Yorkey's Knob

Yorkey's Knob, a coastal township, is 15 km north-west of central Cairns. The township is set behind a prominent rounded headland facing the Coral Sea. It was named after a Yorkshireman who had been an early bêche-de-mer fisherman.

Yorkey - George Lawson - took up a homestead block in the vicinity of Yorkey's Knob in 1886 and became better known for his drinking sprees than his farming. His hard-living life and occasional misadventures became legendary.

Further Reading: 

Mary T. Williams, The knob: a history of Yorkey's Knob, Yorkey's Knob, M. Williams, 1988

Headwords: 

Copyright © Centre for the Government of Queensland, 2018. All rights reserved.

UQ Logo