Dimbulah, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Dimbulah is a town located in Far North
Queensland
, Australia
, 114 kilometres from Cairns
by road, on the Atherton Tableland
. The town was established in 1876 to service the Tyrconnell Gold Mine, one of the richest mines on the Hodgkinson Gold Fields. The name "Dimbulah" is thought to have come from the local Indigenous Australian word for "long waterhole", referring to the Walsh River that runs nearby the town. At the 2006 census
, Dimbulah had a population of 381.
The area around Dimbulah was originally home to the Djankun and Kuku Djungan
tribe. During the 1920s the Queensland government forcibly removed
most of their children, forcing the tribe to scatter.
In the early 1900s the area received an influx of Italian
migrants and in 1928 tobacco
was introduced, becoming the area's major industry soon after. At its peak, there were 800 growers in the area, producing over 8,000 tonne
s (60% of national yield) of tobacco a year.
Tobacco remained the dominant crop until recent years when government policy compelled its demise. Recent attempts at alternative crops such as tea tree
s, mango
es, sugar cane, coffee
, lemons, limes, avocados, papaws, papayas, peanuts, soya beans, lychees, and cash crops (pumpkin
s, melon
s, etc.) have met with mixed success.
Local residents enjoy a tropical climate with hot, wet summers and dry, mild winters. There are many sporting clubs including swimming, tennis, horse and pony, lawn bowls, Rhee Taekwon-Do
, and soccer. At the time of writing, the town's retail facilities include a bank, post office, chemist, cafe, therapeutic massage, real estate, opp shop, butcher, two salons, clothing store, hardware store, community bank, grocery store, convenience store and petrol station. Community groups include the Dimbulah Community Centre, Lions Club, QCWA, chamber of commerce, museum association,Library, Friulani, Trevisani, and several faith-based groups.
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...
, 114 kilometres 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...
by road, on the Atherton Tableland
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...
. The town was established in 1876 to service the Tyrconnell Gold Mine, one of the richest mines on the Hodgkinson Gold Fields. The name "Dimbulah" is thought to have come from the local Indigenous Australian word for "long waterhole", referring to the Walsh River that runs nearby the town. 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,...
, Dimbulah had a population of 381.
The area around Dimbulah was originally home to the Djankun and Kuku Djungan
Kuku
Kuku may refer to:*Kuku people, an ethnic group from South Sudan*Kuku language, the language of the Kuku people*Kuku, Burma*Kuku, Estonia, a village in Estonia*Kuku Yulanji, tribe of aboriginals of the Daintree in North Queensland, Australia...
tribe. During the 1920s the Queensland government forcibly removed
Stolen Generation
The Stolen Generations were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Federal and State government agencies and church missions, under acts of their respective parliaments...
most of their children, forcing the tribe to scatter.
In the early 1900s the area received an influx of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
migrants and in 1928 tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco 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...
was introduced, becoming the area's major industry soon after. At its peak, there were 800 growers in the area, producing over 8,000 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s (60% of national yield) of tobacco a year.
Tobacco remained the dominant crop until recent years when government policy compelled its demise. Recent attempts at alternative crops such as tea tree
Melaleuca
Melaleuca is a genus of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae known for its natural soothing and cleansing properties. There are well over 200 recognised species, most of which are endemic to Australia...
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, sugar cane, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, lemons, limes, avocados, papaws, papayas, peanuts, soya beans, lychees, and cash crops (pumpkin
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
s, melon
Melon
thumb|200px|Various types of melonsThis list of melons includes members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae with edible, fleshy fruit e.g. gourds or cucurbits. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit...
s, etc.) have met with mixed success.
Local residents enjoy a tropical climate with hot, wet summers and dry, mild winters. There are many sporting clubs including swimming, tennis, horse and pony, lawn bowls, Rhee Taekwon-Do
Rhee Taekwon-Do
Rhee Taekwon-Do , also known as Rhee Tae Kwon-Do, Rhee Tae Kwon Do, or Rhee Taekwondo, is a martial art school in Australia and New Zealand teaching the Korean martial art of taekwondo. Its full name is "Rhee International Taekwon-Do" with "" or "" appended...
, and soccer. At the time of writing, the town's retail facilities include a bank, post office, chemist, cafe, therapeutic massage, real estate, opp shop, butcher, two salons, clothing store, hardware store, community bank, grocery store, convenience store and petrol station. Community groups include the Dimbulah Community Centre, Lions Club, QCWA, chamber of commerce, museum association,Library, Friulani, Trevisani, and several faith-based groups.
Education
- Dimbulah Limited Hours Child Care, Age range 15 months - 5 years
- Dimbulah Kindergarten, Age range 3–5 years
- Dimbulah P-10 State School (founded September 1914), Age range 5–15 years
- St Anthony's Parish School (Catholic - founded January 1966)
External links
- University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Dimbulah
- Dimbulah State School
- St Anthony's Parish School, Dimbulah
- Peace Art by students of St Anthony's School.
- Djankum Tribe in Tindale's Catalogue of Australian Aboriginal Tribes