Buchan is a coastal town in the locality of Palm Cove in the

Cairns Region The Cairns Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, centred on the regional city of Cairns. It was established in 2008 by the amalgamation of the City of Cairns and the Shires of Douglas and Mulgrave. ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia.

Geography

Buchan is a coastal town with sandy beaches north and south of Buchan Point. The

Captain Cook Highway The Captain Cook Highway is a short, regional highway in Queensland that originates in Cairns and terminates in Mossman, where it joins Mossman-Daintree Road, continuing to Daintree. It is a state-controlled regional road (number 20A). The ...

passes through the town.

History

The town name is derived from Mount Buchan, named on 20 October 1873 by explorer

George Elphinstone Dalrymple George Augustus Frederick Elphinstone Dalrymple (6 May 1826 – 22 January 1876) was a colonist, explorer, public servant and politician, member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. He founded the towns of Bowen and Cardwell, and pionee ...

, after one of the districts of his native

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

in Scotland. In the 1880s, there was a coconut palm plantation with over 600 trees owned by James Jamieson known as the Mount Buchan Estate. It was predicted to become a popular seaside retreat for the people of Cairns. The palm trees along the beach areas gave it the nickname Palm Beach but, as that caused confusion with other places officially known as Palm Beach, it acquired the name Palm Cove, which is now the official name for the locality (although the town itself remains gazetted as Buchan). In April 1933, a number of families were living at Buchan Point while the men were working on the road from

Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...

Port Douglas Port Douglas is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia, approximately north of Cairns. In the , the locality of Port Douglas had a population of 3,650 people. The town's population can often double, however, ...

(now the Captain Cook Highway). The families asked the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...

to provide a school. Buchan Point State School opened on 1933 and in December 1933 the students enjoyed a "breaking up" party at Hartley's Creek. Buchan Point State School No 850 opened on 1933he school closed in February 1934.

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in Queensland Cairns Region