27/04/2026
Ravenshoe - been doing a bit of research into the naming of Ravenshoe town.
Hoe as a English name suffix derives from hoh=heel for a hill spur or sloping ridge like an inverted foot. So "hill" of the ravens.
When Francis Stubley's Evelyn pastoral run was being formalised it was split into smaller runs (which he encouraged his friends to lease, so he could get around the requirement to not have too many runs under one name). One was Ravenshoe, another Westward Ho (near Irvinebank); Red Gold to Ravenshoe by the Ravenshoe Historical Society lists Ivanhoe as another run, but that name didn't stick (probably because it was being used elsewhere in Qld). As you can see the name was definitely inspired by popular novels of his time.
Ravenshoe by Henry Kingsley featured descendants of fictitious Ravenshoe estate in Ireland. It includes a dramatic account of the Charge of the Light Brigade. First published 1861.
Red cedar became very important to Moffat who eventually bought Evelyn runs and set up a sawmill. The settlement of Cedar Creek started receiving mail ... to Cedar Creek/Ravenshoe ... that is, on the Ravenshoe Station, with the mail service ending at Wooroora Station. By 1909 the Parish of Ravenshoe was surveyed and in 1911 the town was surveyed, with a name change to Ravenshoe.
