The Big Gumboot - symbol of the region's rainfall

Tully
A sugar town famous for its heavy tropical rainstorms.
In an area of beautiful beaches and charming towns, Tully, with its mill and its dour main street, is essentially an inland sugar town. Add to this the town's reputation as the wettest place in Australia (it has an annual average rainfall of 4.27 metres and holds the record for the highest annual rainfall in a populated area of Australia, with 7.9 metres in 1950) and it is easy to understand why the coastal attractions of Mission Beach have captured nearly all the tourist interest in the area. Nonetheless, while the town itself has little to offer, the rainforests and turbulent waterways of the district do offer visitors excellent opportunities for white water rafting and tropical rainforest bushwalking and the town does offer backpacker hostels, hotels, motels and a caravan park. It is also proximate to Mission Beach, for those who want to investigate the coastline.

Located 1557 km north of Brisbane, the Tully area was first settled in the early 1870s when James Tyson's nephews tried to grow sugar as well as raise cattle.

Tyson was a remarkable man. The son of a female convict who had been transported for theft (his father, a free man, had travelled to Australia on the same ship as his mother) he made his fortune on the Bendigo goldfields as a butcher and by the time of his death in 1898 owned pastoral properties in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland with a total acreage of 5 329 214. For five years he was a member of the Queensland Legislative Council during which time he only made one short speech.

In 1872 the river running through the area was named after William Alcock Tully who was the under-secretary for public lands and chief commissioner of crown lands in Queensland at the time. In 1935 the river was dammed for hydro-electricity and it is now a major supplier of electricity for both Cairns and Townsville.

Tully (originally known as Banyan) was surveyed as early as 1883 but, at that time, the town was not built. It was not until 1924, when the government decided to build a sugar mill in the area, that thesettlement began to grow. The mill was completed in 1925 the same year that the town was formally gazetted. At the time it was the largest mill in Australia.

Today, Tully is one of the main sugar-producing regions of Queensland with more than 22,000 ha of sugar cane extending from the Kennedy Valley in the south to Feluga in the north. The harvest season is usually from June to mid-November each year with approximately 1.8 million tonnes of cane crushed at the Tully Sugar Mill. During this time the mill operates seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and employs close to 220 full-time, and 80 additional seasonal staff.

Another major industry in the district is bananas, with about 5000 ha of land in the area devoted to the crop. It is, in fact, the largest local, and regional, employer, with many seasonal positions filled by young people on working holidays, making it something of a working backpacker destination. About 8.5 million cartons of bananas, with a wholesale valuie of $200 million are exported out of the district each year.

Things to see:  

The Hotel Tully in the main street

Tully Visitor and Heritage Centre
The Visitor Centre, located on the Bruce Highway, has a display on the development of Tully and comprehensive information on the town and the entire region, tel: (07) 4068 2288.

Golden Gumboot
In an attempt to draw visitors to the town, Tully has added its own icon to the list of Australia's 'Big Things.' It takes the form of a giant gumboot, situated in a garden bed and adorned with an oversize fiberglass green tree frog clinging to the lip of the boot. The idea for the giant gumboot relates to the fact that Tully and its regional neighbours, Babinda and Innisfail, occupy a strip of land which is considered the wettest in Australia and one of the wettest in the Southern Hemisphere. These three towns kept a close eye each year on which of them received the highest rainfall, prompting ABC rural reporter, David Howard, in the mid-1970s, to suggest an annual media award for the 'winning' town, to be called the Golden Gumboot. Cheekily pre-empting the disputed title, Tully has, in typical Australian fashion, made a humorous monument of what some may consider one of its failings.

In fairness, it does hold the record for the highest annual rainfall in a populated area of Australia, with 7.9 metres in 1950. It is no coincidence that this is the height of the gumboot, which features a mechanical rain gauge running from the heel to the lip of the boot. Inside is a spiral staircase leading to a viewing platform which enables photography of the sugar mill. Along the walls are photos of past floods.

The Boot is located at Tully's Bus Transit Centre, Banyan Park, at the entrance to Tully's main street.

Tully Sugar Mill
Tours of the town's sugar mill are offered in the harvesting season (between June and November) and can be arranged through the Visitor Centre (see above).

Mount Tyson
The lookout at Mount Tyson offers panoramic views of Tully, the islands and most of the shire with its patchwork of cane fields and banana plantations.

Tully Falls
The famous Tully Falls can only be seen by entering the Tully Gorge National Park via Ravenshoe. The river, which is only 115 km long drops dramatically off the escarpment and consequently has become a favourite place for white water rafting.

Bushwalking the World Heritage Rainforests
There are over 150 km of walking trails in the world heritage-listed wet tropical rainforests of the Tully Valley. The trails are interconnected with three long-distance options and a range of shorter routes, all with varying degrees of difficulty.

Tully Gorge Forest Park and White Water Rafting
This state park encompasses 80,600 ha of rainforest and eucalypt forest. Attractions include a number of creeks, the Tully River, scenic lookouts, a diversity of flora and fauna , bushwalking, swimming, camping and picnicking. However, Tully Gorge is perhaps best known as a site for white water rafting (grade 3 & 4 rapids). The kayaking opportunities are excellent but some of the rapids are very dangerous and thus it can only be recommended for those with a high level of technical skill or beginners under the close supervision of others who are highly experienced. Paddling in a group is essential and it is mandatory to paddle with helmets, throw bags, lifejackets and first-aid equipment. Always pull out of the water and walk past rapids that exceed your capabilities.

Those wishing to merely WATCH the rafters can find a fine vantage point over the river at Cardstone Weir (between 1 pm and 1.30 pm is the best time each day). Be sure to stick to the provided boardwalk as the rocks are slippery and the currents dangerous. The Park has other fine lookouts over the river.

Camping is permitted near the river on a large open grassy area surrounded by rainforest and a shelter shed is provided with picnic tables and barbecues, along with cold-water showers and firewood. A swimming spot is situated near the day-use area, although all swimmers should be aware that the use of the river for hydro-electricity creates strong currents and changing water levels.

The Park is 40 km from Tully and drivers should be aware the road is narrow in places and used by large tourist buses.

	Tourist Information
	Tully Information Office Bruce Hwy Tully QLD 4854 Telephone: (07) 4068 2288
	Motels
	Mons Mari Motel Bruce Hwy Tully QLD 4854 Telephone: (07) 4068 2233
	Hotels
	Hotel Tully 5 Butler St Tully QLD 4854 Telephone: (07) 4068 1044
	Mount Tyson Hotel 23 Butler St Tully QLD 4854 Telephone: (07) 4068 1088
	Caravan Parks
	Googarra Beach Caravan Park Tully Heads Tully QLD 4854 Telephone: (07) 4066 9325
	Island Coast Caravan Park Tully Heads Tully QLD 4854 Telephone: (07) 4066 9260
	Lake Heron Caravan Park East Feluga Rd Tully QLD 4854 Telephone: (07) 4068 6285
	Tropical Island Coast Caravan Park Tully Heads Tully QLD 4854 Telephone: (07) 4066 9260
	Tully Caravan Park Murray St Tully QLD 4854 Telephone: (07) 4068 2055
	Backpackers
	Tully Backpackers Hostel 19 Richardson St Tully QLD 4854 Telephone: (07) 4068 2820
	Restaurants
	Tully Country Club Tully QLD 4854 Telephone: (07) 4068 2206