation:[8]

The following were the mayors of Shire of Douglas in its second incarnation:

References

  1. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Douglas (S) (Local Government Area)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  2. ↑ "Proclamation [Cairns Division]". Queensland Government Gazette. 11 November 1879. p. 25:1008.
  3. ↑ "Proclamation [Cairns & Douglas Divisions]". Queensland Government Gazette. 5 June 1880. p. 26:1317–1318.
  4. ↑ "A Proposal to the Minister for Local Government Hourable David Crisafulli M.P. in support of de-amalgamation of the former Douglas Shire from Cairns Regional Council" (PDF). Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  5. ↑ "Douglas Area De-amalgamation Poll – Douglas – Poll Area Summary". Electoral Commission Queensland. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  6. ↑ "De-amalgamation". Queensland Government. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  7. ↑ "Local Government (De-amalgamation Implementation) Regulation 2013" (PDF). Local Government Act 2009. Queensland Government. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  8. ↑ "Mayors of the Douglas Divisional Board" (PDF). Cairns Heritage Page. Cairns Regional Council. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  9. ↑ "OBITUARY.". The Cairns Post. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 13 July 1944. p. 1. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "Told by Telegraph.". The Cairns Post. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 17 July 1911. p. 4. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  11. ↑ "DOUGLAS SHIRE COUNCIL.". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 22 February 1909. p. 5. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  12. ↑ "2013 Douglas Shire Council – Mayoral Election". Electoral Commission of Queensland. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
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