Mareeba is a town on the
Atherton TablelandThe 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 NorthFar 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...
QueenslandQueensland 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...
,
AustraliaAustralia , 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...
. The town is 417 metres (1,368.1 ft) above
sea levelMean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
on the confluence of the
Barron RiverThe Barron River is located on the Atherton Tableland inland from Cairns in Northern Queensland, Australia. With its headwater at Lake Tinaroo, it is more than 165 km long and has a catchment area of approximately 2138 km².-History:...
, Granite Creek and Emerald Creek. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning
meeting of the waters. At the 2006
censusThe 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,...
, Mareeba had a population of 6,806.
History
Prior to European settlement, the area around Mareeba was inhabited by the Muluridji people. They maintained a hunter/gatherer existence in the area between Mount Carbine, Mareeba, Rumula and Woodville, mainly concentrated between Bibhoora and
Mount MolloyMount Molloy is a historic mining and timber town lying 160 kilometres north of Cairns. At the 2006 census, the town and surrounding area had a population of 276.At its height it was a copper mine in the 1890s...
. In the local Aboriginal language, Mareeba means meeting of the waters - referring to the point at which the Barron River is joined by Granite Creek.
On 26 May 1875
James Venture MulliganJames Venture Mulligan was a bushman and prospector. He was born in Drumgooland, County Down, Ireland and emigrated to Australia in 1859...
became the first European officially to see the future site of Mareeba when he rode up the eastern bank of the Barron River, and passed the junctions of Emerald Creek and Granite Creek.
The Mareeba area was first settled by Europeans in 1877 by
John AthertonJohn Atherton was an explorer of the Far North Queensland area of Queensland, Australia.-Childhood and early life:John Atherton was born in Lancashire, England and was the second son of nine children...
, who arrived with cattle at Emerald End, which is just north of the town today. Mareeba quickly became a busy coach stop for Cobb & Co on the road from
Port DouglasPort Douglas is a town in Far North Queensland, Australia, approximately north of Cairns. Its permanent population was 948 residents in 2006. The town's population can often double, however, with the influx of tourists during the peak tourism season May–September. The town is named in honour of...
to
HerbertonHerberton is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Herberton had a population of 974.-History:...
. When the railway arrived in 1893, Mareeba grew into a busy town.
From 1942 to 1945, up to 10,000 Australian and US service personnel used
Mareeba AirfieldMareeba Airfield is an airfield located near Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. Built in 1942 as a US Army Air Force base during World War II, the airfield had two runways, with a complement of taxiways, hardstands and a containment area...
as a staging post for battles in
New GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and the Pacific. The Americans referred to it as Hoevet Field in honour of Major Dean Carol "Pinky" Hoevet who was killed on 16 August 1942. Units that were based at Mareeba during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
included
No. 5 Squadron RAAFNo. 5 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force training, army co-operation and helicopter squadron. The Squadron was first formed in 1917 and was disbanded in December 1989.-Squadron history:...
,
No. 100 Squadron RAAFNo. 100 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force bomber and maritime patrol squadron of World War II. The Squadron was formed in 1942 and was disbanded in 1946.-Squadron history:...
, the Australian 33rd Light A-A Battery, 19th Bomb Group USAAC, 43rd Bomb Group USAAC and 8th Fighter Group USAAC.
Economy
Mareeba is fast becoming known for its
horticultureHorticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
industries. Numerous crops are grown throughout
Mareeba ShireThe Shire of Mareeba was 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 1879 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several...
, including
avocadoThe avocado is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel...
s,
mangoThe mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
es,
lycheeThe lychee is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is a tropical and subtropical fruit tree native to Southern China and Southeast Asia, and now cultivated in many parts of the world...
s,
longanDimocarpus longan, commonly known as the longan, is a tropical tree native to South and Southeast Asia, in the Indomalaya ecozone known for its edible fruit.-Vernacular names:The fruit is known as longan or longyan in English...
s, sugar cane,
cashewThe cashew is a tree in the family Anacardiaceae. Its English name derives from the Portuguese name for the fruit of the cashew tree, caju, which in turn derives from the indigenous Tupi name, acajú. It is now widely grown in tropical climates for its cashew nuts and cashew apples.-Etymology:The...
s,
macadamiaMacadamia is a genus of nine species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, with a disjunct distribution native to eastern Australia , New Caledonia and Sulawesi in Indonesia ....
s,
pineapplePineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
s,
tea treeTea tree or Ti-tree is a popular name that has been applied to a number of different, unrelated plants:*Camellia sinensis , from which black, green, oolong and white tea are all obtained....
,
coffeeCoffea is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. They are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. Seeds of several species are the source of the popular beverage coffee. Coffee ranks as one of the world's most valuable and widely traded...
, and a variety of vegetables and tropical fruits.
PoultryPoultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
and
cattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
are also common.
TobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, once a main-stay of the local economy, is no longer grown within the Mareeba shire, although
Chop ChopChop chop, also known as loose tobacco, is an Australian term for untaxed, cheap, illegal tobacco, such as that which is home grown. "Chop chop" avoids heavy excise and taxation levies and can be much cheaper than the legal product...
was a problem.
TourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is also contributing to the local economy.
The
Lotus Glen Correctional CentreLotus Glen Correctional Centre is an Australian prison facility located 25 km south of Mareeba and 20 km north of Atherton in Far North Queensland. Lotus Glen provides a correctional service for high, medium, low and open classification inmates...
is located in Mareeba.
Education
Mareeba has two primary schools, two secondary schools and a
TAFEIn Australia, training and further education or TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education courses, mostly qualifying courses under the National Training System/Australian Qualifications Framework/Australian Quality Training Framework...
campus. There are also several day care centres in the town.
- St Thomas of Villanova Catholic Primary School
- Mareeba State Primary School
- Mareeba State High School
Mareeba State High School is a school in Mareeba, Queensland. it currently has 700 students across the five grades and was established in 1960, it has been successfully running ever since. Currently Angela Toppin is the principal....
- St. Stephen's Catholic College
- Tropical North Institute of TAFE
Health
Mareeba Hospital is in the Tablelands Health District. It provides 52 beds, with surgical, maternity, paediatric, outpatient, emergency and x-ray facilities.
Sporting Teams
Mareeba's local sporting teams are:
- Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
— Mareeba Gladiators: The Gladiators participate in the Cairns District Rugby League competition. They last won the Premiership in 2007.
- Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
— The Mareeba United Football Club, known as the Mareeba Bulls: the Bulls have dominated the local football scene for the past decade. The Bulls were Grand Final winners in 2003, premiers, Grand Final Winners and NQ Champions in 2004 and again won the premiership and NQ Championship in 2005, and were crowned Grand Final Champions in 2006. The sustained success of the Bulls has brought the title for Mareeba as 'Football Capital of North Queensland'. In 2009, the Mareeba Bulls entered the Queensland State LeagueThe Hyundai Queensland State League, often abbreviated to the QSL, is a men's semi-professional association football league in the Australian state of Queensland...
, as the FNQ Bulls, incorporating the entire FNQ Football area, being based at the Bulls home ground at Borzi Park, Mareeba. The Bulls attracted some of the largest crowds in the state and continue to be force both at State league and local FNQ, in only their second season at the top flight, the Bulls finished 3rd in the league.
Both the Mareeba Karting Club and the Far North Queensland Motorcycle club hold monthly race meetings at the Makotrac International Racetrack which is located five kilometres from Mareeba.
Rodeo
The Mareeba
RodeoRodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
takes place over a weekend each July. The first rodeo was held 1949 at Davies Park (which is now the home ground of the
Gladiators Rugby LeagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team). On the Friday night, there is a parade through the town, and the Rodeo Princess is crowned (the first Princess was crowned in 1959). Over the rest of the weekend the rodeo proper is held at Kerribee Park. A
ute musterA ute muster is an Australian festival which brings together large numbers of utes and ute enthusiasts. These events typically include competitions and other side events, occur annually, and normally last several days...
is often staged over the same weekend as the rodeo.
Radio
Mareeba is serviced by the following radio stations:
- 4AM
4AM is a radio station in Atherton, Queensland on 558kHz AM. 4AM is also heard in Cairns. Also they are on 1422kHz AM in Port Douglas.-On air line up:Monday to Friday*5-9am: Terry Siva*9-12am: Greg Cary Morning Program*12-3pm: Mark Hogan...
- ABC Classic FM
ABC Classic FM is a classical music radio station available in Australia, and internationally online. It is operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . It was established in 1976 as "ABC-FM", and later for a short time was known as "ABC Fine Music" , before adopting its current name...
- ABC Local
ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites...
- ABC RadioNational
ABC Radio National is an Australia-wide non-commercial radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Radio National broadcasts national programming in areas that include news and current affairs, the arts, social issues, science, drama and comedy...
- HOT FM
Hot FM is an Australian radio network, consisting of stations in north and central Queensland and Western Australia.The brand was created by DMG Radio Australia, before they sold their regional stations to Macquarie Regional RadioWorks in 2004.Hot 91.1 is not owned by Southern Cross Austereo; DMG...
- KIK FM
KIK FM is a dance music station located in Darwin, Australia broadcasting on the frequencies 91.5 MHz, 88 MHz, and online. The first broadcast went to air in 1995, focusing on the club culture of the world. In 2001 a few shows were picked up by the station, and the 5 PM Mix Massive time slot was born...
- Rhema FM
Rhema FM is the name of a number of Christian radio stations formerly affiliated with United Christian Broadcasters in Australia. Each is run and programmed locally, with predominantly local announcing...
- Sea FM
Sea FM is a commercial Australian radio network, consisting of stations in Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania and is owned by Southern Cross Austereo. Some Sea FM stations were later sold to meet media ownership requirements...
Music
The Walkamin Country Music Association Festival is held at Kerribee Park, annually in October.
Hotels
Mareeba has three
hotelA hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s
- The Anthill
- The Graham
- The Peninsula
Religion
Mareeba has representatives from a large number of religions and has as many places of worship, including the region's only
mosqueA mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
.
Each year, on the first Sunday of September, St Thomas's Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of the Chain. The celebration begins with a procession through various streets of Mareeba and culminates in a fireworks display.
External links