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Early Explorers

Mareeba was settled in 1811. In 1845 Leichhardt found a route from Brisbane through to the Northern Territory, but on his second expedition his party completely disappeared. His grave was never found.

In 1848, Kennedy led an expedition to the Cape. He was speared to death a short distance from the tip before they were able to reach the supply ship which was waiting for them. Kennedy died in the arms of his companion Jacky Jacky, who buried him. Jacky Jacky then escaped in the ship.

In 1872 William Hann passed through Mareeba to report on the mineral prospects of the area. The Hann Tableland just north of the town is named after him. He found samples of gold on the Palmer River and on his return reported the findings.

Early Explorers

It was James Venture Mulligan who announced that there was payable gold on the Palmer in 1873, thus starting the Palmer River Gold Rush.

In 1877 John Atherton drove his cattle on the trail blazed by miner’s intent on making their fortunes on the new goldfields. He built a house called Emerald End, on the Barron River. With the opening of the Bump Track and with many miners going to and from the goldfields and Port Douglas, he saw the need to establish a coach exchange station at the creek crossing on the banks of the Granite Creek. This was the beginning of the establishment of the town of Mareeba.

John Doyle was also a pathfinder and is said to be the first white man to see the Barron Falls, as he tried to blaze a trail from the Hodgkinson Goldfields down to Cairns. This dray seen is from Doyle’s dray.


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Tableland Heritage

Tablelands Regional Council  

Mareeba Heritage Museum and Information Centre

345 Byrnes St, Centenary Park Mareeba QLD 4880
Ph/Fax (07) 40 925 674

Open 7 days: 8.00am to 4.00 pm

 
Mareeba Information Centre

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