RedCaboose

I should also note that I love the outdoors, camping etc... Innisfail still not for me.

You paint a good and not so good picture of Innisfail, which is fair enough...but it certainly does not warrant a ONE star rating ("terrible") I would think - that is unfair and unnecessary, in your quick summary in the end you are only listing the negatives. I hope you are not one of those "the glass is half empty" persons. It gave me a laugh when I read "It is very humid and it rains a lot!" - well, that happens when you are in the wet tropics :) I have heard that is nothing compared to places like Darwin in the wet season.
Council rates may be high these days but you could have mentioned that you can get a modest 3br home for 200k. So that is certainly more appealing than paying an average of $450k in Brisbane (even more closer to CBD), making an extra $25pw in rates compared to Brisbane still very appealing for those contemplating a move to Innisfail from that perspective. Anyway, your review was an interesting read, thank you.

We've have lived in numerous regional towns in North Queesland and Interstate, Innisfail has been the friendliest. Perhaps you were having a bad day or few... Certainly doesn't deserve a rating like this. We are relatively new to Innisfail, coming upto 1 year, people are very friendly here - no clickiness from what we've experienced, you must remember your dealing with real people here in Innisfail, they are regional/country folk, they will almost always return a smile or give you a helping hand, but like anywhere in any town, if your mind is closed to a certain place or thing, then you will shut out all the good stuff!
As for the rates, they are the relatively the same in all regional areas in Qld- too high many may say and perhaps they are right, but it's necessary to meet our ever growing expectations on services and facilities. You are right about Goondi being a wonderful school, our children attend Goondi school and we are proud of their attendance there.
The council services haven't been an issue for us, the staff at the Johnstone Shire hall are very helpful, including the staff at the library, they run a free story and craft time for families under 5 every fortnight, so if your new to the area with children this is a great way to start connecting.
Your also talking about a community that is still recovering from a fairly destructive cyclone, needless to say many of the rainforest trees were stripped bare and many unfortunate losses (these cyclones occur in many other places of Australia (we don't get hail up here or the regular & sudden violent storms like in SE Qld.
Logging however ceased thank goodness in the area many, many years ago. We are one of the very few areas in the world with beautfull World Heritage listed rainforest.
And last but not least, the rain - yes it does rain a fare bit here and you do get a few mosquitos (most places do) but the kids love to play in the rain, it's a wonderful experience for them and it cools us off in the summer. There would certainly be no rainforest without rain, and no cassowaries and other wonderful creatures for that matter. We don't have to water issues here like most other places in Australia, Innisfail & It's surroundings is what it is, we beleive it's a very special place in the world, there is no need to jump on a plane and go on a holiday anywhere else, you can drive in any direction for a maximum of 2 hours and experience everything Australia has to offer, including the outback, the reef, even ticker rainforests, amazing waterfalls, beautifull resort and many wildlife park experiences, you can even see the cows being milked up the road.
Your eyes need to be open.

I moved here from Melbourne when my partner got a job here so we decided to give it a go....its nearly 10 months and I totaly agree with your comments. The place just looks and feels derelict to me. We drove through Atherton the other day and stopped to have a look around and I was impressed with the place. Way better than Innisfail.