The Tablelands Region is 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 ...

Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf C ...

, Australia inland from 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 ...

. Established in 2008, it was preceded by four previous local government areas which dated back more than a century. On 1 January 2014, one of those local government areas, the

Shire of Mareeba The Shire of Mareeba is a local government area at the base of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, inland from Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Mareeba, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from ...

, was re-established independent of the Tablelands Region. It has an estimated operating budget of A$62.2 million.

History

'' Yidinji'' (also known as ''Yidinj'', ''Yidiny'', and ''Idindji'') is an

Australian Aboriginal language The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...

. Its traditional language region is within the local government areas of

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. ...

and Tablelands Region, in such localities as

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 ...

, and the

Mulgrave River The Mulgrave River, incorporating the East Mulgrave River and the West Mulgrave River, is a river system located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The -long river flows towards the Coral Sea and is located approximately south of . Location ...

, and the southern part of 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 ...

including Atherton and Kairi. Prior to the 2008 amalgamation, the Tablelands Region consisted the entire area of four previous local government areas: * the

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 ...

; * the

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 ...

; * the

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 from the town of Herberton, ...

; and * the

. On 11 November 1879, when the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'' came into effect proclaiming 74 divisions around Queensland, the nature and distribution of the population in the Tablelands region was vastly different from today. Most of the area was divided between the Hinchinbrook and Woothakata divisions. On 3 September 1881, Tinaroo Division was proclaimed from part of Hinchinbrook, making the mining towns of Tinaroo and Thornborough the administrative centres of the region. A number of changes occurred from that point: * 15 September 1888 – Formation of the Borough of Herberton to manage the town of

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 ...

* 14 May 1889 – Walsh Division (

Irvinebank Irvinebank is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Irvinebank had a population of 125 people. Geography The Great Dividing Range forms the south-eastern and southern boundary of the ...

) separated from Woothakata * 20 December 1890 – Barron Division separated from Tinaroo * 11 May 1895 – Herberton Division separated from Tinaroo; amalgamated the Borough * 31 March 1903 – Under the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', Barron,

, Tinaroo,

Walsh Walsh may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walsh (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname Places * Fort Walsh, one of the first posts of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police * Walsh, Ontario, Norfolk ...

and Woothakata became Shires. * 16 December 1908 – Shire of Chillagoe formed from part of Woothakata * 18 November 1910 –

formed from part of Tinaroo * 20 December 1919 –

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, Hinchinbrook Division and Woothak ...

abolished and divided between Mulgrave and Woothakata * 1933 – Shires of Walsh and Chillagoe amalgamated into Woothakata * 1935 – Shire of Tinaroo renamed Shire of Atherton * 20 December 1947 – Shire of Woothakata renamed Shire of Mareeba In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that the four areas amalgamate. Amongst its reasons given for this recommendation were that a community of interest revolved around the towns of

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'' ...

and Atherton, with residents travelling to

for services not offered in the region. The opportunity for tourism and leisure promotion under a single banner, the close proximity of most major towns, the lack of natural barriers and similar economic interests including beef, dairy, fruit and sugar production. All councils opposed the amalgamation, although Atherton, Herberton and Eacham were willing to consider shared service delivery. On 15 March 2008, the Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect councillors and a to the Regional Council. In 2012, a proposal was made to de-amalgamate the Shire of Mareeba from the Tablelands Region. On 9 March 2013, the citizens of the former Mareeba shire voted in a referendum to de-amalgamate. The Shire of Mareeba was re-established on 1 January 2014.

Wards and councillors

Tablelands Regional Council consists of: * Mayor: Rodney Donald (Rod) Marti * Division 1 Councillor: Kevin Cardew * Division 2 Councillor: Annette Haydon * Division 3 Councillor: Dave Bilney * Division 4 Councillor: David Clifton * Division 5 Councillor: Peter Hodge * Division 6 Councillor: Bernie Wilce

Mayors

* 2008-2012: Tom Gilmore * 2012–2016:

Rosa Lee Long Rosa Therese Lee Long (née Schmid, born 2 October 1945) is a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland representing the electorate of Tablelands in Northern Queensland, Australia for the One Nation Party. Lee Long served three ...

* 2016-2020: Joe Paronella * 2020–present: Rod Marti

Towns and localities

The Tablelands Region includes the following settlements: Atherton area: * Atherton * Barrine * Carrington * Kairi *

Lake Tinaroo Lake Tinaroo is a rural locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivis ...

* Tinaroo * Tolga * Upper Barron * Walkamin * Wongabel Eacham area: * Malanda *

Yungaburra 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 lan ...

* Butchers Creek * Glen Allyn * Jaggan * Lake Eacham * Maalan * Millaa Millaa * North Johnstone *

Palmerston Palmerston may refer to: People * Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer * Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston ** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman an ...

¹ *

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 Herberton area: *

* Evelyn *

Innot Hot Springs Innot Hot Springs is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Innot Hot Springs had a population of 177 people. Geography Innot Hot Springs is south-west of Cairns via the Bruce High ...

Kalunga The Kalungas are Brazilians that descend from people who freed themselves from slavery, and lived in remote settlements in Goiás state, Brazil. The Kalungas are one group of Quilombola, or people of African origin who live in hinterland s ...

Millstream Millstream may refer to: Places * Millstream, Queensland, a locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia *Millstream, a headstream of the Herbert River The Herbert River is a river located in Far North Queensland, Australia. T ...

Moomin The Moomins ( sv, Mumintroll) are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, and a comic strip by Finns, Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish language, Swedish by Schildts in Finland. The ...

Mount Garnet Mount Garnet is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Mount Garnet had a population of 430 people. Geography Various small communities populate the area around Mount Garnet. These include Tableland ...

* Ravenshoe * Tumoulin * Wairuna * Wondecla Others: * Beatrice * Danbulla * East Barron * Ellinjaa *

Gadgarra Gadgarra is a rural locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_nam ...

* Glen Ruth * Gunnawarra * Kaban * Kingsborough * Kirrama * Koombooloomba * Kureen *

Lake Barrine Lake Barrine is a freshwater lake on the eastern parts of Atherton Tableland in the locality of Lake Barrine, in the Tablelands Region of Far North Queensland, Australia, close to Lake Eacham. The lake and surrounds are protected within th ...

* Middlebrook *

Minbun Minbun is a rural locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Minbun had a population of 75 people. Geography Minbun railway station is an abandoned railway station () on the now-closed Millaa Millaa branch of the Tablel ...

* Minnamoolka * Moregatta * Mungalli * Silver Valley *

Topaz Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al Si O( F, OH). It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural state is colorless, though trace element impurities can mak ...

Wooroonooran Wooroonooran is a locality split among the Cairns Region, the Cassowary Coast Region and the Tablelands Region in Queensland, Australia. In the , Wooroonooran had no population. Geography The locality is entirely within the Wooroonooran Nati ...

² ¹ - shared with

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 ...

² - shared with

and

Population

The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008.

Libraries

The Tablelands Regional Council operate public libraries in Atherton,

, Malanda, Millaa Millaa,

, Ravenshoe and

References

{{Coord, 16, 59, 48, S, 145, 23, 59, E, type:adm2nd_region:AU-QLD, display=title Tablelands Far North Queensland 2008 establishments in Australia