Lake Barrine is a rural

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 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 ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. In the , Lake Barrine had a population of 152 people.

Geography

The locality is 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 takes its name from the lake of the same name in the west of the locality, which in turn comes from the Aboriginal word "''barrang''", meaning ''big water''. The lake and surrounding area is part of the

Crater Lakes National Park Crater Lakes is a national park in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, 1367 km northwest of Brisbane. The park contains two volcanically-formed lakes, Lake Barrine and Lake Eacham (Yidyam). Both lakes have walking trails around t ...

. The rest of the locality is used for farming.

History

In the 1880s, there was logging of the rainforest timbers. However, concern about the potential loss of large kauri and cedar pines near the lake led to the establishment of a scenic reserve in 1888 to protect the trees. In 1920, George and Margaret Curry established a tourism business with lake cruises and a tea house. The completion of the Cairns Range Road (now known as the

Gillies Highway The Gillies Highway is a road that runs from Gordonvale in the Cairns Region through the Gillies Range (part of the Great Dividing Range) to Atherton in the Tablelands Region, both in Queensland, Australia. It is also known as the Gillies Ra ...

) from

Gordonvale Gordonvale is a rural sugar-growing town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality situated on the southern side of Cairns, Queensland, Cairns in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Gordonvale had a populati ...

to Atherton in 1926 provided much better access to the area for tourists. In 1934, the Queensland Government created the

Lake Barrine National Park Crater Lakes is a national park in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, 1367 km northwest of Brisbane. The park contains two volcanically-formed lakes, Lake Barrine and Lake Eacham (Yidyam). Both lakes have walking trails around the ...

. The Lakebank State School opened on 18 July 1922. In 1936 it was renamed Lake Barrine State School. It closed on 30 June 1949. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, air raids on Australian towns by Japan and the fear of an invasion by the Japanese led to evacuations from northern Australian towns. In March 1942, the students of St Augustine's College in

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 ...

were evacuated to the guest house at Lake Barrine. In late 1942, Lieutenant General

Thomas Blamey Field marshal (Australia), Field Marshal Sir Thomas Albert Blamey, (24 January 1884 – 27 May 1951) was an Australian general of the First World War, First and Second World Wars, and the only Australian to attain the rank of field marshal. Bl ...

decided to establish army facilities on the Atherton Tableland for the recuperation and training of troops returning from the Middle East to defend Australia against the Japanese. With 40,000 troops on the Atherton Tableland, Lake Barrine became an important recreational facility and the guest house was used by the 2/1 Australian Army Convalescent Depot. After the war ended, the Curry family resumed their tourist business at the lake. In 1988,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

declared the

Wet Tropics of Queensland The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8,940 km2 of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range. The Wet Tropics of Queensland meets all f ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

with 14 areas protected, one of which was at Lake Barrine. In 1994, the Queensland Government merged the Lake Barrine National Park and the

Lake Eacham National Park Crater Lakes is a national park in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, 1367 km northwest of Brisbane. The park contains two volcanically-formed lakes, Lake Barrine and Lake Eacham (Yidyam). Both lakes have walking trails around the ...

to form

Education

There are no schools in Lake Barrine. The nearest public primary school is

Yungaburra State School Yungaburra is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Yungaburra had a population of 1,239 people. Geography Yungaburra is on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland. The landsc ...

. The nearest public secondary schools are

Atherton State High School , motto_translation = On Eagles' Wings , established = 1959 , principal = Leanne Knight-Smith (2023-) , type = Public , city = Atherton , state = Queensland , country = Australia , cam ...

and Malanda State High School.

References

Tablelands Region Localities in Queensland {{Queensland-geo-stub