The Shire of Atherton 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 Atherton, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1881 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the Tableland area to become the Tablelands Region.

History

The Tinaroo Division was created on 3 September 1881 under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'' out of parts of the

, Hinchinbrook and

Woothakata The Shire of Mareeba is a Local government in Australia, local government area at the base of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Far North Queensland, inland from Cairns, Queensland, Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Mar ...

Divisions, and was responsible for a large area which took in

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 Lake Eacham. On 20 December 1890, part of the Tinaroo Division was excised to create the new

Barron Division #REDIRECT Shire of Barron The Shire of Barron is a former local government area in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. It existed between 1890 and 1919. History Under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'', the Cairns Division, Hinchin ...

. In 1894, Tinaroo Division's headquarters transferred from

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 ...

to Atherton. On 11 May 1895 it decreased somewhat in size as it lost some areas in the south and southwest which incorporated separately as the

Herberton Division #REDIRECT Shire of Herberton The Shire of Herberton 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 ...

. With the passage of the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', Tinaroo Division became

Shire of Tinaroo 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, covered ...

on 31 March 1903. On 18 November 1910 it lost the area around Lake Eacham to the new

Shire of Eacham The Shire of Eacham 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 Malanda, covere ...

, and in 1935, the Shire of Tinaroo was renamed Shire of Atherton. 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 Atherton merged with the Shires of Eacham,

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

StateLibQld 2 207913 Tinaroo Shire Council Chambers in Atherton, Queensland, 1928

The Shire of Atherton included the following settlements: * Atherton * Barrine * Carrington * Kairi *

Lake Tinaroo Lake Tinaroo is a rural locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Lake Tinaroo had a population of 0 people. Geography The locality includes the lake itself (also called Lake Tinaroo) created by the Tinaroo Dam ...

* Tolga * Upper Barron¹ * Walkamin *

Wongabel Wongabel is a rural locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wongabel had a population of 221 people. History The locality takes its name from the Wongabel railway station, named on 20 October 1910 by the Queensland Ra ...

¹ - split with the former

Population

Chairmen and mayors

* 1884: Mr Selig * 1906: T. Swan * 1908: Thomas Rose * 1927: Fred Gran * 1988-2008: Jim Chapman Other notable council members include: * 1916—1917: Harold Henry Collins, Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for the electorates of

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...

and Tablelands

References

External links