The Burdekin Region was discovered by Ludwig Leichhardt in 1845 and he named the river in honour of the financiers of his expedition. In the early 1880s a sugar boom took hold in the area and then Queensland Premier, Thomas McIllwraith, named Ayr in honour of his Scottish hometown. The first run of sugar was produced at the Airdmillan Mill in 1883.
Since then the sugar industry has faced and coped with labour shortages, Royal Commissions, floods and cyclones and flourished providing the backbone of the local economy. Currently four mills process the harvest to produce in excess of 1.25 million tonnes of raw sugar each year.
The town of Home Hill was established in 1913 based on land purchased from the Inkerman Downs Station by the state government in 1911 and necessitated by the influx of new settlers.
According to current Mayor Lynn McLaughlin, the Burdekin’s greatest asset is its water. As the sugar farmers still burn their crop prior to harvesting, a common local expression and title of a history of the district is “Black Snow, Liquid Gold”.
Thanks to its reliable and plentiful water supply, the district is Australia’s premier sugar growing area and produces a notable mango crop. As well it hosts other horticultural and grazing properties.
Burdekin Shire is a Local Government Area located at 19.34 degrees South and 147.24 degrees East. It is situated in the Dry Tropics region of North Queensland, Australia, and encompasses the towns of Ayr, Home Hill, Clare, Brandon, Giru, Millaroo and Dalbeg. The district is located between Townsville and Bowen in the delta of the Burdekin River. It is also home to approximately 20 000 people.
The most significant local structure is the Burdekin River Bridge or “Silver Link”. Until 1957 there was no all weather crossing for the mighty Burdekin River and this at times caused interruptions to industry and local life. For many years the need for a high, all weather crossing of the river was debated locally and in state parliament.
The bridge, built using plate girder spans and truss spans is supported on 31 concrete piers across the river, carrying both the North Coast Rail line and the Bruce Highway.
Main Roads built the bridge with 100 men engaged on the job, commencing with the pier construction in 1947.
It was officially opened on 15 June 1957 after years of debate over whether it was needed. (Source: Media Release “QR joins in 50th birthday party for the Burdekin River Bridge” 6 June 2007) The shire also claims fantastic fishing, excellent shopping, wide tree lined streets, friendly approachable locals and a relaxed pace of life.
