The Shire of Eacham was a

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 Queensland. It was located 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 ...

, a plateau forming part of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

west of the city of

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 ...

. The shire, administered from the town of

Malanda Malanda is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Malanda had a population of 1,985 people. The economy is based upon agriculture (particularly dairy) and tourism. Geography Malan ...

, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1910 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the Tableland area to become the Tablelands Region. Despite its tropical latitude, the high altitude on the tableland allows a

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

industry to operate.

History

On 22 Nov 1910 the area around Lake Eacham was incorporated as the Shire of Eacham, taking in part of each of the Shires of

Tinaroo Tinaroo is a rural locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Tinaroo had a population of 312 people. The town of Tinaroo Falls is on the eastern edge of the locality () beside Lake Tinaroo. Geography Tinaroo is located ...

Johnstone Johnstone ( sco, Johnstoun,
gd, Baile Iain) is a town ...

and

. Its first meeting was held at Yungaburra's community hall on 22 February 1911. In April 1912, a site for a shire hall was reserved in

. On 12 April 1913, the shire relocated its offices to Malanda. However, the planned council chambers did not open until 22 Feb 1939. Malanda Falls Swimming Pool, Eacham Shire Council sign, 2016

Malanda Falls Swimming Pool, Eacham Shire Council sign, 2016

Around 1920, the shire council began an active role in developing the

Malanda Falls The Malanda Falls is a cascade waterfall on the North Johnstone River, located in the Tablelands Region in the Far North of Queensland, Australia. Location and features The falls are situated on the Atherton Tableland, near the town of Mala ...

into the (now heritage-listed)

Malanda Falls Swimming Pool Malanda Falls Swimming Pool is a heritage-listed swimming pool at Malanda Falls Park, Malanda, Queensland, Malanda, Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1906 onwards. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 5 ...

and associated infrastructure, initially for local recreation but then increasingly to attract tourists to the area via Cairns. On 15 March 2008, under the ''Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007'' passed by the

Parliament of Queensland The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral s ...

on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Eacham merged with the Shires of Atherton,

Herberton Herberton is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Herberton had a population of 855 people. Geography Herberton is on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland. It is situa ...

and

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 form the Tablelands Region.

Towns and localities

The Shire of Eacham included the following settlements: *

* Yungaburra * Butchers Creek *

Glen Allyn Glen Allyn is a rural locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Glen Allyn had a population of 157 people. Geography Lamins Hill is a mountain near the eastern edge of the locality () above sea level. History Gl ...

* Jaggan * Lake Eacham * Maalan *

Millaa Millaa Millaa Millaa is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Millaa Millaa had a population of 514 people. Geography Millaa Millaa is on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, ap ...

* North Johnstone * Palmerston¹ *

Peeramon Peeramon is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Peeramon had a population of 628 people. Geography The locality is bounded to the east by Lake Barrine Road and to the south-east ...

Tarzali Tarzali is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Tarzali had a population of 398 people. Geography The locality is on the Atherton Tableland. It is bounded to the east by the Johnst ...

* Upper Barron² ¹ - shared with Cassowary Coast Region
² - split with the former

Shire of Atherton The Shire of Atherton was a local government area of Queensland. It was located on the Atherton Tableland, a plateau forming part of the Great Dividing Range west of the city of Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Atherton, cov ...

Population

Chairmen and mayors

* 1927: R. E. McHugh * 1988-2000: Philip English * 2000-2004: Mary Lyle * 2004-2008: Ray Byrnes

References

External links

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Eacham Shire
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eacham Shire Former local government areas of Queensland Far North Queensland 2008 disestablishments in Australia Populated places disestablished in 2008