Croydon

History

The historic goldrush town of Croydon is located in the heart of the Gulf Savannah, west of Cairns. Mining in the area quickly drove out the Tagalaka people indigenous to the area. Croydon was a large pastoral holding owned by Alexander Brown and Margaret Chalmers that covered an area of approximately , when first settled in the 1880s. The town's name is derived from a pastoral run name, that was used by their sons, Alexander Brown and William Chalmers Brown, pastoralists; William Chalmers Brown was born in Croydon, England in 1841 and is buried at Toowong cemetery in Brisbane. Gold was discovered in 1885 and by 1887, the town's population had reached 7,000. Croydon Post Office opened on 20 March 1886. Croydon State School was established on 12 September 1889 but did not open until 7 July 1890. Gold was to be the main economic production of the area for four decades. The Mining Warden left in 1926 as there were too few miners left on the field. During its heyday, Croydon was the fourth largest town in the colony of Queensland. Chinese settlers moved into the Croydon area soon after the gold discovery was reported in 1885. From the earliest days of settlement they played a significant role in the viability of the isolated field by supplying fresh vegetables and fruit. They also supported the work of the miners as cooks, carriers and by working on tribute. The Chinese settlement at Croydon developed on the north west fringe of the town. This was a similar pattern to other mining towns in north Queensland. The community constructed a temple, houses and associated facilities such as pig ovens, with the temple as the central focus of the settlement. In 1917, Dr. Elkington, Director of the Division of Tropical Hygiene, Commonwealth Department of Health, was concerned…

Geography

National Highway 1 runs through from east to west. The Richmond–Croydon Road runs along part of the eastern boundary.

Most-observed species

• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  126
• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  97
• Apostlebird

  Struthidea cinerea Gould, 1837 · Aves
  86
• Brown Honeyeater

  Lichmera indistincta (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827) · Aves
  83
• Peaceful Dove

  Geopelia placida Gould, 1844 · Aves
  83
• Rainbow Bee-eater

  Merops ornatus Latham, 1801 · Aves
  81
• Torresian Crow

  Corvus orru Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  79
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  71