Nerada 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

Cassowary Coast Region The Cassowary Coast Region is a local government area in the Far North Queensland region of Queensland, Australia, south of Cairns and centred on the towns of Innisfail, Cardwell and Tully. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire ...

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 , Nerada had a population of 97 people.

History

The locality takes its name from its former railway station. It is believed to be an Aboriginal word from the Mamoo language meaning ''grass country''. In May 1936 the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...

decided to construct a school at Nerada. Nerada State School opened on 11 February 1937. It closed in 1945. It was located at approximately 334 Nerada Road (). About 1951 the school building was relocated to

Woopen Creek State School Woopen Creek is a rural locality in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Woopen Creek had a population of 141 people. Geography The Russell River forms the northern boundary of the locality while mountainous regions form its o ...

. In 1958 Dr

Allan Maruff Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) (Al ...

started the first commercial tea plantings in Australia since 1886 in the Nerada valley, south 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 ...

, using seedlings from the former Cutten brothers plantation at Bingil Bay. In 1969 Tea Estates of Australia (TEA) commenced tea planting adjacent to the Nerada plantation. In 1971 Nerada Tea Estates (NTE) opened Australia's first commercial tea factory. In 1973 TEA purchased NTE, ceased selling bulk tea and marketed the tea under the Nerada brand.

References

{{Cassowary Coast Region Cassowary Coast Region Localities in Queensland