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Business Investment
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Welcome to the Johnstone Shire and our community.
If you are looking for a relaxed rural lifestyle, full community services, a safe environment to raise your children, work and business opportunities, then you should consider investing in our shire.
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Live the Lifestyle & Invest in Paradise
key benefits
- Affordable housing.
- Close nit supportive community.
- Excellent Tafe facilities.
- Low population density.
- Relaxed rural lifestyle.
- Close proximity to Townsville and Cairns.
- Drought resistant climate with limited water restrictions.
- Private, public, primary, secondary, inclusive education and special schools.
- Closest access to the reef and surrounded by world heritage rainforest.
- A regional center for shopping, government, administration and services.
- A revitalised CBD and main retail precinct.
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leisure & lifestyle
housing
Located on the coast the Shire offers families, retires and investors a full range of affordable housing options and a natural life style. The Shire is Far North Queensland’s best-kept secret.
education
The Shire offers private and public school educational options for pre school, primary and secondary schools students. Inclusive education, childcare, early learning centers and special schools are also available.
The Johnstone Tafe caters for students specialising in justice studies, aquaculture and business. Many students study externally or attend lectures on campus at the James Cook University in Cairns.
health & aged care
The region is well serviced by health care facilities including a large regional hospital in Innisfail that provides accident and emergency care services, medical services, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, radiography, out patient care and specialised clinics.
The hospital is currently undergoing a major multimillion-dollar refurbishment.
Other health care facilities include childcare centers, medical, centers, dentistry, physiotherapy, baby health care, ambulance station, fire station, aged care, disability services, nursing home and community care services.
government services
The Shire is a regional center for state and federal government agencies, many have local offices located in the Shire.
shopping & entertainment
Innisfail has a complete range of specialist shops and national chains for your shopping convenience.
recreation & sport
Recreation and sport plays a big part in the lifestyle of locals who enjoy riverside picnic facilities, parks, bowls clubs, gyms, the bowling ally, the library, golf courses, tennis courts, sporting fields, bush walking, water sports, the public swimming pool, the race track and the pony club.
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Business Environment
cultural activities
The Shire is home to many talented artists and cultural enthusiasts; many have formed their own special interest groups.
The Johnstone Shire Cultural Association (JSCA) is the Shire's peak community arts and cultural association. The JSCA helps the community organise an annual program of community arts, cultural and heritage events. Some of these events include Kulture Karnival, Festival Innisfail, Feast of the Senses, Fest of the Three Saints, the Innisfail Rodeo and other travelling cultural events.
agriculture
Agriculture plays a major role in the Shire’s economy and is the biggest industry and employer in the area.
The Shire has ideal growing conditions for a number of crops including sugar cane, bananas and tropical produce. The region can produce counter seasonal fruit to most other producing countries and receives significant annual rainfall.
Given the number of jobs the industry supports and the significant area of land under cultivation. It is a priority of the Shire to strengthen and maintain its agricultural industry for the future.
aquaculture
A combination of land, rainfall and closely related day and night time temperatures makes the Shire the preferred location for aquaculture investment in Queensland.
The Shire is home to the largest Barramundi Farm in Australia.
manufacturing & industrial sector
The manufacturing and industrial sector in the Johnstone Shire largely supports primary industries.
It covers a broad range of businesses from flylost plastics, commercial metal castings, transportation, cartons, agricultural chemical supplies, value added food products and bulk exports through Mourilyan Harbour.
tourism
Home of the endangered cassowary, surrounded by Wet Tropics World Heritage Rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, rolling farmlands and pristine beaches the Johnstone Shire is a must see destination for all tourists to explore.
Experience the taste sensations of one of the largest banana, sugar, seafood, fruit wine, and tropical fruit producing districts in Australia.
Take a walk back in time through the Art Deco lined streets of Innisfail.
Tourism is a growing industry in the Shire.
retail &services
Innisfail is the regional retail and service sector for the tropical coast, including the Cardwell Shire, the Hinchinbrook Shire and the Southern Tablelands area.
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Invest
future developments
In the past twelve months a trend of increasing economic activity has developed as potential business investors and residents turn their attention to our shire.
Locals and investors are positive about the Shire’s future and this is mirrored in recent economic development activities. Including the opening of national chain stores, the development of riverside luxury apartments, increases in land values and the finalisation of plans for a major tourist attraction, the Ma:Mu Canopy Walk.
Pipeline developer plans include a $12 million banana paper factory, exporting cattle through the Port of Mourilyan, an $80 million five star resort and a major retirement village development for the over 55s.
investment opportunities
shire infrastructure
- Innisfail is located along one of Australia’s major national highways, the Bruce Highway and is known as the gateway to the Gulf of Carpentaria.
- Most roads within the Shire are sealed.
- Centrally located railway station in Innisfail for passenger and freight transport.
- Innisfail Aerodrome
- Mourilyan Harbour a high quality natural harbour. The harbour exports timber, cattle and sugar.
- Johnstone Shire Tafe.
- Innisfail Hospital.
- Broadband is available at most locations within the Johnstone Shire.
regional summary
- Population 19,954.
- Predicted population growth rate 3%
- In the year ending September 2004, the Johnstone Shire recorded a 51.1% increase in new residential dwelling approvals over the previous year. A total of seventy-one approvals, 85.9% of which were for separate houses, compares to forty-seven approvals in 2003.
- Median age thirty-eight years.
- Unemployment rate 7.7%
- Distances
Cairns south to Innisfail 83 km
Townsville north to Innisfail 260 km
- Gross value of agricultural production 245.6 ($M)
- Top five Industries - number of people employed
Agriculture 24.1%
Retail Trade 13.7%
Manufacturing 11.9%
Health & Community Services 7.1%
Education 7.0%
- Education - number of people with
Degree or higher 5.8%
Diploma 3.7%
Vocational Certificate 16.8%
Other/not stated 10.3%
Not qualified 63.4%
- Number of schools eight-teen
- Mean Daily Temperature 23°C - 31°C
- Mean Annual Rainfall 4000 mm
- Mean Humidity 78%
based on 2001 Census Data
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investor contacts
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Business Entry Point (BEP) Syndication Channels
| In conjunction with the Johnstone Shire Council and the Federal Government's Business Entry Point website, this section provides visitors with up-to date and relevant government information on starting, running and growing their businesses, without having to spend time searching on numerous government websites. |
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How-to guides |
Essential business information
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What to do when you are...
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Starting a business
Ready to start? Here's information on starting a new business, a home-based business, buying a business or franchise.
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Exiting a business
Closing or selling your business? Find out about succession planning, bankruptcy, deregistering your business, employee payments.
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Helpful Shire Reports & Statistics
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