The Johnstone Shire - a perspective
Location
The Johnstone Shire covers an area of 1,634 kmē and is located in Tropical North Eastern Queensland, Australia. The major town in the Shire is Innisfail located approximately 90 kilometres south of Cairns. The Shire extends from Eubenangee Swamp in the north to Mission Beach in the south, and west approximately 35km up the Palmerston Highway, and incorporating the Barnard Islands of the Great Barrier Reef to the east.
Climate
Johnstone Shire has a wet, tropical environment receiving an average 3500mm of rainfall each year. Localised flooding occurs during a distinct wet season, with a single monsoon season during the summer months. The average minimum temperature for the Shire is 19.1 degrees, with an average maximum temperature of 27.9 degrees.
Soils, Geology and Landscape Features
Processes contributing to the geological formation of the Shire have occurred over a period of 400 million years. Erosion, seismic activity and volcanic activity have been the dominant processes in the formation of the geological landscape. This activity has resulted in the deposition of basalt, alluvial and beach materials, which have subsequently influenced the range and nature of soils in the Shire. Elevation in the Shire varies from below sea level to 1175 metres.
Flora and Fauna
The Shire has immense biodiversity value due to the wide array of flora and fauna indigenous to the area. Endangered, vulnerable, rare, and common flora and fauna exist throughout the Shire, with one of the most notable being the Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii). Approximately 50% of the land area of the shire is world heritage listed.
Land Use
The Johnstone Shire Planning Scheme of 1997 identifies five broad land uses in the Shire, these being conservation, rural conservation, economic development, rural and urban. In the year 2000, 51% of the Shire was zoned as Conservation, 12% as Rural Conservation, 35% as Rural, 1% as Economic Development, and the remaining 1% as Urban.
Demography
At the time of the 1996 census, the Johnstone Shire had a population of 19,780 people, with estimations and predictions indicating the 2000 population to be approximately 20,505 people, approximately 45% of whom reside in the urban centre of Innisfail (the sewered area).
