Innisfail Water Tower

The Innisfail Water Tower, located on a hill at East Innisfail, is symbolic of the prosperity of the town. The shire council began planning a water scheme in 1926, and in 1930 the Sub-department of Irrigation and Water Supply prepared plans, before applying for funding in 1932. At that time, unemployment relief schemes provided work during the Depression. The Innisfail Water Supply Scheme involved the extraction of water from the Johnstone River, a filtration plant, a low level pumping plant, and a 100,000 gallon tank on Mellick’s Hill at East Innisfail. The project included the provision of electricity to the pumping and filtration plants from the shire’s power station. Tenders were called for the various stages of the project, and local company, the Van Leewen Brothers, were awarded the contract for the water tower at a cost of £ 5186. The brothers had arrived in Innisfail from Baan, Holland, in 1918, and were responsible for a number of major construction projects in town, including the Hotel Grand Central, Queen’s Hotel, Bank of New South Wales, Commonwealth Bank and Shire Hall.