Mossman - Culture and History

It was named by the explorer George Dalrymple in 1873 after the minerals explorer Hugh Mosman. Mosman's fame is largely related to the moment when his 11-year-old Aboriginal servant, Jupiter, found gold at Charters Towers in 1872. The boom which followed the discovery did much to help the development of North Queensland.

The name of the town was changed from Mosman to Mossman to avoid confusion with the suburb in Sydney. A village was established in 1876. In 1896 the first sugarcane plantation was established in the area and the following year the Mossman sugar mill was opened.