 A secondary department was opened on 1 February 1955, which operated until a separate Mossman State High School opened on 30 January 1973.The establishment and subsequent growth of Cairns and the completion of the Cairns Railway up through the Barron Gorge in 1891 gave a more direct gateway to the hinterland but, at this period, it was found that the Mossman district contained suitable land for sugar-growing.The establishment of the sugar mill at Mossman formed the nucleus of the town, which grew at the expense of Port Douglas.