Tablelands Region

title: "Tablelands Region" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["tablelands-region", "local-government-areas-of-queensland", "far-north-queensland", "2008-establishments-in-australia"] topic_path: "geography/australia" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablelands_Region" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox Australian place | type = lga"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Tablelands Region |
| state | qld |
| image | Tablelands LGA Qld 2008.png |
| image_upright | 0.81 |
| caption | Location within Queensland, 2013, prior to de-amalgamation of Shire of Mareeba |
| mayor | Rodney Donald Marti |
| pop | 26244 |
| pop_year | |
| pop_footnotes | |
| area | 11293 |
| area_footnotes | |
| est | 2008 |
| seat | Atherton |
| region | Far North Queensland |
| logo | Tablelands-regional-council-logo.png |
| url | https://www.trc.qld.gov.au/ |
| stategov | Cook |
| stategov2 | Barron River |
| stategov3 | Hill |
| fedgov | Kennedy |
| near-nw | Mareeba |
| near-n | Mareeba |
| near-ne | Cairns |
| near-w | Mareeba |
| near-e | Cairns |
| near-sw | Etheridge |
| near-s | Charters Towers |
| near-se | Cassowary Coast, Hinchinbrook |
| :: |
| name = Tablelands Region | state = qld | image = Tablelands LGA Qld 2008.png | image_upright = 0.81 | caption = Location within Queensland, 2013, prior to de-amalgamation of Shire of Mareeba | mayor = Rodney Donald Marti | pop = 26244 | pop_year = | pop_footnotes = | area = 11293 | area_footnotes = | est = 2008 | seat = Atherton | region = Far North Queensland | logo = Tablelands-regional-council-logo.png | url = https://www.trc.qld.gov.au/ | stategov = Cook | stategov2 = Barron River | stategov3 = Hill | fedgov = Kennedy | near-nw = Mareeba | near-n = Mareeba | near-ne = Cairns | near-w = Mareeba | near-e = Cairns | near-sw = Etheridge | near-s = Charters Towers | near-se = Cassowary Coast, Hinchinbrook
The Tablelands Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia inland from the city of Cairns. Established in 2008, it was preceded by four previous local government areas which dated back more than a century. On 1 January 2014, one of those local government areas, the Shire of Mareeba, was re-established independent of the Tablelands Region.
It has an estimated operating budget of A$62.2 million.
In the , the Tablelands Region had a population of 26,244 people.
History
Yidinji (also known as Yidinj, Yidiny, and Idindji) is an Australian Aboriginal language. Its traditional language region is within the local government areas of Cairns Region and Tablelands Region, in such localities as Cairns, Gordonvale, and the Mulgrave River, and the southern part of the Atherton Tableland including Atherton and Kairi.
Prior to the 2008 amalgamation, the Tablelands Region consisted the entire area of four previous local government areas:
- the Shire of Atherton;
- the Shire of Eacham;
- the Shire of Herberton; and
- the Shire of Mareeba.
On 11 November 1879, when the Divisional Boards Act 1879 came into effect proclaiming 74 divisions around Queensland, the nature and distribution of the population in the Tablelands region was vastly different from today. Most of the area was divided between the Hinchinbrook and Woothakata divisions. On 3 September 1881, Tinaroo Division was proclaimed from part of Hinchinbrook, making the mining towns of Tinaroo and Thornborough the administrative centres of the region.
A number of changes occurred from that point:
- 15 September 1888 – Formation of the Borough of Herberton to manage the town of Herberton
- 14 May 1889 – Walsh Division (Irvinebank) separated from Woothakata
- 20 December 1890 – Barron Division separated from Tinaroo
- 11 May 1895 – Herberton Division separated from Tinaroo; amalgamated the Borough
- 31 March 1903 – Under the Local Authorities Act 1902, Barron, Herberton, Tinaroo, Walsh and Woothakata became Shires.
- 16 December 1908 – Shire of Chillagoe formed from part of Woothakata
- 18 November 1910 – Shire of Eacham formed from part of Tinaroo
- 20 December 1919 – Shire of Barron abolished and divided between Mulgrave and Woothakata
- 1933 – Shires of Walsh and Chillagoe amalgamated into Woothakata
- 1935 – Shire of Tinaroo renamed Shire of Atherton
- 20 December 1947 – Shire of Woothakata renamed Shire of Mareeba
In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that the four areas amalgamate. Amongst its reasons given for this recommendation were that a community of interest revolved around the towns of Mareeba and Atherton, with residents travelling to Cairns for services not offered in the region. The opportunity for tourism and leisure promotion under a single banner, the close proximity of most major towns, the lack of natural barriers and similar economic interests including beef, dairy, fruit and sugar production. All councils opposed the amalgamation, although Atherton, Herberton and Eacham were willing to consider shared service delivery. On 15 March 2008, the Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect councillors and a to the Regional Council.
In 2012, a proposal was made to de-amalgamate the Shire of Mareeba from the Tablelands Region. On 9 March 2013, the citizens of the former Mareeba shire voted in a referendum to de-amalgamate. The Shire of Mareeba was re-established on 1 January 2014.
Wards and councillors
-- Tablelands Regional Council consists of:
- Mayor: Rodney Donald (Rod) Marti
- Division 1 Councillor: Kevin Cardew
- Division 2 Councillor: Annette Haydon
- Division 3 Councillor: Dave Bilney
- Division 4 Councillor: David Clifton
- Division 5 Councillor: Peter Hodge
- Division 6 Councillor: Bernie Wilce
Mayors
- 2008–2012: Tom Gilmore
- 2012–2016: Rosa Lee Long
- 2016–2020: Joe Paronella
- 2020–present: Rod Marti
Towns and localities
The Tablelands Region includes the following settlements:
Atherton area:
- Atherton
- Barrine
- Carrington
- Kairi
- Lake Tinaroo
- Tinaroo
- Tolga
- Upper Barron
- Walkamin
- Wongabel Eacham area:
- Malanda
- Yungaburra
- Butchers Creek
- Glen Allyn
- Jaggan
- Lake Eacham
- Maalan
- Millaa Millaa
- North Johnstone
- Palmerston1
- Peeramon
- Tarzali Herberton area:
- Herberton
- Evelyn
- Innot Hot Springs
- Kalunga
- Millstream
- Moomin
- Mount Garnet
- Ravenshoe
- Tumoulin
- Wairuna
- Wondecla Others:
- Beatrice
- Danbulla
- East Barron
- Ellinjaa
- Gadgarra
- Glen Ruth
- Gunnawarra
- Kaban
- Kingsborough
- Kirrama
- Koombooloomba
- Kureen
- Lake Barrine
- Middlebrook
- Minbun
- Minnamoolka
- Moregatta
- Mungalli
- Silver Valley
- Topaz
- Wooroonooran2
1 - shared with Cassowary Coast Region
2 - shared with Cairns Region and Cassowary Coast Region
Demographics
The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008. The was the first for the Tablelands Region.
::data[format=table] | Year | Population (Region total) | Population (Mareeba) | Population (Atherton) | Population (Herberton) | Population (Eacham) | Notes | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1933 | 19,386 | 8,248 | 3,962 | 2,852 | 4,324 | | | 1947 | 17,585 | 6,312 | 4,335 | 3,198 | 3,740 | | | 1954 | 20,917 | 7,595 | 5,401 | 4,150 | 3,771 | | | 1961 | 23,675 | 10,212 | 5,806 | 3,815 | 3,842 | | | 1966 | 23,332 | 10,789 | 5,311 | 3,634 | 3,598 | | | 1971 | 24,367 | 11,676 | 5,638 | 3,726 | 3,327 | | | 1976 | 25,488 | 12,136 | 6,240 | 3,679 | 3,433 | | | 1981 | 29,329 | 14,003 | 7,501 | 3,688 | 4,137 | | | 1986 | 33,426 | 15,563 | 8,518 | 4,210 | 5,135 | | | 1991 | 36,816 | 17,129 | 9,518 | 4,560 | 5,609 | | | 1996 | 39,350 | 18,044 | 10,119 | 5,113 | 6,074 | | | 2001 | 39,629 | 17,961 | 10,509 | 5,083 | 6,076 | | | 2006 | 40,906 | 18,212 | 10,912 | 5,423 | 6,359 | | | | 43,727 | | | | | | | | 24,827 | Following the deamalgation of the Shire of Mareeba. | | | | | | | 26,244 | | | | | | ::
Libraries
The Tablelands Regional Council operate public libraries in Atherton, Herberton, Malanda, Millaa Millaa, Mount Garnet, Ravenshoe and Yungaburra.
References
References
- (27 March 2019). "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". [[Australian Bureau of Statistics]].
- "Yidinji".
- Queensland Local Government Reform Commission. (July 2007). "Report of the Local Government Reform Commission". Local government Reform Commission.
- "Proposal to de-amalgamate Mareeba from the combined Tablelands Regional Council".
- "Mareeba Area De-amalgamation Poll – Mareeba – Poll Area Summary". Electoral Commission Queensland.
- "De-amalgamation". Queensland Government.
- "Local Government (De-amalgamation Implementation) Regulation 2013". Queensland Government.
- "Councillors - TRC - Tablelands Regional Council". TRC - Tablelands Regional Council.
- "2016 Tablelands Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary".
- "2016 Tablelands Regional Council - Councillor Election - Election Summary".
- (2020). "2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020". [[Electoral Commission of Queensland]].
- "2008 Tablelands Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary".
- "2012 Tablelands Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary".
- "2016 Tablelands Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary".
- {{Census 2011 AUS
- {{Census 2016 AUS
- {{Census 2021 AUS
- (29 September 2017). "Tablelands Regional Council".
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