Mount Molloy

History

Djabugay (also known as Djabuganjdji, Tjupakai) is a language of Far North Queensland, particularly the area around the Kuranda Range and Barron River Catchment. The Djabugay language region includes the land within the local government boundary of Cairns Regional Council. Mount Molloy was named after Patrick Molloy, an early teamster for a stock route and the person who discovered copper at what was to become Mount Molloy in 1885. At its height, in the 1890s, Mount Molloy was a copper mining town. It was commonly used as camping grounds, and Chinese market gardeners used to grow grain and other foodstuffs for the miners nearby. Molloy Post Office opened by July 1905; it was renamed Mount Molloy in 1982. Mount Molloy School of Arts officially opened on Monday 13 November 1905. It was . Mount Molloy Provisional School opened on 23 July 1906 at Bakers Road. By June 1907, it had enrolment of 75 students with an average daily attendance of 60 students. It became Mount Molloy State School on 1 January 1909. It was relocated on two occasions due to flooding, officially opened in 1976 at its current location. A private railway was constructed to Mount Molloy, junctioning from the Cairns to Mareeba line at Biboohra, opening in August 1908. It was built by Mount Molloy Ltd to serve its smelters. Ownership was transferred to Queensland Railways on 1 March 1917 following the liquidation of the company, and the line was extended to Rumula on 5 December 1926. The branch closed on 1 May 1964. Between 2008 and 2013, Mount Molloy (and the rest of the Shire of Mareeba) was within the Tablelands Region.

Geography

Mount Molloy lies within both the Mitchell River and Barron River water catchment areas. Nearby towns are Julatten, Mount Carbine and Mount Mulligan. Quaid Road terminates south of Mount Molloy. The town lies in the western part of the locality, with the central and eastern part protected within Kuranda National Park and the Kuranda West Forest Reserve.

Most-observed species

• Bar-shouldered Dove

  Geopelia humeralis (Temminck, 1821) · Aves
  4,756
• Rainbow Lorikeet

  Trichoglossus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1771) · Aves
  4,050
• Yellow-spotted Honeyeater

  Meliphaga notata (Gould, 1867) · Aves
  3,707
• Rufous Shrikethrush

  Colluricincla rufogaster Gould, 1845 · Aves
  3,373
• Spectacled Monarch

  Symposiachrus trivirgatus (Temminck, 1826) · Aves
  3,185
• Macleay's Honeyeater

  Xanthotis macleayanus (E.P.Ramsay, 1875) · Aves
  3,142
• Forest Kingfisher

  Todiramphus macleayii (Jardine & Selby, 1830) · Aves
  3,017
• Peaceful Dove

  Geopelia placida Gould, 1844 · Aves
  3,004