Malanda, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Malanda is a medium-sized town on the Atherton Tableland
in Far North
Queensland
, Australia
. It is located 85 kilometres (52.8 mi) from Cairns
and 732 metres (2,401.6 ft) above sea level. Malanda first developed in the 1880s when the discovery of tin and copper at Herberton
saw a steady stream of miners and engineers moving over the mountains from the coast. At the 2006 census
, Malanda had a population of 1,009.
with milk
and cheese. Local promoters, noting that Malanda milk is sold in the Northern Territory
and as far north as Weipa
, declared Malanda to be 'the headquarters for one of the largest and longest milk runs in the world'. The milk is also exported to Indonesia
and Malaysia. Malanda Milk is now a part of Dairy Farmers
, but with a shorter milk run, only as far south as Mackay
and as far north as Darwin
.
. It pushed on to Mareeba
in 1893 and Atherton
in 1903 and did not reach Malanda until 1911. The line closed in 1964.
In 1908, James English (later the publican of the Malanda Hotel) and James Emerson both moved into the area. Both saw the district's dairy potential. English brought cattle from Kiama
and the Richmond River
areas in New South Wales
and Emerson had a herd of 1,026 cattle overlanded from Lismore
. They took 16 months to reach Malanda and only 560 survived the journey. Despite this arduous start the industry grew and by 1919 Malanda had its own butter factory. In 1973 this amalgamated with the factory in Millaa Millaa
to form the Atherton Tablelands Co-operative Dairy Association.
In 1910, in response to a developing local industry, John Prince established a sawmill in Malanda. It was from this mill that the boards for the Malanda Hotel (built in 1911) were sawn.
The northern entrance to the town passes the Malanda Falls
. In comparison to the spectacular gorges of the escarpment the falls were created by the last flow of lava from the Malanda Shield Volcano with a cascade of only 4 meters. The town's swimming pool lies at the bottom of the falls. The name 'Malanda', according to some sources, was the local Aboriginal word meaning 'waterfalls'.
, who currently represents Lillestrøm SK in the Norwegian Premier League.
Atherton Tableland
The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. It is located west to south-south-west inland from Cairns, well into the tropics, but its elevated position provides a climate suitable for dairy farming. It has an area of around...
in Far North
Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait...
Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is located 85 kilometres (52.8 mi) from Cairns
Cairns, Queensland
Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
and 732 metres (2,401.6 ft) above sea level. Malanda first developed in the 1880s when the discovery of tin and copper at Herberton
Herberton, Queensland
Herberton is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Herberton had a population of 974.-History:...
saw a steady stream of miners and engineers moving over the mountains from the coast. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Malanda had a population of 1,009.
Malanda Milk
The name Malanda is synonymous throughout North QueenslandNorth Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. Queensland is a massive state, larger than most countries, and the tropical northern part of it has been historically remote and undeveloped, resulting in a distinctive regional character and...
with milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
and cheese. Local promoters, noting that Malanda milk is sold in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
and as far north as Weipa
Weipa, Queensland
Weipa is the largest town on the Gulf of Carpentaria coast of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Weipa had a population of 2,830; the largest community on Cape York Peninsula. It exists because of the enormous bauxite deposits along the coast...
, declared Malanda to be 'the headquarters for one of the largest and longest milk runs in the world'. The milk is also exported to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Malaysia. Malanda Milk is now a part of Dairy Farmers
Dairy Farmers
Dairy Farmers is one of the largest and oldest dairy manufacturers in Australia, established in 1900, supplying products to local and international markets such as Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Kirin Holdings Company, Limited of Japan, via its subsidiary National Foods, acquired the...
, but with a shorter milk run, only as far south as Mackay
Mackay, Queensland
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
and as far north as Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
.
History
In 1886 a decision was made to bring a railway into the area but the problems of construction were enormous. Over 3412 kilometres (2,120.1 mi) of railway was installed into the region in the next six years. By 1890 it had reached KurandaKuranda, Queensland
Kuranda is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia, it is 25 kilometres from Cairns, via the Kuranda Range road. It is surrounded by rainforest. At the 2006 census, Kuranda had a population of 1,611.-History:...
. It pushed on to Mareeba
Mareeba, Queensland
Mareeba is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. The town is above sea level on the confluence of the Barron River, Granite Creek and Emerald Creek. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning meeting of the waters...
in 1893 and Atherton
Atherton, Queensland
Atherton is a town on the Atherton Tablelands of Far North Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Atherton had a population of 7,068.-Roads:...
in 1903 and did not reach Malanda until 1911. The line closed in 1964.
In 1908, James English (later the publican of the Malanda Hotel) and James Emerson both moved into the area. Both saw the district's dairy potential. English brought cattle from Kiama
Kiama, New South Wales
-Transport:The town is served by Kiama Station on the South Coast Line. It is served by road in the form of the Princes Highway and the Kiama Bypass.-Attractions:...
and the Richmond River
Richmond River
The Richmond River is a river in the north-eastern corner of New South Wales, Australia. It runs for approximately 170 km from the foothills of the Border Ranges past the towns of Kyogle, Casino, Coraki, Woodburn, where it turns northward and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Ballina. It has a...
areas in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and Emerson had a herd of 1,026 cattle overlanded from Lismore
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
. They took 16 months to reach Malanda and only 560 survived the journey. Despite this arduous start the industry grew and by 1919 Malanda had its own butter factory. In 1973 this amalgamated with the factory in Millaa Millaa
Millaa Millaa, Queensland
Millaa Millaa is a small town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia with a population of 295. It is located approximately 60 km west of cyclone-stricken Innisfail, north of Ravenshoe, south of Malanda...
to form the Atherton Tablelands Co-operative Dairy Association.
In 1910, in response to a developing local industry, John Prince established a sawmill in Malanda. It was from this mill that the boards for the Malanda Hotel (built in 1911) were sawn.
The northern entrance to the town passes the Malanda Falls
Malanda Falls
The Malanda Falls are located just out of the Malanda on the North Johnstone River, on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. They are not as spectacular as some of the surrounding falls on the Tablelands, however are a very popular swimming spot for residents of the area. The...
. In comparison to the spectacular gorges of the escarpment the falls were created by the last flow of lava from the Malanda Shield Volcano with a cascade of only 4 meters. The town's swimming pool lies at the bottom of the falls. The name 'Malanda', according to some sources, was the local Aboriginal word meaning 'waterfalls'.
Attractions
- The Malanda Environmental ParkMalanda Environmental ParkOn the Atherton Tableland, Australia, Malanda Falls Conservation Park protects a small tropical rainforest remnant. The falls on the North Johnstone River tumble over an ancient lava flow which originated from the Mount Hypipamee area, 15 km away....
— just opposite the Malanda FallsMalanda FallsThe Malanda Falls are located just out of the Malanda on the North Johnstone River, on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. They are not as spectacular as some of the surrounding falls on the Tablelands, however are a very popular swimming spot for residents of the area. The...
the park offers a short walk through the rainforest and an opportunity to see a wide range of rainforest trees.
- The Peeramon Hotel — 6 km to the east of the town is the Peeramon Hotel, once a siding for the TolgaTolga, QueenslandTolga is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia, and is the centre of the regions peanut industry. At the 2006 census, Tolga had a population of 843.The name Tolga means red mud in the local Aboriginal language...
-Millaa Millaa railway. Today the solitary pub is the only reminder of a once-thriving town which was surveyed in 1907. The publican has a collection of antique telephones. The hotel suffered some serious damage from Cyclone LarryCyclone LarrySevere Tropical Cyclone Larry was a tropical cyclone that made landfall in Australia during the 2005-06 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season. Larry originated as a low pressure system over the eastern Coral Sea on 16 March and was monitored by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology in...
in March 2006.
- The Malanda Art Trail starts at the town library. Nine vibrant artworks commemorate the rich history of Malanda’s community - the Original Inhabitants, Hardships and Struggles, Transport, Commerce, Recollections, Early Settlers, the Dairy Industry, Recreation and Looking Ahead. Close study of the individual mosaics (each of which contains a blue butterfly) reveals many details camouflaged in the intricate designs, and the handmade ceramic border tiles tell more about the theme of the central mosaic. Mosaics were made by former resident Felicity Wallis.
- Swim with platypus at the base of Malanda Falls in the crocodile-free North Johnstone river.
- Drive right over the top of Malanda Falls, where tree-kangaroos have been noted crossing the road.
- The Majestic Theatre is said to be the oldest continually-operating cinema in Australia and has potato sack seating on the 14th December 1929 it was dedicated by Fred Browning, Superintendent of the Atherton Ambulance centre. Mr. browning produced, stage managed and preformed in the opening concert.
- The Malanda Hotel has a grand ballroom and staircase and is claimed to be the largest wooden structure in Australia.
- The Historical Resource Centre in Elizabeth Street is the meeting room and archival repository for all printed and photographic collections of the Eacham Historical Society. It houses a comprehensive library of books pertaining to the history of North Queensland. These books are available for perusal and study at the centre by students and members of the general public. Books can be borrowed by members of the society. The Land Settlement Registers, which contain the names of all the first settlers in the Atherton Land Agent's District, are available for perusal and research. The handwritten registers contain a wealth of information about the early settlement of the Atherton tablelands. The Resource Centre is open Tuesday evenings 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm, and Thursday mornings, 9.00 am to noon.
Notable residents
Malanda is the home town of Socceroos international footballer Shane StefanuttoShane Stefanutto
Shane Stefanutto is an Australian football defender who plays for .-Club career:Stefanutto trained at the Queensland Academy of Sport before playing for the Brisbane Strikers in the defunct National Soccer League from 1998–2004, before transferring Lillestrøm S.K. in Norway...
, who currently represents Lillestrøm SK in the Norwegian Premier League.