Mareeba

Mareeba

Mareeba, a rural town, is 40 km west of central Cairns. It is reached circuitously by railway or the Kennedy Highway, both via Kuranda.

Situated on the northern end of the Atherton Tableland, Mareeba is at the junction of Granite Creek and the Barron River, and it is thought that the name was derived from an Aboriginal word referring to a meeting of the waters. When first settled, Mareeba was known as Granite Creek.

Further Reading: 

Hugh Borland, Mareeba, meeting place of waters, 1893-1946, Gordonvale, H.A. Borland, 1947

J.M. Powell, Plains of promise, rivers of destiny: water management and the development of Queensland 1824-1990, Brisbane, Boolarong, 1991

Edwina Toohey, From bullock team to puffing billy: the Atherton Tableland and its hinterland; Aborigines and settlers 1860s to 1994, Rockhampton, Central Queensland University Press, 2001

Mareeba Centenary 1877-1977, Mareeba Centenary Committee, 1977

Headwords: 
Mareeba

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