Malanda Station
Address: 29 James Street, Malanda Q. 4885
Locality Profile
Geographic location of the division:
Malanda is located on the southern Atherton Tablelands approximately eighty five kms
West of Cairns and twenty five kms South East of Atherton
Malanda is situated about an hour and a 1/4 drive from Cairns which has all the
amenities of a big city (has).
For photographs of the division, please see below.
Approximate size in square kilometres of division:
The division is approx. 250 sq. kms.
Climate:
Malanda is predominantly a dairying area and, in a normal year, is subject to an
annual rainfall of up to 1.2 metres. Heavy falls occur during the wet season from
about November through to April. For the remainder of the year fine, misty drizzle is
the norm. There have been years where this constant drizzle remains for up to 4
months with brief days of sunshine to break it up.
Winter temperatures can plummet to -2 and summer temperatures rarely exceed 31
and then for only two or three days in November/December. The climate is one of
the mildest in Queensland and although situated in the FNQ wet tropics area does not
suffer the debilitating humidity found on the coast. The division is a naturally airconditioned area as it is between 800 and 1000 metres above sea level.
Topography:
The terrain is comprised of both rainforest cloaked mountains and undulating green
pasture land which supports dairy and beef cattle. All accessible land which is able to
be utilised for agricultural purposes has been cleared in the past and the heavier belts
of rainforest are either on the mountain ranges or in World Heritage areas.
Distance from Cairns:
Approx. eighty five kms from Cairns taking one and a half hours by road. The Gillies
Highway is the shortest route to Cairns, being a winding mountain road commonly
causing motion sickness in those susceptible to it. The other major route to Cairns is
via Atherton to Mareeba and Kuranda on what is locally known as the Kuranda Range
road. This route adds about thirty minutes to the trip but is not as bad as the
Gillies. Both the Gillies and Kuranda Range roads are sometimes cut by minor
landslides and fallen trees during the wet season.
Information about population
throughout the division:
numbers
and
their
geographic
spread
There are three towns in the division - Malanda, Peeramon and Tarzali with Malanda
being the largest and containing the highest population. Both Peeramon and Tarzali
are
satellite
communities
with
very
little
infrastructure
to
support
employment. Information from the latest Census data indicates that there are about
1500 persons living within the division.
Historical Profile
Background history of the Division:
The area was originally opened up and settled by timber cutters in the late 1800s,
mainly chasing Red Gold i.e. Red Cedar. On entering the once extensive forests
timber cutters located fine cabinet timber trees including Black Walnut, Queensland
Maple Kauri Pine and Crowsfoot, to name but a few, and a thriving sawmilling industry
grew rapidly. The coastal plain, and the major ports of Cairns and Geraldton
(Innisfail), were only accessible via muddy tracks through the scrub which curtailed
the potential of the timber industry.
One attempt to overcome this problem was to float the logs to the coast via the
Barron River and many thousands of tonnes of valuable timber logs were
subsequently cut and dumped in the river to await the wet season. Unfortunately;
no-one seemed to take into account the falls on the river. When the rain arrived the
river swelled and to the joy of the sawmillers the logs began to float towards the
coast until they encountered the falls where the majority of the logs were smashed to
matchsticks by the raging flood.
The problem was solved when a railway was built from Cairns to the tableland
between 1882 and 1891 which in itself was an engineering marvel of its time. Timber
cutting was still a major industry supplying numerous large and privately owned
sawmills throughout the north until the declaration of World Heritage in the
80s. These early pioneers were closely followed by gold prospectors and large alluvial
fields were opened up on the edge of the tableland escarpment, where it falls away to
the coastal plain. Local rivers and creeks had exposed elluvial deposits, alluvial gold
deposited in ancient river beds, with 30 90 oz nuggets commonly found. Gold was
initially found in the creek and river beds before the advent of large pumps which
were used to sluice the ancient gravels causing widespread destruction of the
rainforest. This practice ceased in the 40s and 50s but there are still occasional finds
of payable nuggets made in the area.
As more of the forest was cleared dairy farming was pursued resulting in the
construction of a milk factory and a railway line to link the town with the coast at
Cairns. The railway was demolished in the 60s and 70s and no longer exists. The
factory still exists and Malanda Milk is claimed to have the longest milkrun in Australia
since its dairy industry supplies milk all the way to Mt Isa, Darwin and even the north
of Western Australia.
There is a concerted push to promote tourism in the area with proposals to open up
tracts of rainforest by building walking tracks to take advantage of eco-tourism. The
town is also looking at ways in which to promote tourism.
Police Station & Facilities
Hours of operation:
The hours of operation at Malanda Police station are at the discretion of the Officer in
Charge. At present the station is open for business from 9am to 3pm each Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday & Friday or by appointment.
The Malanda division is a two officer Station, a Sergeant and Senior Constable.
Adjacent divisions and travel time by road to those divisional
stations:
Malanda has divisional boundaries with Millaa Millaa to the South (twenty kms via
sealed road); Babinda to the East (approx. one hundred and thirty kms via sealed
road); Yungaburra to the North (twenty kms via sealed road); Atherton to the North
West (twenty kms via sealed road) and Herberton to the West (twenty kms via sealed
road).
Mt Bartle Frere, the highest mountain in Queensland, and the Bellenden Kerr Range,
second highest mountain range in Queensland, are situated in a direct line between
Malanda and Babinda therefore inter-divisional activities rarely take place. However
close links are held with staff at the other surrounding divisions and joint operations
are often carried out.
Distance in kilometres and travel time by road from the District Office:
Fifty seven kms by road to the District Office
route. Due to the height of the tableland area,
through major rivers to the coast, flooding is not
minor landslides during the wet season sometimes
at Mareeba and there is no air
with flood waters quickly draining
an issue however; fallen trees and
impede travel.
Banking
Names of banks with branches or agencies represented in the division:
National Bank, Commonwealth Bank, Bendigo Bank and a Westpac agency.
Are EFTPOS facilities available?
EFTPOS is available at most points of sale in Malanda.
Any agencies for QPS Credit Union:
The Post Office has Giropost facilities to access a QPCU account.
Churches
List of Churches represented in the division:
A Church of England, Seventh day Adventists and a Catholic church are present with
services conducted by local clergy.
Communications
Telephone services:
Normal landline telephone services are available with both digital mobile (Telstra) and
CDMA service is available.
Radio stations:
ABC; 4CA; 4KZ; 4AM; Hot FM
Television stations:
ABC; SBS; WIN; TEN; SEVEN and Austar is available.
Internet services and providers:
Internet service is reasonable with several local call ISPs available. No broadband
service is yet available.
Education
List of education facilities:
High School and State School also Kindergartens and Day Care.
Ancillary information
Electricity supply:
Ergon Energy
Reliability of supply:
Blackouts often occur in the storm season months of November and December
Type and quality of water supply:
Reticulated town water is supplied which is of high quality
Type of sewerage:
No sewerage services are available all waste disposal is via septic tanks
Industry / Employment
Local industry and employment opportunities:
Limited opportunities for spousal employment within Malanda are with the Schools,
Milk Factory, Heritage Center, Council and Local businesses. Atherton is the major
centre on the southern tablelands and employment opportunities are more numerous
in that area.
Leisure Activities
Licensed hotels in Malanda, Tarzali and Peeramon. Numerous Cafes, an old fashioned
picture theatre The Majestic Theatre said to be the oldest continually operating
cinema in Australia and with canvas seating. Amateur theatre productions are also
staged at the theatre.
There is also an RSL and restaurants.
Judo, Rugby League Football, Soccer, Scouts, Guides and SES Cadets. There is an
Olympic sized swimming pool with qualified instructors.
Tourist Activities:
Malanda is within one to one and a half hours of the coast via Innisfail or Cairns. Both
towns provide access to the Great Barrier Reef for various tourist activities including
diving, fishing, snorkelling, swimming etc. There are numerous waterfalls in the
southern tablelands area which are regularly visited. There are also many and varied
bush walking tracks throughout both rainforest and savannah type areas including a
track to the summit of Bartle Frere.
Fresh Food on the Tablelands
One of the great things about living on the Atherton Tablelands are the markets held
each weekend selling fresh produce, crafts and just about anything.
Farms also, often sell their produce on the side of the road. In season, fruit,
vegetables and flowers abound. Crops include mangos, lychees, potatoes; avocados
water melons, pumpkins; bananas and roses.
Annual events:
The only annual event held at Malanda is Malanda Show in July each year.
Local Government
Name of local council/shire:
Local authority is the Eacham Shire Council, which is located in Malanda.
Medical and Veterinary Facilities
Ambulance Station, Fire Station; Health Clinic staffed with a full-time RN and visited
weekly by a doctor and representatives from Mental Health and other health
services. Malanda also has a full Veterinary Hospital.
Other Government Agencies
Federal and State government agencies:
QGAP at the Shire Offices.
Court facilities:
All matters are dealt with at the Atherton Magistrates Court.
Other Emergency Services:
QAS, Auxillary QFS and Eacham SES.
Work undertaken by QPS for other Agencies or Services:
Permits and Drivers licenses issued on behalf of Queensland Transport.
Shopping
Available Supermarkets and Chain Stores:
An excellent 5 Star Supermarket, and Mitre 10 Store .
Availability of Fresh Produce:
Excellent Fresh produce is available from the supermarket daily
Access to hairdresser, haberdashery and clothing stores:
All these facilities are available in Malanda.
Petrol & Diesel:
There are three service stations in town providing both petrol and diesel.
Transportation
Available Public Transportation:
Nil
Availability of air travel facilities:
Nil
Access to sea travel facilities:
Nil
Access to rail travel facilities:
Nil
Road conditions:
The division is bi-sected by the Lake Barrine Road that joins with the Kennedy and
Gillies Highway. This is an exceptionally good bitumen road. Other major arterial
roads are all bitumen. Gravel roads are generally in good condition and traversable
by 2WD vehicles. There are common farm roads in the division that occasionally
become rutted and wet.
Search and Rescue activities:
SES
Other Community Groups / Organisations
Other Community groups and organisations found in this Division:
Malanda Police Consultative Committee, SES, Volunteers, Fire Brigade, Scouts, Army
Cadets, Chamber of Commerce. The O/C is immediately recruited into the local Lions
Club on arrival. Meetings take place twice monthly at the RSL.
Other Comments on Division
Malanda division is generally a quiet town with an average of three callouts a
week. The area is beautiful with many spectacular views of rolling green countryside
interspersed with tracts of mountainous rainforest and all bisected by crystal clear
mountain streams and creeks.
MALANDA SURROUNDS
South east from Atherton is Malanda, a picturesque rural town at the centre of a thriving dairy industry
and boasts the longest milk run in the world (all the way to Alice Springs)! Supported by over 190 local
dairy farmers, a Friesian cow is not an unusual sight. Set in rolling green hills interspersed with pockets of
rainforest, Malanda is 800 metres above sea level providing a climate of mild summer days and cool
winter evenings. It also has Australia's oldest operating picture theatre, complete with canvas seats.
Local wildlife includes many species of rare rainforest animals and birds such as tree climbing kangaroos,
platypus, echidnas, cassowary, bandicoots and possums.
A highlight of any visit to Malanda is the Malanda Environmental Centre where the geological history of
the Tableland, the subsequent development of the cool wet climate, and the resulting inter-relationships
of the local ecosystem are informatively explained. To the south west of Malanda you will also find
Bromfield Swamp, a bird watchers paradise with magpie geese, brolgas and sarus cranes. Starting with
Malanda Falls which feeds into the local swimming pool, and incorporates a picnic and BBQ area set in
the rainforest, the road continues from Malanda to Millaa Millaa via Tarzali, and on to Ravenshoe, and
undoubtedly reveals some of most breathtaking views on the Atherton Tableland.
Malanda is a station built in a beautiful area.
Main Street of Malanda
Malanda Station – in new heritage colours
Malanda Division - looking from the top of
Mt.Bartle Frere
Malanda Surrounds Photos Page
1
Wonderful Farming Country
Malanda Council Building
Swimming at the Falls
Malanda Falls
Malanda Falls Information Centre
Tea is grown in abundance
Malanda Surrounds Photos Page
2
Rainforest Creek
Johnstone River
Mungalli Falls
Beautiful Tree Ferns
Mt.Quincan Morning Mist
Riding the Highway
Malanda Surrounds Photos Page
3
Tablelands at Dusk
Sunset over Mt.Bartle Frere
Malanda is home to the Nerada Tea Farm – Pest Free
Travelling down the beautiful Johnstone River
Malanda Dairy Centre
Malanda Surrounds Photos Page
Malanda Dairy Centre – free entry
4
Peeramon Hotel
Majestic Theatre – one of the oldest in
Australia still running
Sunset over Lake Eacham
Tarzali Fish Farm – catch a Barra
A number of Mosaics adorn the Malanda Theatre
Malanda Surrounds Photos Page
5
Upper Barron
The Drop over Zillie Falls
Mt. Bartle Frere – The Top
Mt. Bartle Frere – Broken Nose
Malanda – Located between Atherton and Cairns
Malanda Surrounds Photos Page
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