Feluga is in a valley with a high rainfall. The land is mostly flat, 30 to 40 metres (98 to 131 ft) above sea level, but rises to 90 metres (300 ft) towards the north-west boundary with neighbouring locality Walter Hill which is mountainous terrain.[3]
The Bruce Highway is the eastern boundary of the locality. The North Coast railway line runs parallel and immediately west of the highway but there are no railway stations serving the locality. There is a network of cane tramways to deliver the harvested sugarcane to the sugar mill in Tully.[3]
History
The locality was established as a railway station as the North Coast railway line was being built in the 1920s.[5] It was named by the Queensland Railways Department on 25 November 1921, although rails were not actually laid to the station location until late 1922.[6] The name is believed to be corrupted version of a Palestinian place name El Faluje, a town which was occupied by Australian Light Horse troops (4th Brigade) on 10 November 1917.[2] By October 1923 the railway station itself and a stationmaster's residence were still under construction with the surrounding area consisting of thick undeveloped scrub,[7] but despite this a train from Innisfail visited Feluga as part of celebrations of the Innisfail Jubilee with passengers admiring the tropical scenery.[8] In December 1923 the railway line up to Feluga was officially opened.[9] Feluga railway station is now an abandoned railway station (17°52′53″S145°58′14″E / 17.8814°S 145.9705°E / -17.8814; 145.9705 (Feluga railway station (former))).[10]
Domenico Borgna settled in Feluga and established a sugar cane farm in 1923, prior to the establishment of the Tully mill, making him one of the earliest cane farmers in the region.[11] By January 1924 there was significant passenger traffic between Feluga and Innisfail.[12] As of June 1924 Feluga was the official terminus for mail being delivered on the North Coast Line although that month a request, which was approved, was submitted for mail to be delivered further north to settlers in the Banyan district by construction trains.[13] In July a report noted Feluga was likely to become a township due to being surrounded by promising farms which were likely to use Feluga as their principal railway station and a sawmill being established in its vicinity,[14] and late that month a signpost with the name was raised for the first time and the first sugar cane harvest for the Banyan took place and was processed through Feluga.[15]
Feluga Provisional School opened on 7 February 1927 with 25 students in the Feluga Hall. Circa 1934, it became Feluga State School on a new site about 300 metres (980 ft) down the road from the hall.[23][24]
Fegula Hall was destroyed in 1956 by Cyclone Agnes.[24][25]
Demographics
In the 2016 census Feluga had a population of 251 people.[26]
In the 2021 census, Feluga had a population of 306 people.[1]
Education
Feluga State School, 2023
Feluga State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Feluga Road (17°52′51″S145°57′55″E / 17.8807°S 145.9652°E / -17.8807; 145.9652 (Feluga State School)).[27][28] In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 32 students with 3 teachers (2 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[29] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 43 students with 2 teachers (1 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[30]
^"Innisfail Notes". The Northern Miner. Charters Towers, Qld. 17 October 1923. p. 4. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
^"Innisfail Jubilee". Brisbane Courier. Brisbane, Qld. 15 October 1923. p. 4. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
^"Innisfail Items". The Northern Herald. Cairns, Qld. 12 December 1923. p. 45. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
^"Who's Who in Sugar". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Townsville, Qld. 24 November 1931. p. 9. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
^"Mails to Banyan". The Northern Herald. Cairns, Qld. 11 June 1924. p. 3. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
^"Pinketies: Feluga". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Townsville, Qld. 29 July 1924. p. 5. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
^"Feluga Notes". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Townsville, Qld. 2 August 1924. p. 5. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
^"Innisfail Notes". The Northern Miner. Charters Towers, Qld. 23 June 1923. p. 7. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
^"FELUGA NOTES". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Vol. XLIII, no. 6. Queensland, Australia. 7 July 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 15 September 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Feluga Roman Catholic Church". Cairns Post. No. 10, 380. Queensland, Australia. 16 May 1935. p. 12. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Feluga Catholic Church". Cairns Post. No. 10, 424. Queensland, Australia. 6 July 1935. p. 6. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Catholic Church". The Northern Herald. Vol. 89, no. 1145. Queensland, Australia. 23 March 1935. p. 44. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
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