GORDONVALE, QUEENSLAND

---

A charming sugar milling town which lays claim to the rather dubious privilege of being the place where the dreaded cane toad was introduced to Australia. On 22nd June 1935, 102 cane toads were released near Gordonvale in the misguided belief that they would wipe out pests which were damaging the local sugar cane crops.
Location: 24 km south of Cairns.
Origin of name: the town was originally called Nelson but it was later changed to Gordonvale to honour a local pioneer, John Gordon.
Brief history: The first sugar mill in the area was the privately owned Pyramid Mill on the upper Mulgrave River which started crushing in 1885. It had failed within a decade. The Gordonvale Mill replaced it as the main sugar mill in the district. By early 1898 a railway line had been constructed between the town and the port at Cairns.
Natural features: Walsh's Pyramid Hill (volcanic core); Orchid Valley; Frankland Group National Park; Behana Gorge
Built features: Edward River Crocodile Park; localities of Fishery Falls, Deeral
Heritage features: Mulgrave Rambler and Sugar Mill (Mulgrave Rambler steam train)