Atherton Tableland

Feb 2, 2012 by Juan

The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. It is located west to south-south-west inland from Cairns,  well into the tropics, but its elevated position provides a climate suitable for dairy farming. It has an area of around 32,000 km² with an altitude ranging between 500 and 1,280 m (1,600 and 4,200 ft).[1] The fertility of the soils in the region can be attributed to the volcanic origins of the land.

The principal river flowing across the plateau is the Barron River, which was dammed to form an irrigation reservoir named Lake Tinaroo, also Tinaroo Hydro, a small 1.6MW Hydroelectric power station is located near the spillway.

Contents

1 Physiography
2 History
2.1 Industry
2.2 Tourism
3 Towns
4 Environment
4.1 Places of interest
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Physiography

This area is a distinct physiographic section of the larger North Queensland Highlands province, which in turn is part of the larger East Australian Cordillera physiographic division. South of the Tablelands is the Bellenden Ker Range.
History

Atherton was first explored by JV Mulligan in 1875, but it was John Atherton who settled near the town which now bears his name in 1877. The area was originally explored for its mining potential where deposits of tin and a little gold were found.

Industry
Originally a pioneering pastoralist, John Atherton was the first to find tin deposits in Northern Queensland. Local legend has it that Tinaroo Creek received its name from Atherton who shouted, “Tin! Hurroo!” when he first made his discovery. Atherton and his friends, William Jack and John Newell, discovered the famous lode, which became the Great Northern Tin Mine. A rush of miners from the Hodgkinson’s Goldfields followed. The construction of a dray road through the Tableland brought a secondary rush, this time timber cutters to mine the red gold (redcedar) of the rainforest. Redcedar cutters camps were at Rocky Creek, Prior Pocket, Oonda Swamp (Carrington) & Ziggenbein’s Pocket. Although tin was a major part in the Tablelands, timber is what Atherton owes its existence to with large areas of redcedar, kauri, maple, black bean, walnut, white beech and red tulip oak being milled for buildings.

Courtesy: Wikipedia

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Atherton Tablelands / Cairns Highlands and Gulf Savannah

Feb 1, 2012 by Juan

The mountain retreat of the Atherton Tablelands is only a one hour drive from Cairns, but remains unspoilt, friendly and natural. Look at what we have to offer:

Natures Wonderland – Atherton Tablelands has  World Heritage Rainforests, Waterfalls, National Parks, Crater Lakes and Volcanic formations with a backdrop of rolling green hills.

Wildlife Paradise – abundant birds, rare and endangered mammals such as the platypus, tree kangaroo and the cassowary can be found on the Atherton Tablelands.

Historic Villages - quaint villages dot the countryside, providing services such as accommodation, dining and shopping facilities. Book your Atherton Tablelands Accommodation online now.

Assessible Outback – within an hour, you can reach the magnificent outback landscapes and Savannah Grasslands that provide the diversity of experiences on the Atherton Tablelands.

Taste our local produce – our volcanic soils are the base for a rich agricultural region, supporting coffee, tropical fruits and nuts and a dairy industry.

Friendly People – country people are just friendlier, come up and visit the Atherton Tablelands and say gday.

Mountain Fresh Climate – at approx 750m, the Atherton Tablelands climate is cooler and fresher than the coast.

For more information, please visit: athertontablelands.com.au/

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