Gordonvale is a rural sugar-growing town and locality situated on the southern side of Cairns in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Gordonvale had a population of 6,944 people. Geography Gordonvale lies approximately south of the Cairns central business district and is just east of the Gillies Range which leads to the Atherton Tableland. The locality is bounded to the south-east by the Mulgrave River. The land is generally flat and low-lying (approx above sea level), but on the eastern, southern and western boundaries of the locality the land begins to rise sharply as the locality is surrounded by mountainous terrain formating part of a number of ranges: Islet Hills to the north-west, Lamb Range to the south-west, Bellenden Ker Range to the south, and Thompson Range to the east. The predominant land use in the locality is growing sugarcane. The town of Gordonvale is on the Mulgrave River and is on the south-eastern edge of the locality. The Mulgrave Sugar Mill is on the western side of the town in Gordon Street. The Bruce Highway enters the locality from the south-east (Aloomba), bypasses the town centre to the west and then proceeds north to exit to Wrights Creek. The North Coast railway line enters the locality from the south-east (Aloomba), passes through the town and then travels north through the locality to exit to Wrights Creek. The town is served by the Gordonvale railway station which is located immediately adjacent to the sugar mill. The Kamma railway siding is just prior to the exit to Wrights Creek. The former Meringa railway station in the centre of the locality has been abandoned. There is an extensive network of cane tramways through the locality and beyond that deliver harvested sugarcane to the Mulgrave Sugar Mill. History Gordonvale was established on Yidinji tribal land. Yidinji (also known as Yidinj, Yidiny, and Idindji) is an Australian Aboriginal language. Its traditional language region is within the local government areas of Cairns Region and Tablelands Region, in such localities as Cairns, Gordonvale, and the Mulgrave River, and the southern part of the Atherton Tableland including Atherton and Kairi. British settlement began in 1877 with William Saunders Alley and Mr Blackwell and their families who cut a road through to Trinity Inlet so they could haul out cedar logs. It was called Plain Camp by Alley. By 1880, the road was