Gordonvale

Gordonvale is a small sugar-growing town and locality situated on the southern side of Cairns in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2011 census, Gordonvale had a population of 6,214 people.GeographyGordonvale is on the Mulgrave River.Once a separate town, the urban sprawl of Cairns has resulted in Gordonvale being subsumed into the suburban extremities of Cairns. Gordonvale lies approximately 23km south of the Cairns central business district and is just east of the Gillies Range which leads to the Atherton Tableland. 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.A prominent natural landmark is Walshs Pyramid, which rises steeply to 922m.HistoryGordonvale was previously called Mulgrave and then Nelson. The name Gordonvale was settled on as a tribute to John Gordon, a pioneer in the district who was a butcher, dairyman and grazier and early director of Mulgrave Central sugarmill.The area was first settled in 1877 by the Alley and Blackwell families who cut a road through to Trinity Inlet so they could haul out cedar logs. By 1880, the road was well-used by miners and packers and they established the Riverstone Hotel to service the passing trade. After a while, a small town developed, encompassing three pubs, a store and a butcher shop run by John Gordon.