Innisfail

Innisfail in a small town located in the Atherton Tablelands in North Queensland

Innisfail's Irish Heritage
The First Arrival of European people to Innisfail was in 1872, when survivors of the Maria, a shipwreck arrived here. The crew would later venture to Flying Fish Point and Coquette Point. In 1879, Thomas Henry FitzGerald established a sugar industry. He was accompanied by workers from Ireland and Kanaka South Sea Islanders. He established the first house in the area and called it Innisfallen. The Name is very important in Irish tradition, it is sung in the Irish national anthem, It is an ancient name for Ireland and it is an island in the lakes of Killarney. Originally Innisfail was called Geraldton, but it was changed in 1910 so it wouldn't confuse the town in Western Australia of the same name.

Innisfail in the 20th Century
In 1906, Patrick Leahy established a newspaper called the Johnston River Advocate which would later be called the Innisfail Advocate. In the 1920s to 1930s, the town saw a rise in Italian, Greek and Maltan immigrants. Today it has a total of 10 Heritage Listed Sites

Trivia

 * Back in the day, Chinese immigrants built the Lit Sing Gung which is now called the Innisfail Temple. It was originally for Chinese worship, but now it is open to worship of all religions.