Ingham

Ingham is a town and locality in the Shire of Hinchinbrook, North Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre for the Shire of Hinchinbrook. At the 2011 Australian Census the town recorded a population of 4,706.GeographyIngham is approximately 110km north of Townsville and 1437km north of the state capital, Brisbane. The town is positioned about 17 km inland within the Herbert River floodplain where Palm Creek drains the low-lying lands. It is surrounded by sugar cane farms which are serviced by a number of private railways.The North Coast railway line passes through the town, which is served by the Ingham railway station. The Bruce Highway also passes through the town.HistoryPrior to European settlement, the Ingham area was inhabited by the Warakamai People.The town was founded in 1864. It gazetted as the local government area Hinchinbrook Division in 1879, becoming the Shire of Hinchinbrook in 1903. The town is named after William Bairstow Ingham, a pioneer sugar planter on the Herbert River in 1874.Lower Herbert Post Office opened on 1 January 1871 and was renamed Ingham in 1882.IndustryIngham is the service centre for many sugarcane plantations. Victoria Sugar Mill, the largest sugar mill in Australia and one of the largest in the southern hemisphere, owned by Wilmar Sugar Australia Limited, which is located close to the township of Ingham (Approx. 6km). Much of the cane is transported to the mills by light tramlines.