Dimbulah is a town and
locality
Locality may refer to:
* Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England
* Locality (linguistics)
* Locality (settlement)
* Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...
in
Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf C ...
, Australia, from
Cairns
Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...
by road, on the
Atherton Tableland
The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia.
The principal river flowing across the plateau is the Barron River. It was dammed to form an irrigation reservoir named Lake Tina ...
. It is within the
local government area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...
of
Shire of Mareeba
The Shire of Mareeba is a local government area at the base of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, inland from Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Mareeba, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity f ...
(between 2008 and 2013, it was within the
Tablelands Region
The Tablelands Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia inland from the city of Cairns. Established in 2008, it was preceded by four previous local government areas which dated back more than a century. On 1 January ...
). In the , the locality of Dimbulah had a population of 1,050 people.
[
]
Geography
Dimbulah is approximately 100 km south-west of Cairns. The town was established near the Walsh River as a watering point for trains servicing the Hodgkinson goldfields to the north-west along with the former mining town of Wolfram which is also located to the north-west of the locality. There are historical ruins of early mining there as well as a present-day open cut mine.
The Tablelands railway line
The Tablelands railway line is a railway line in North Queensland, Australia. It was opened in a series of sections between 1887 and 1916. It commences at Cairns and at its maximum extent, reached Ravenshoe at the southern end of the A ...
passes through the locality which is served by the following railway stations (from north to south):
* Chircan railway station, now abandoned ()
* Dimbulah railway station ()
* Leafgold railway station, now abandoned ()
* Carbonate Creek railway station, now abandoned ()
* Solanum railway station, now abandoned ()
* Boonmoo railway station ()
* Verdure railway station, now abandoned ()
Due to the availability of water, Dimbulah also established itself as an agricultural area. However, the Walsh River alone was not reliable enough as a source of water for irrigation. The establishment of Tinaroo Dam and the Mareeba-Dimbulah irrigation scheme provided water security
Water security is the focused goal of water policy and water management. A society with a high level of water security makes the most of water's benefits for humans and ecosystems and limits the risk of destructive impacts associated with water. T ...
which led to the establishment of many large-scale agricultural enterprises, starting with the expansion of the tobacco industry.
The soils types in the Dimbulah area are particularly suited to tobacco farming due to being based on granitic sand. The 'lighter' soils facilitated the cultivation of a lighter style of tobacco leaf which was in high demand. Some of the soil types in the area include: Murphy, Algoma, Price and Cobra. These soils are mostly colluvial soils derived from weathered metamorphic rock as well as older alluvium derived from granitic rock.
The main vegetation is low open woodlands consisting mainly of the eucalypts such as bloodwood, box along with melaleucas and a grass cover of kangaroo grass and spear grass.
Climate
Local residents enjoy a tropical climate with hot, wet summers and dry, mild winters.
History
The town was established in 1876 to service the Tyrconnell Gold Mine, one of the richest mines on the Hodgkinson Gold Fields. The name "Dimbulah" is thought to have come from the local Indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
word for "long waterhole", referring to the Walsh River that runs nearby the town. Dimboola Post Office opened by 1900 and was renamed Dimbulah in 1904.
The area around Dimbulah was originally home to the Djankun and Kuku Djungan
Kuku may refer to:
People
* Emir-Usein Kuku (born 1976), Crimean Tatar human rights defender
* Kuku people, an ethnic group in South Sudan
* Kuku Yulanji, an Aboriginal people of the Daintree region in North Queensland, Australia
Places
* ...
tribe. During the 1920s the Queensland Government forcibly removed most of their children, forcing the tribe to scatter.
In the early 1900s the area received an influx of Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
migrants and in 1928 tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
was introduced, becoming the area's major industry soon after. At its peak, there were 800 growers in the area, producing over 8,000 tonne
The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United State ...
s (60% of national yield) of tobacco a year. "The Way Back In" is an Australian heritage project that documents a small selection of Australian heritage within the Italian communities in Dimbulah, Innisfail and Cairns.
Dimbulah Provisional School opened on 28 September 1914. On 1 December 1914, it became Dimbulah State School. On 25 January 1965 , it was expanded to include a secondary department. The school celebrated its centenary on 27 September 2014.
The Dimbulah parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns was established in 1963.
St Anthony's Catholic School opened in January 1966 by the Sisters of St Joseph
The Sisters of St. Joseph, also known as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, abbreviated CSJ or SSJ, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, in 1650. This congregation, named for ...
with an initial enrolment of 64 students. The Sisters operated the school for 22 years, after which it was operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns is a diocese of the Catholic Church located in the state of Queensland, Australia. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Brisbane. The diocese was erected as a vicariate apostolic in 1877 and was ...
.
The Dimbulah Public Library opened in 1995 with a minor refurbishment in 2013.
In the , the locality of Dimbulah had a population of 1,414.
In the , the locality of Dimbulah had a population of 1,050 people.
Heritage listings
Dimbulah has a number of sites listed on the Queensland Heritage Register
The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...
including:
* Main Street, Wolfram: La Société Française des Métaux Rares treatment plant
* Wolfram Road, Wolfram: Thermo Electric Ore Reduction Corporation Mill
Economy
Tobacco remained the dominant crop until recent years when government policy compelled its demise. Recent attempts at alternative crops such as tea trees, mango
A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...
es, sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...
, coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
S ...
, lemons, limes, avocados, papaws, papayas, peanuts, soya beans, lychees, grapes and cash crops (pumpkin
A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...
s, melon
A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". The ...
s, etc.) have met with mixed success. Farming is a significant employment option in Dimbulah and many travelers, including backpackers, are employed as short-term farm labourers, particularly during the busy mango harvest from November to January.
Education
Dimbulah State School is a government primary and secondary (Prep-10) school for boys and girls at 48-50 Kennedy Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 150 students with 17 teachers (14 full-time equivalent) and 13 non-teaching staff (9 full-time equivalent).
St Anthony's School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 3 Hyde Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 37 students with 8 teachers (5 full-time equivalent) and 10 non-teaching staff (4 full-time equivalent).
There are no schools offering education to Year 12 in Dimbulah. The nearest government secondary school with education to Year 12 is Mareeba State High School in Mareeba
Mareeba is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Mareeba in Far North Queensland, Australia. Between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Tablelands Region. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ''meeting of the waters'' ...
to the north-east. However, it would be too distant from some parts of Dimbulah and distance education
Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...
and boarding schools would be other options.
Also available are:
* Dimbulah Limited Hours Child Care, Age range 15 months – 5 years
* Dimbulah Kindergarten, Age range 3–5 years (C&K Affiliated)
Amenities
The Mareeba Shire
The Shire of Mareeba is a local government area at the base of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, inland from Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Mareeba, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity fr ...
operates a public library at Shire Hall at the corner of Raleigh Street and Burke Development Road.
The Dimbulah branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association
The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...
meets at the QCWA Hall at 22 Brickley Street.
St Anthony's Catholic Church is in Raleigh Street. It is within the Dimbulah Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns is a diocese of the Catholic Church located in the state of Queensland, Australia. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Brisbane. The diocese was erected as a vicariate apostolic in 1877 and was ...
which is administered from the Atherton parish.
Accommodation is available at the town's caravan park or the Junction Hotel.
As at 2021, the town's retail facilities include a Bendigo Community Bank with 24-hour ATM, Australia Post office, Dimbulah Chemist, Dimbulah Health & Beauty, Camp 64 Museum Cafe, Junction Hotel, bakery, butcher, TGT hardware store, mini mart, One Stop convenience store and two petrol stations.
Community groups include the Dimbulah Community Centre, Men's Shed, Lions Club
The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, ...
, Chamber of Commerce, museum association, and several other faith-based groups.
There are many sporting clubs including swimming (with an Olympic-sized pool), tennis, horse & pony, lawn bowls, Rhee Taekwon-Do, and soccer/football.
Services include Police station, Queensland Health clinic, fixed wireless NBN, and 4G mobile service (Telstra and Optus). Nearby properties access NBN via SkyMuster satellite or mobile broadband.
Events
Important local events include the annual Lion's Festival and the Great Wheelbarrow Race both held annually in May.
St Anthony's Catholic Church celebrates the Feast Day of St Anthony of Padua on the 3rd Sunday of June with a special mass, followed by a procession, barbeque and ''pesca'' (a lucky dip
Lucky may refer to:
*An adjective of luck
Lucky may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' Lucky: No Time for Love'', a 2005 Hindi-language romance starring Salman Khan, Sneha Ullal, and Mithun Chakraborty
* ''Lucky'', a 2005 short film by Av ...
which takes its name from the Italian ''pesca miracolosa,'' the miraculous catch of fish
The miraculous catch of fish, or more traditionally the miraculous draught of fish(es), is either of two events commonly (but not universally) considered to be miracles in the canonical gospels. The miracles are reported as taking place years apa ...
).
Transport
Public transport from Cairns is possible, although infrequent, on Trans North's bus service which stops at Mareeba, from Dimbulah. The Savannahlander tourist train stops in Dimbulah as well but does not operate year-round.
Notable people
* The Hon. Keith De Lacy
Keith Ernest De Lacy, AM (7 August 1940 – 26 November 2021) was an Australian politician and businessman.
Early life
De Lacy was born in Cairns and grew up on a tobacco farm in the Mareeba/Dimbulah district. He received a Diploma of Agricul ...
AM, former Treasurer of Queensland
*Chris Sheppard
Chris Sheppard (born 16 March 1981) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, and former chief executive officer of Queensland Cup club Northern Pride.
Sheppard played at NRL level for the North Queensland Cowboys and the ...
, former NRL player
*William Yang, photographer and actor
References
External links
University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Dimbulah
Town map of Dimbulah, 1984
{{authority control
Towns in Queensland
Populated places established in 1876
Shire of Mareeba
1876 establishments in Australia
Populated places in Far North Queensland
Localities in Queensland