Ravenshoe, Queensland

Ravenshoe is on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland. It is located south west of the regional centre, Cairns. At above sea level, Ravenshoe is the highest town in Queensland, with Queensland's highest pub "The Ravenshoe Hotel" (formerly the "Tully Falls Hotel" until 2014) and highest railway station. It also has the Millstream Falls, the widest waterfall in Australia. Traditionally the main industry in Ravenshoe was timber, but since 1987, when the government made of surrounding rainforest world heritage listed, the main industries have been tourism, beef and dairy farming. == History ==

The traditional owners of the land in the Ravenshoe district are the Jirrbal people who speak a dialect of the Dyirbal language. By 1912, Ravenshoe had a store, a school, the Club Hotel and a population of 1,000 people. The timber industry was by now supplying Queensland maple (Flindersia brayleyana), oak (Argyrodendron peralatum) and black walnut (Endiandra globosa). Geraldton Road State School opened in 1916 via Ravenshoe. It closed in 1960. Chilverton State School opened on 31 July 1916 "via Ravenshoe". It closed in 1 July 1956. Ravenshoe Methodist Church was officially opened on Saturday 29 May 1920, the first church to be erected in Ravenshoe. It was built from timber and was and could seat 80 people. It cost £390. It was at 13 Moore Street (). After the closure of the church some time after 1975, the building was relocated to 592 Wooroora Road to be incorporated into a house. Horse Shoe Bend State School (sometimes written as Horseshoe Bend State School) opened in 1917 under head teacher Mary Ellen Duffy. It closed in 1925 due to low student numbers. The school reopened in 1929 and closed on 1 August 1952. It was at 182 Glendinning Road (). It is no longer extant, but was at 12280 Kennedy Highway (). The school was at 620 Tully Falls Road (). Roads connected Ravenshoe with Atherton and Innisfail by 1936. On Sunday 14 November 1937, Feetham returned to officially open and dedicate the church. It was built from timber. On Sunday 6 June 1937, St Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church was officially opened and blessed by Bishop John Heavey. It was and built from timber. In the 1970s, it was relocated to enable the construction of a new church building, which was made from concrete blocks. The old church building was then used as a school building. In World War II as part of the Atherton Project, tent encampments were established by the Australian Army (6th and 7th Divisions) near Ravenshoe, Wondecla and Wongabel. By 1949, there were three sawmills, two hotels, two cinemas, a guest house and two churches. St Barnabas' School was established in 1953 by the Bush Brotherhood of St Barnabas. Reginald Halse, Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane unveiled a plaque on 27 September 1952 to mark the site of the new school, a block of land in anticipation of the school offering agricultural subjects. It closed on 31 October 1990. Tully Falls State School opened on 9 August 1953. It closed on 31 December 1955. The railway service from Atherton to Ravenshoe closed in 1988, following the designation of the Wet Tropics of Queensland as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses was built in 1990. The Ravenshoe Library opened in 1992 and had a major refurbishment in 2017. Ravenshoe became national news after a vehicle ran into a gas cylinder at the Grigg Street 'Serves You Right Cafe' on 9 June 2015. In the resulting explosion and fire 20 people were hospitalised, 8 critically injured. Two people, the manager of the cafe and an 82-year-old Silver Valley resident, later died from their burns. there were still 7 people listed as critical with burn injuries. Five of them were females aged 43, 51, 59 and 75, and three males aged 56, 59 and 69. All were treated in Brisbane, while the driver of the vehicle that caused the explosion, with a broken spine and burns, was also listed as critical and treated in Cairns. == Demographics ==

In the , the locality of Ravenshoe had a population of 1,442 people, while the town of Ravenshoe had a population of 860 people. In the , the locality of Ravenshoe had a population of 1,400 people. In the , the locality of Ravenshoe had a population of 1,332 people. == Education ==

Ravenshoe State School is a government primary and secondary (Prep–12) school for boys and girls. The school has two campuses; a primary (Prep–6) campus at 10 Ascham Street () and a secondary (7–12) campus at Moore Street (). It includes a special education program operating at the Moore Street campus. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 385 students with 45 teachers (41 full-time equivalent) and 39 non-teaching staff (24 full-time equivalent). St Teresa's School is a Catholic primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 6 Moffatt Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 103 students with 12 teachers (9 full-time equivalent) and 10 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 94 students with 11 teachers (9 full-time equivalent) and 9 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent). == Amenities ==

Ravenshoe has a butcher, bakery, supermarkets, two cafes, several craft shop, a post office, a medical centre, a newsagency, a chemist, a hardware store, two pubs, two tyre shops, two salons, four fuel outlets, two caravan parks, a laundromat, bank branches, two real estate agencies and three schools and a community kindergarten. The Ravenshoe Millstream Country Club has a 9-hole golf course which is claimed to be the highest golf club in Queensland. Camping and caravan accommodation are available on site, for casual golfers. The Tablelands Regional Council operate a public library at 24 Moore Street. The Ravenshoe branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at 15 Herbert Street. St Teresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church is on the south-east corner of Moore Street and Moffat Street (). It is within the Ravenshoe Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns which is administered from the Malanda Parish. St Barnabas Anglican Church is at 18 Moore Street (). Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses is at 13 Tully Falls Road (). == Attractions ==

Natural attractions Ravenshoe is located close to waterfalls, crater lakes, swamps, water holes, rainforests and historical landmarks. There is also a diverse variety of plants and animals, including 12 species of possum, 8 species of kangaroo and abundant bird life. In 2005, Malaan National Park was declared over forests which were previously known as Dirran State Forest. Bushwalking Misty Mountain Wilderness trails are a network of extensive walking tracks that traverse Tully Gorge National Park and Wooroonooran National Park. There are bushwalks to the Millstream Falls as well as Little Millstream Falls. Steam railway From time to time, a steam train runs between Ravenshoe and the nearby town of Tumoulin, carrying locals and tourists to and from the local markets. Other attractions Ravenshoe has a number of galleries and creative industries, reflecting the nature of the locals. The Windy Hill Wind Farm owned by Queensland Government's Transfield Services Infrastructure Fund (together with the Koombooloomba hydroelectric dam) generates enough electricity to power several towns. == References ==