Guide to Gordonvale Queensland Australia

Gordonvale is an old sugar town on the Mulgrave River, 23 kilometres south of Cairns. It sits in a sea of cane fields at the foot of Walsh’s Pyramid, a strikingly symmetrical peak that dominates the southern approach to the city. The town centre has kept its heritage character, and it is the starting point for the winding road up to the Atherton Tableland.

Known For

• Walsh’s Pyramid and its annual race
• A heritage sugar town on the Mulgrave River
• Gateway to the Gillies Range and Goldsborough Valley

The Bruce Highway bypasses the centre, which is laid out around Norman Park, a shady square with a bandstand, surrounded by timber pubs, old shopfronts and churches. The sugar mill, which has been crushing cane here since 1896, stands on the edge of town, and in the season from June to November its chimneys steam day and night.

Things To Do in Gordonvale

Walsh’s Pyramid

At 922 metres, the Pyramid is claimed to be the highest free-standing natural pyramid in the world. A rough track climbs straight up its northern ridge to the summit, a hard return walk of about six kilometres that takes most people five to six hours, with no water or shade. Each August, runners race from the town to the top and back in the Great Pyramid Race.

Mulgrave River and Goldsborough Valley

The Mulgrave River has clear, sandy swimming holes close to town. Further upstream, the Goldsborough Valley, in Wooroonooran National Park, has a riverside campground, picnic areas and a walking track to Kearneys Falls.

The Gillies Range Road

The Gillies Highway leaves Gordonvale and climbs 800 metres to the Tableland in 19 kilometres, through more than 260 bends. It is the most direct route to Yungaburra, Lake Tinaroo and Atherton, and a memorable drive in its own right.

Cane Toad History

In 1935 about a hundred cane toads from Hawaii were brought to the sugar research station near Gordonvale and bred for release, in the hope that they would control cane beetles. They failed to do so and have since spread across northern Australia. A sign in town records the episode.

Local Museum

The settlers museum on the main street has displays on the sugar industry, the Chinese and Italian communities and the early families of the Mulgrave valley.

Where To Stay

Gordonvale has a couple of old hotels with rooms, a motel and a caravan park.

Most visitors stay in Cairns, half an hour north, and call in on the way to the Tableland or to Babinda and its boulders, 35 minutes further south.

Eat & Drink

The pubs around Norman Park serve counter meals on wide verandahs, and the main street has a bakery, cafes and takeaway shops. Roadside stalls nearby sell bananas, pawpaws and other tropical fruit.

History

Gordonvale is the country of the Malanbarra Yidinji people. Settlers arrived in the 1870s, and the town was first known as Mulgrave and then Nelson before being renamed in 1914 after John Gordon, a pioneer butcher and dairyman. The opening of the cooperative sugar mill in 1896 secured its future. Workers from China, the Pacific Islands, Italy and later many other countries cut the cane by hand until mechanical harvesters took over in the 1960s.

Getting to Gordonvale

Drive south from Cairns on the Bruce Highway for about 25 minutes. Buses run from the city, and long-distance trains and coaches stop in the town.