Atherton, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Atherton is a town on the Atherton Tablelands of Far North
Queensland
, Australia
. At the 2006 census
, Atherton had a population of 7,068.
north to Mareeba
and south to Ravenshoe and Mount Garnet
, the Malanda Road to Malanda
and the Herberton Road to Herberton.
s, mango
es, maize (corn)
, potato
es, avocado
s and macadamia nuts
. Dairy
and beef
cattle are also reared in the area.
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...
. 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,...
, Atherton had a population of 7,068.
Roads
Atherton is joined by the Gillies Highway to Yungaburra, the Kennedy HighwayKennedy Highway
The Kennedy Highway is a highway in northern Queensland, Australia. It runs for approximately 250 km from Smithfield, on the northern outskirts of Cairns, to the Gulf Development Road in the vicinity of Forty Mile Scrub and Undara Volcanic national parks, about 40 kilometres south of Mount...
north 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...
and south to Ravenshoe and Mount Garnet
Mount Garnet
Mount Garnet is a small town located in north-eastern Queensland, Australia. It is located at the south-western edge of the Atherton Tableland and is on the Kennedy Highway. Mount Garnet is about a three hour drive from Cairns. At the 2006 census, Mount Garnet had a population of 458.- Overview...
, the Malanda Road to Malanda
Malanda, Queensland
Malanda is a medium-sized town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is located from Cairns and 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...
and the Herberton Road to Herberton.
Public transport
- Trans North offers a number of return services during a seven day week between Atherton, Tolga, Walkamin, Mareeba, Kuranda, and Cairns including drop-offs to airport, railway station, hospitals and bus depots. There are connections available between Ravenshoe and Herberton and along the Wheelbarrow Way to Chillagoe.
- There is an Atherton taxiTaxicabA taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
service.
Economy
The land around Atherton is used to grow a variety of crops, including sugar cane, peanutPeanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s, mango
Mango
The 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, maize (corn)
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es, avocado
Avocado
The avocado is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel...
s and macadamia nuts
Macadamia
Macadamia 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 ....
. Dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
and beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
cattle are also reared in the area.
Culture
Each year towards the end of August, Atherton celebrates the Maize festival, which features a parade with decorated floats, the Maize Queen pageant, some children's amusement rides and some activities such as tug of war and wood chopping. There are also shop window display and artwork competitions as well as a prize given to the best float.Education
Atherton has two primary schools, one secondary school, one independent Prep - Grade 12 school and a TAFE campus. There are also several day care centres in the town.- Atherton State High SchoolAtherton State High SchoolAtherton State High School is a co-educational, state secondary school in Atherton, Queensland. Possibly its most notable alumnus is the former Premier of Queensland, Peter Beattie.-Education:...
- Atherton State School
- Jubilee Christian CollegeJubilee Christian CollegeJubilee Christian College is an independent, co-educational, Christian school, located in Atherton, Queensland, Australia. It was founded in 1984.-History:The school began its life as Tableland Christian College...
- St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School
- Tropical North Institute of TAFE
Health
Atherton Hospital is in the Tablelands Health District. It hospital provides obstetric, medical, surgical, operating theatre, accident and emergency services.Notable people from Atherton
- Alexander Prokhorov, SovietSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
/RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n physicist and Nobel PrizeNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winner, born to a family of Russian immigrants which subsequently relocated back to the Soviet Union. - Peter BeattiePeter BeattiePeter Douglas Beattie , Australian politician, was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland for nine years and leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state for eleven and a half years...
, Former Premier of QueenslandQueenslandQueensland 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...
. - Elizabeth O'ConnerElizabeth O'ConnerElizabeth O'Conner under the name Barbara Lowe is an Australian novelist. Elizabeth O'Conner was born in Dunedoo in New South Wales. After a childhood spent in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, she studied art in Adelaide and Sydney.She married in 1942 and moved to the...
, author. - Ron GrainerRon GrainerRonald Erle “Ron” Grainer was an Australian-born composer who worked for most of his professional career in the United Kingdom. He is mostly remembered for his film and television music.- Biography :...
, composer. - Dallas JohnsonDallas JohnsonDallas Johnson is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League and formerly the Melbourne Storm and Catalans Dragons. He plays primarily as a lock forward.Between 2007 and 2009, Johnson played in four consecutive NRL grand finals...
, North Queensland CowboysNorth Queensland CowboysThe North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
lock forward and former Melbourne StormMelbourne StormThe Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
player and Queensland State of Origin representative. - Rod JensenRod JensenRod Frederick Jensen is a professional rugby league footballer for the Northern Pride in the QLD CupHe has previously played for Huddersfield Giants in Super League in the United Kingdom....
, former North Queensland CowboysNorth Queensland CowboysThe North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
and Huddersfield GiantsHuddersfield GiantsHuddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
player.