The QLD Mossman Magistrates Court List on this page sets out the hearings scheduled at the Mossman Magistrates Court, located at 25-27 Front Street, Mossman QLD 4873, in the Shire of Douglas in Far North Queensland. The list is drawn from official Queensland court registry publications and is refreshed throughout the day, so anyone appearing in person, a solicitor preparing for a mention, a support person or a member of the media can confirm case names, courtroom allocation and scheduled times before travelling to court. Individual names are partially masked for privacy in line with responsible publishing practice, while still giving you enough detail to locate the right matter on the daily law list.
Mossman is a small sugar town on the Mossman River, roughly 76 kilometres north-west of Cairns and about 20 kilometres north of Port Douglas along the Captain Cook Highway. At the 2021 census the locality recorded a population of just 1,935 people, which places its courthouse among the smaller regional registries in the state. Despite its size, the court plays an important part in delivering local access to justice for the Douglas Shire and the surrounding communities, sparing residents the long drive to Cairns for routine matters that can be finalised closer to home.
About the Mossman Magistrates Court
The Mossman Magistrates Court forms part of the Magistrates Court of Queensland, the busiest tier of the state's court hierarchy and the level at which the overwhelming majority of legal proceedings begin. The Magistrates Court is established under the Magistrates Courts Act 1921 (Qld) and the Justices Act 1886 (Qld), and it handles both criminal and civil work within defined jurisdictional limits. Because Mossman is a regional circuit registry rather than a permanently staffed metropolitan court, its listing schedule and sitting arrangements reflect local conditions and are coordinated with the wider Cairns circuit.
The courthouse sits on Front Street in the centre of Mossman, making it straightforward to reach for people arriving from Daintree, Wonga Beach, Newell, Cooya Beach, Port Douglas and the cane-farming districts that fall within the Douglas Shire. For anyone unfamiliar with regional Queensland listings, it helps to know that a single magistrate on circuit may deal with a full day of mentions, bail applications, guilty pleas and short defended hearings in one sitting, which is why arriving early and checking the current list matters so much.
Court location and contact details
- Address: 25-27 Front Street, Mossman QLD 4873
- Postal address: PO Box 103, Mossman QLD 4873
- Email: courthouse.mossman@justice.qld.gov.au
- Local government area: Shire of Douglas
- State electorate: Cook
- Federal division: Leichhardt
- Postcode: 4873
Contact details for regional courthouses can change as registries are consolidated, so it is always sensible to confirm the current phone number and sitting times through the official Queensland Courts website before you attend. The Mossman registry works closely with the Cairns and Mareeba registries, and enquiries about future listings for Mossman are sometimes handled through those larger offices.
What matters are heard at Mossman Magistrates Court
The Magistrates Court has a broad but clearly bounded jurisdiction, and Mossman deals with the everyday legal matters that arise in its catchment. In criminal work, the court hears summary offences, conducts the first mention and committal stages for more serious indictable offences, and manages bail and remand for accused people from the local region. In civil work, it resolves smaller money disputes and related claims. The practical effect is that most people who come into contact with the justice system in the Douglas Shire will have their first, and often their only, court appearance here.
Criminal jurisdiction
The criminal list at a court like Mossman typically covers traffic offences, drink and drug driving, public nuisance, minor assaults, stealing and shoplifting, minor drug possession and breaches of orders. Where an offence is indictable, the magistrate deals with the committal process rather than the trial itself. Under Chapter 58A of the Criminal Code, certain indictable offences can be finalised summarily, either at the election of the prosecution under section 552A or the defendant under section 552B, while section 552D preserves a magistrate's discretion to send a matter up if its seriousness means it could not be adequately punished at the summary level. More serious charges such as rape, armed robbery and grievous bodily harm are committed to the District Court, and the most serious offences, including murder, manslaughter and large-scale drug trafficking, proceed to the Supreme Court.
Civil jurisdiction
On the civil side, the Magistrates Court decides disputes where the amount claimed is $150,000 or less, under section 4 of the Magistrates Courts Act 1921 (Qld). Claims from $150,001 up to $750,000 fall to the District Court, and disputes above $750,000 are heard in the Supreme Court. Within the Magistrates Court band, claims of $25,000 or below are treated as minor civil disputes, where simplified minor debt rules apply and not all legal costs are recoverable. In limited circumstances a magistrate can hear a claim above $150,000 where the parties agree in writing, under section 4A of the same Act. Minor civil disputes up to $25,000, along with residential tenancy and dividing-fence matters, may alternatively be dealt with by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), which sits at regional Magistrates Court locations outside Brisbane.
Domestic and family violence and other matters
The Magistrates Court also handles applications for Domestic Violence Orders and related protection orders under the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld), which make up a significant share of regional court work across Queensland. The court deals with childrens matters through the Childrens Court, and coronial matters through the Coroners Court, both of which operate within the Magistrates Court structure. This breadth is why the daily list at even a small registry can include a mix of criminal mentions, protection order applications and civil callovers on the same sitting day.
Understanding a Queensland daily law list
Queensland daily law lists use a consistent set of terms, and knowing them helps you find and follow your matter. A mention is a brief procedural appearance where the case is reviewed and a future date is set. A callover is used to organise and schedule matters. A committal is the preliminary stage that decides whether an indictable charge has enough evidence to proceed to a higher court. A sentence follows a plea or finding of guilt, and a hearing or trial is where contested evidence is tested. Where a video court is listed, an accused person may appear by videolink from a watch-house or correctional centre rather than in the courtroom itself.
How to read your listing
- Check the sitting date at the top of the list, as circuit courts do not sit every weekday.
- Find your matter by the case name, noting that names are partially masked for privacy.
- Confirm the courtroom allocation and the scheduled time.
- Note the type of appearance, such as mention, plea, committal or hearing, so you know what to expect.
- Arrive early, as the order in which matters are called is at the court's discretion.
The Cairns circuit and nearby courts
Mossman is administered as part of the broader Cairns circuit, which coordinates sittings across Cooktown, Thursday Island, the Torres Strait, Mossman and Cape York communities. This circuit model is how Queensland delivers justice across an enormous and sparsely populated region: rather than staffing a full-time court in every town, magistrates travel to hear matters on scheduled days. If a Mossman matter cannot be accommodated, it may be listed at a nearby registry, so it is common for people and practitioners in the region to track more than one court list at once.
If you are following matters elsewhere in Far North Queensland, you can also check the Mareeba court list for the Tablelands region, the Cairns court list for the regional hub that anchors the circuit, the Cooktown court list for the Cape's southern gateway, and the Thursday Island court list for Torres Strait matters. Keeping these lists to hand is useful because circuit schedules and adjournments can move a matter between neighbouring registries.
Where Mossman sits in the Queensland court hierarchy
Queensland operates a three-tier court structure, and understanding it explains why a matter starts at Mossman and where it may end up. The Magistrates Court is the entry point and handles summary offences, committals and civil disputes up to $150,000. The District Court is the intermediate court, dealing with serious indictable offences and civil claims between $150,000 and $750,000, and it also hears appeals from the Magistrates Court. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the state and deals with the most serious criminal matters and civil disputes above $750,000.
To put the scale of the intermediate court in context, the District Court of Queensland reported 6,659 new criminal lodgements and 6,684 criminal matters finalised in its 2023-2024 annual reporting, achieving a clearance rate slightly above one hundred per cent, along with 4,096 civil lodgements. Regional committals dealt with at courts such as Mossman feed into this higher-court workload, which is one reason the accuracy of the early Magistrates Court stages matters so much for the system as a whole.
Practical guidance for attending Mossman Magistrates Court
If you have a matter listed, plan to arrive well before your scheduled time, dress neatly and bring any documents relevant to your appearance. If you are represented, your solicitor will usually speak on your behalf, but you should still be present unless you have been formally excused. If you cannot attend, contact the registry as early as possible, because failing to appear can have serious consequences, including a warrant being issued in criminal matters. For civil matters, be ready for the court to encourage settlement, as parties are generally expected to attempt resolution before a trial date is set.
Because Mossman is a regional circuit court, it is especially important to verify that the court is sitting on the day you expect. Confirm your listing against the current daily law list, check whether your matter is a video court appearance, and allow extra travel time given the distances involved across the Douglas Shire and the wider Far North. If in doubt about procedure, court staff can direct you to appropriate resources, and free duty lawyer assistance may be available for eligible people appearing in criminal matters.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Mossman Magistrates Court located?
The court is at 25-27 Front Street, Mossman QLD 4873, in the Shire of Douglas in Far North Queensland, roughly 76 kilometres north-west of Cairns and about 20 kilometres north of Port Douglas.
What types of cases does Mossman Magistrates Court hear?
It hears summary criminal offences, traffic matters, bail and remand applications, committal proceedings for indictable offences, domestic and family violence protection order applications, and civil disputes valued at $150,000 or less.
Does the Mossman court sit every day?
No. As a regional circuit registry within the Cairns circuit, Mossman sits on scheduled days rather than every weekday, so you should always confirm the sitting date and your listing before attending.
What is the difference between a mention and a hearing?
A mention is a short procedural appearance where the case is reviewed and a future date is set, while a hearing or trial is where contested evidence is presented and tested before the magistrate.
How are names shown on the court list?
Individual names are partially masked for privacy in accordance with responsible publishing practices, while still providing enough information to identify the correct matter, courtroom and time.
Which court handles a matter too serious for Mossman?
Serious indictable offences are committed to the District Court, and the most serious matters proceed to the Supreme Court of Queensland. Civil claims above $150,000 are heard in the District Court, and claims above $750,000 in the Supreme Court.