The Cassowary Coast Region is a local government area in the Far North Queensland region of Queensland, Australia, south of Cairns and centred on the towns of Innisfail, Cardwell and Tully. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Cardwell and the Shire of Johnstone.
The Regional Council, which administers the region, has an estimated operating budget of A$64 million.
In the 2021 census, the Cassowary Coast Region had a population of 29,157 people.
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History
Prior to the 2008 amalgamation, the Cassowary Coast Region consisted of the entire area of two previous local government areas:
Shire of Cardwell
Shire of Johnstone
The Hinchinbrook Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. On 28 October 1881, the Johnstone Division split away from it. On 18 January 1884, the Cardwell Division also split away. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, both Cardwell and Johnstone became shires on 31 March 1903.
In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that Cardwell and Johnstone merge. Cardwell was in particular opposed because Johnstone was rated as "financially distressed" and its council had just been sacked by the state government. On 15 March 2008, the two shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect six councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council.
Mayors
2008–2016: Bill Shannon
2016–2020: John Kremastos
2020–2024: Timothy Mark Nolan
2024-present: Teresa Millwood
Wards and councillors
Although the commission recommended the council be undivided with six councillors and a mayor, the gazetted form was that of six divisions each electing a single councillor, plus a mayor.
Below is the current council, elected in 2024:
Towns and localities
The Cassowary Coast Region includes the following settlements:
1 - shared with Cairns Region2 - shared with Tablelands Region3 - shared with Cairns Region and Tablelands Region
Libraries
The Cassowary Coast Regional Council operate public libraries in Cardwell, Tully (Dorothy Jones Library), Innisfail and Wongaling Beach.
Demographics
The total population recorded at each census before the foundation of the Cassowary Coast Region combines the population of its component entities prior to their amalgamation in 2008. Its population was officially recorded for the first time in the 2011 Census.
In the 2016 census, the Cassowary Coast Region had a population of 28,726 people.
In the 2021 census, the Cassowary Coast Region had a population of 29,157 people. 32.0% described their ancestry as English. This is followed by 31.9% who described their ancestry as Australian, then Irish (10.6%), Italian (10.1%) and Australian Aboriginal at 8.9%. 79.9% spoke only English at home followed by the next most common languages: 2.8% Punjabi, 1.2% Italian, 0.8% Hmong, 0.5% Bislama and 0.4% Tagalog. Indigenous Australians were listed as making up 11% of the Cassowary Coast population.
Heritage places
As part of preparing the Cassowary Coast Planning Scheme 2014, the council consulted with the region's heritage groups to compile a list of local heritage places.