Background of NQ Diocese

The Diocese of North Queensland covers the area from south of Sarina (22° parallel) to the islands of the Torres Strait and westwards to Mount Isa. There are 54 Ministry Units in the Diocese, supported by 115 licensed clergy as at February 2019.

The See City is Townsville, which has a population of approximately 200,000 people. The Diocese of North Queensland is truly a decentralised Diocese, with secondary population centres approximately 375 kilometres north and south of Townsville. These centres are Cairns and Mackay, which are themselves, centres for industry, government services and are major transport hubs. The fourth city of the Diocese is Mount Isa (850 kilometres west of Townsville).

The Diocese is located in tropical Australia. The climate is humid and hot in summer and enjoys a mild, pleasant winter. Western regions are not as humid and enjoy cooler nights.

Major industries in the Diocese comprise Mining, Mineral Processing, Sugar, Dairying, Horticulture, Beef Cattle, Tourism, Local Manufacturing and Government Services. Townsville is the home of James Cook University which also has a Cairns campus, an Education and Research Centre in Mackay and a Centre for Rural and Remote Health in Mount Isa. Mackay has a campus of Central Queensland University.

The Diocese has separately incorporated Co-educational Schools in Cairns (Trinity Anglican School), Townsville (The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James) and Mackay (Whitsunday Anglican School). The Cathedral School and Whitsunday Anglican Schools have boarding facilities.

NQ Diocese