Sugar cane being transported to Victoria Mill

Ingham (including Forrest Beach and Lucinda)
Major sugar growing and processing centre.
Located 111 km north of Townsville and 1482 km from Brisbane, Ingham is basically a sugar town. Set 29 km from the mouth of the Herbert River and 14 m above sea level the town is the administrative capital of the Hinchinbrook Shire.

Although the surrounding area supports beef cattle and a number of tropical crops it is sugar which clearly predominates. The flat lands between the coast and the mountains are criss-crossed with narrow gauge tramways which bring sugar into the crushing mills and Victoria Mill, which belches smoke into the hot tropical air during the cutting season, is reputed to be the largest sugar mill in the Southern Hemisphere.

The area around Ingham was first explored by George Dalrymple (his full name was George Augustus Frederick Elphinstone Dalrymple) who, after publishing Proposals for the Establishment of a New Pastoral Settlement in North Australia in 1859, began to explore and open up the northern part of Queensland. He explored from Rockhampton to Bowen in 1859. In 1864, after exploring further north, he established Cardwell on Rockingham Bay as a port for the inland pastoral stations.

Dalrymple had a passionate appreciation for the beauty of the landscapes he explored. He wrote of the Ingham area: 'that river winding far below, like a silver snake out of the gorges of its upland birthplace, through mountain-flanked rich woodlands and plains. Further to the eastward, it spreads out into the distant level seaboard of Halifax Bay with its faint blue lines of ocean dotted with the hilly outlines of the Palm Islands far to the seaward, all softened and mellowed by the gauze–like summer heat haze of the declining day, the setting sunbeams shining deep purple on the distant crenated peaks of Hinchinbrook, and the chain of mountains to the North and South. Most grand and lovely in its scenery is this vale of Herbert.'

The first settlement of Ingham occurred in 1865 when the Vale of Herbert Station was established by Henry Stone near Abergowrie. But it was sugar not cattle which was to be the vital element in Ingham's growth. In 1872 the Gairloch Sugar Mill was built and two years later William Bairstow Ingham took up a 700 acre sugar plantation which was called Ings.

William Ingham, who had been educated at Oxford, was only 32 at the time. He was however a person who attracted great admiration from all who knew him. When the town was surveyed in 1875 it was named Ingham after a petition was submitted by the local residents. Ingham met an untimely end three years later when, according to one survivor, he was roasted and eaten by the natives on Brooker Island off the coast of Papua New Guinea.

By 1880 the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. had acquired interests in the Ingham area. At the time it was still legal to bring Kanakas from the south Pacific to work on the cane fields. When the immigration policy changed in the early 20th century the area experienced an influx of Italian workers.

The Italians have made a significant contribution to the life of Ingham and even today the cemetery bears witness to their importance in the area. The first Italians arrived in Ingham in 1891 and they were followed by continuous immigration (much of it being relatives and friends) between 1900-19. A further major period of immigration occurred between the wars.

Things to see:  

The Cemetery and the Victoria Mill
There is an interesting round trip which seems to reveal much of Ingham in a little more than half an hour. Head out of town on the Forrest Beach road, drive past Menzies Street, and then turn into Sir Arthur Fadden Drive (they don't hide their politics here). About 3 km out of town is a cemetery which is probably unique in Australia. The large Italian community have built elaborate mausoleums which make the local cemetery look more like a city in miniature than a conventional graveyard.

Italian gravestones at the Ingham Cemetery

Beyond the cemetery is the Victoria Mill. The mill is operational from June to November during which time it crushes nearly 2 million tonnes of sugar.

The other mill in the area, Macknade Mill, was built in the early 1870s and is the oldest sugar mill in the southern hemisphere. Unfortunately neither mill offers tours to the public.

Lee's Hotel
Another interesting little highlight of Ingham is Lee's Hotel. During World War II it was actually drunk dry by American servicemen celebrating the Coral Sea victory. Some sources argue that this was the original inspiration for the famous song 'The Pub with No Beer'.

Wallaman Falls and Mount Fox
Visitors wishing to explore the hinterland should make the trip to the Wallaman Falls and Mount Fox. It is 61 km to Mount Fox and 51 km to Wallaman Falls. These were once dirt roads used by loggers. Today all but about 10 km is sealed. At Wallaman, which are spectacular and beautiful, there is a zigzag path which goes down through tropical rainforest to the bottom of the falls.

Mount Fox is a dramatic extinct volcano which rises 365 metres above the surrounding countryside. Enthusiasts can climb the cone. There is a depression at the top but it retains no water. The appearance of the mountain is one of dryness and bareness.

Forrest Beach
Forrest Beach is a small seaside settlement about 20 km from Ingham. It currently has a population of around 1300 and a range of facilities for visitors. Forrest Beach is popular during summer months. It has stinger-resistent nets in place during this time as the presence of stingers is one of North Queensland's enduring summer problems.

The world's longest offshore sugar loading facility

Lucinda
Similarly Lucinda has a pleasant view out to sea from the parks near the Caravan Park. The bulk sugar loading facility is so long that on a hot day when there is a heat haze it can be difficult to see the end of the jetty. At 5.76 km long it has the distinction of being the world's longest offshore sugar loading facility.

	Tourist Information
	Queensland National Parks & Wildlife Service Hinchinbrook Area Office P.O. Box 1293 Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4777 2822
	Tourist Information Centre 21 Lannercost St Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4776 5211
	Motels
	Herbert Valley Motel Bruce Hwy Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4776 1777 Rating: ***
	Ingham Motel 62 Townsville Rd Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4776 2355 Email: motelingham@primusonline.com.au Rating: ***
	Hotels
	East Ingham Hotel 49 Herbert St Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4776 2377
	Forrest Beach Hotel/Motel Ash St Forest Beach Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4777 8700
	Leešs Hotel 58 Lannercost St Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4776 1577 Rating: *
	Lucinda Point Hotel/Motel Halifax Rd, Lucinda via Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4777 8103
	Royal Hotel 46 Lannercost St Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4776 2024
	Station Hotel 91 Cartwright St Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4776 2076
	Victoria Hotel/Motel 68 Herbert St Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4776 1166
	Apartments
	Wilbury Holiday Apartments Forest Beach Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4777 8755
	Caravan Parks
	Forest Beach Caravan Park Forest Beach Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4777 8806
	Palm Tree Caravan Park Bruce Hwy Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4776 2403 Rating: **
	Taylors Beach Caravan Park 91 John Dory St Taylors Beach Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4777 8560
	Wanderers Lucinda Holiday Park Lucinda via Ingham Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: 1800 629 450
	Restaurants
	Double Happy Chinese Restaurant 90 Herbert St Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4776 3170
	Haven Restaurant 83 Lannercost St Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4776 2227
	Ingham Chinese Restaurant 68 Lannercost St Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4776 3522
	Mediterranean Restaurant 92 Cartwright St Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4776 3570
	Sweeney's Restaurant 37 Townsville Rd Ingham QLD 4850 Telephone: (07) 4776 1323