Manunda is a flat suburb (0–10 metres above sea level). The southern part of Manunda is residential while the northern part contains a number of community amenities including sportsgrounds and the Cairns Cemetery (also known as Martyn Street Cemetery). In-between is a commercial/industrial estate flanking Anderson Street.[3]
On 11 January 1939 at the Lands Office in Cairns the Queensland Government auctioned 11 town lots of between 30 and 39 perches (760 and 990 m2) between Little Street and the cemetery.[5]
The Cairns Seventh Day Adventist School opened on 6 February 1950 in the Cairns CBD. It later[when?] moved to premises at the Cairns Seventh Day Adventist Church at 302 Gatton Street, Manunda. On 27 October 2014, the school moved to purpose-built premises in Gordonvale and was renamed Cairns Adventist College.[6][7]
Cairns West State School opened on 28 January 1964 with an initial enrolment of 211 students.[6] However, its official opening by Education Minister Jack Pizzey did not take place until 6 February 1965.[11]
Cairns School of the Air opened in 1972 with 11 students. It provided lessons via HF radio to primary school students in remote locationsto supplement their studies by correspondence with the Correspondence School based in Brisbane. It was located at the Cairns Base of the Royal Flying Doctor Service at Edge Hill. By 1986, it had 280 students being taught by nine teachers. The opening of Schools of the Air in Charters Towers and Longreach reduced the number of remote students being supported from Cairns, but the school's role was expanded to support itinerant students (e.g. children of seasonal workers, carnival workers, etc.). In 1990, it was renamed Cairns School of Distance Education. In 1993, the school moved to a purpose-built facility in Hoare Street, Manunda, and by 1995 had expanded its services to support pre-school students (Prep year not having been introduced in Queensland by that time) and secondary students to Year 10, later[when?] expanding to Year 12.[13]
Emmanuel College opened in Manunda on 29 January 1986.[6] In 2002, Emmanuel College closed and became Djarragun College in Gordonvale, a school committed to improving the educational outcomes of Indigenous students in the Cape York Peninsula area.[14][15]
Manunda Library opened in 1991 and underwent a major refurbishment in 2007.[16]
On 4 February 1991, Trinity Bay Centre for Continuing Secondary Education was established, conducting night classes at Trinity Bay State High School.[6]
Cairns Revival Fellowship Church was built from brick in 1994. It was built from brick.[17]
The Lakes Church of Christ was built in 1995.[18][19]
Cairns Flexible Learning Centre opened in 2006.[20]
Demographics
In the 2016 census, Manunda had a population of 5,390 people.[21]
In the 2021 census, Manunda had a population of 5,191 people.[1]
Cairns School of Distance Education is a government primary and secondary (Early Childhood-12) school for boys and girls at 62 Hoare Street (16°55′25″S145°45′03″E / 16.9235°S 145.7507°E / -16.9235; 145.7507 (Cairns School of Distance Education)).[22][26] It provides distance education to students without access to local schools in remote areas in Far North Queensland (an area of more than 300,000 square kilometres (120,000 sq mi)). It also supports students who are overseas, travelling, or unable to attend local schools for medical reasons. It also supports students who are attending local schools to study subjects that are not taught at their local school.[27] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 2,166 students with 123 teachers (114 full-time equivalent) and 45 non-teaching staff (34 full-time equivalent).[24] It includes a special education program.[22]
Cairns Regional Council operates a library service in Manunda, located in the Raintrees shopping Centre.[33]
St Francis Xavier Catholic Church is on the corner of Atkinson and Mayer Streets. It is within the Cairns West Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns.[34]
^"MANUNDA AND MANOORA". The Courier-mail. No. 491. Queensland, Australia. 26 March 1935. p. 6. Retrieved 28 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Past principals". Trinity Bay State High School. 4 June 2019. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
^"History". Cairns West State School. 9 April 2020. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.