Gordonvale was established on
Yidinji tribal land.
Yidinji (also known as
Yidinj,
Yidiny, and
Idindji) is an
Australian Aboriginal language. Its traditional language region is within the local government areas of
Cairns Region and
Tablelands Region, in such localities as
Cairns, Gordonvale, and the
Mulgrave River, and the southern part of the
Atherton Tableland including
Atherton and
Kairi. British settlement began in 1877 with William Saunders Alley and Mr Blackwell and their families who cut a road through to
Trinity Inlet so they could haul out cedar logs. It was called
Plain Camp by Alley. In the Cairns area, a Chinese businessman,
Andrew Leon, built the first sugar mill in 1882, named Pioneer Mill, and established the Hap Wah Plantation on of land. In 1890, the area became known as
Mulgrave after the Mulgrave River. However this caused postal confusion with
Nelson in
New South Wales. On 24 January 1914, the town was officially renamed Gordonvale after John Gordon, a pioneer in the district who was a butcher, dairyman and grazier, and early director of
Mulgrave Central sugar mill. In 1914, it was renamed Gordonvale State School. On 28 March 1924, it became Gordonvale Rural School. In 1963, a secondary school department was added until a separate secondary school was established in 1965. On 1 January 1965, the primary school was renamed back to Gordonvale State School. On 20 April 1916, the
Cane Beetles March commenced at
Mooliba (now
Mirriwinni). It was a
snowball march to recruit men into the
First 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. St Alphonsus Catholic School was established in Muir Street in 1923 by the
Sisters of Mercy. It was officially opened on Sunday 15 April 1923 by
Bishop John Heavey. A special excursion train was provided for people wishing to attend the ceremony. In December 1959 it was replaced by the St Michael's Catholic Primary School and the former school building became a parish hall. The Sisters of Mercy ended their involvement with the school in 1990 and it now operates under
lay leadership. Little Mulgrave State School opened on 26 July 1926 and closed on 21 February 1964. On Sunday 27 January 1935 Bishop
John Heavey officially opened and blessed the new church. The Gordonvale parish of the
Roman Catholic Vicariate Apostolic of Cooktown (now the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns) was established in 1935. During
World War II, a contingent of approximately 3,000 American paratroopers was stationed in Gordonvale and did their training there for their missions in New Guinea. The American Army commandeered some of the town's hotels to use as hospitals as many troops were injured during this training. Quite a number of local women were employed to do parachute packing. The first Gordonvale Fire Station opened in 1950 at 105 Norman Street (). The new Gordonvale Fire Station on Gillies Range Road was completed in 2017. The new site was chosen to provide better access to both the Bruce Highway and the
Gillies Highway. The Gordonvale Library opened on 19 February 1954, replacing the old School of Arts which was built in 1900. Gordonvale was located within the
Shire of Mulgrave until its amalgamation with the
City of Cairns in 1995. The city was subsequently merged into the larger
Cairns Region in 2008. Emmanuel College opened in
Manunda on 29 January 1986. In 2002, Emmanuel College closed and became Djarragun College in Gordonvale, a school committed to improving the educational outcomes of Indigenous students in the
Cape York Peninsula area. In 2012, the new Gordonvale Ambulance Station opened. It replaced the old ambulance station built in 1916 at 1 Cannon Street (). The old ambulance building was sold on 8 October 2013 for $405,000. On 27 October 2014, the Cairns Seventh Day Adventist School moved to purpose-built premises in Gordonvale and was renamed Cairns Adventist College. It originally opened as a primary school on 6 February 1950 in the
Cairns CBD. It later moved to premises at the Cairns Seventh Day Adventist Church at 302 Gatton Street,
Manunda. On 22 November 2018 the new Gordonvale Police Station was officially opened on Draper Road by Police Minister
Mark Ryan and Police Commissioner
Ian Stewart. The new police station cost $4.5 million and was built to serve the growing population in the corridor south of Cairns. It features Indigenous artwork "Looking to the Stars" by Gilimbaa artist Jenna Lee of the
Larrakia people. The previous police station was in Cannon Street (). ==Demographics==