Ingham, Queensland

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Ingham
state = qld

---

caption = High-set houses in Ingham
lga = Hinchinbrook Shire Council
postcode = 4850
pop = 4,662 (2001 Census)
est =
elevation= 11.8
maxtemp = 29.1
mintemp = 18.8
rainfall = 2046.5
stategov = Hinchinbrook
fedgov = Kennedy
dist1 = 107
location1= Townsville
dist2 = 235
location2=Cairns
dist3 = 1437
location3=Brisbane

Ingham is a town in North Queensland, Australia. It is situated approximately 110km north of the city of Townsville and is part of the Great Green Way region of North Queensland. It is the administrative centre of Hinchinbrook Shire Council.

Ingham District

Ingham is situated on the Herbert River and has a district population of 13,000 people. Approximately 40 km west of the township is the Girringun National Park, which includes the Wallaman Falls, the highest single-drop waterfall in Australia.

Industry

Ingham is mainly known for sugar cane farming and the largest sugar mill in the southern hemisphere, Victoria sugar mill, which is owned by CSR Limited and is located close to the town. Much of the cane is transported to the mills by light tramlines ["The Tramways of the Ingham District" Verhoeven, G Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, June, 1971 pp122-131] .

*Sugar Cane
*Cattle
*Timber
*Fishing
*Tourism
*Watermelons

Lee's Hotel - Home of the Historical Original "Pub with No Beer"

Dan Sheahan's poem becomes Slim Dusty's most famous song.

In 1943, local farmer Dan Sheahan rode 20 miles to town for a beer at the Day Dawn Hotel in Ingham. Beer was rationed during the war and the American servicemen had drunk the bar dry the night before. On hearing this from the publican Gladys Harvey, and unhappy about riding home dry, Dan penned a poem that he called the “Pub without beer”.

On January 1 1944, the NQ Register published the poem in Ben Bowyangs column.

In 1956 songwriter Gordon Parsons was handed a scrap of paper at the Taylors Arms Hotel in NSW with the poem as an “anonymous” verse. He revamped it and presented it as a song to Slim who recorded it on the back of “Saddle Boy” on April Fools Day 1957.

Confusion of the songs origin reigned for years until Slim acknowledged Dan’s claim in his book “The Country Mile”.

The Original Pub With No Beer was owned by the Harvey family and was partly demolished and rebuilt as Lee’s Hotel.

Recently Lee’s Hotel received Queensland Icon Status through the Queensland Heritage Trust and was formally recognized as the Original ‘Pub with no Beer’.

Australian Italian Festival

The Australian-Italian festival is held every year in Ingham. It is one of the most popular events held in Ingham, and nearly the entire of North Queensland. The Australian-Italian festival celebrates the cultural background that Ingham has, which can be dated back many years. The first Italian immigrants came to Ingham in the 1890s and today more than half the population of the town are of Italian descent.

During the second World War, the Italians in Ingham were captured and held in detention centres, until after the war, when they were released. A ceremony was held in honour of an Italian's death, through a parade in the central streets.

During the Australian-Italian festival, many Italians venture south to celebrate this famous event, marking the cultural tie between members of Ingham and Italy.

One of north Queensland’s most colourful events and winner of the North Queensland Tourism Awards the Australian-Italian Festival, will celebrate thirteen years of feasting and family fun when it takes place from 14-18 May 2008 in the township of Ingham located 1 hour north of Townsville and 2½ hours south of Cairns.

The annual festival, a tribute to the Italian heritage of the sugar-growing Hinchinbrook Shire, had its humble beginnings as an idea from a community workshop. Today the award-winning event attracts thousands of people to this culturally enriched region of Australia.

The festival presents an exciting line-up of entertainment designed to showcase the passion and vibrancy of Italian culture and traditions. The five-day event held along Ingham’s main thoroughfare, Lannercost Street, will feature fashion, food and wine and fun for the whole family.

Visitors are invited to join in the exuberant atmosphere that will permeate the town’s piazza, and “Mangiamo, Beviamo è Cantiamo” (eat, drink and celebrate) with the best in authentic Italian cuisine and an extensive range of Italian wines and beer on offer.

References

External links

* [http://www.greatgreenway.com/page.php?Region=Ingham Ingham region - Great Green Way]
* [http://www.hinchinbrooknq.com.au/ HinchinbrookNQ website]
* [http://www.hinchinbrook.qld.gov.au/ Hinchinbrook Shire Council]
* [http://www.australianitalianfestival.com.au/ Australian-Italian Festival]