Mutchilba, Queensland
| Mutchilba Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mutchilba roadhouse, 2013 | |||||||||||||||
  Mutchilba | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 17°08′19″S 145°12′33″E / 17.1386°S 145.2091°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 627 (SAL 2021)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1955 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4872 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 480 m (1,575 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 407.1 km2 (157.2 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Shire of Mareeba | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | |||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Kennedy | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Mutchilba is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Mareeba, in Far North Queensland, Australia.[2][3] It is known for its production of mangoes.
Geography[edit]
Mutchilba is on the Atherton Tableland, 98 kilometres (61 mi) south-west of Cairns via the Captain Cook Highway, Kennedy Highway and State Route 27. From further west it can be accessed via the Burke Developmental Road.
The town is located in the north-west of the locality on the Mareeba-Dimbulah Road 34 kilometres (21 mi) west of Mareeba.[4]
The Great Dividing Range forms part of the eastern boundary of the locality, and the locality has the following mountains (from west to east):[4]
- Mount Masterton (17°09′47″S 145°16′36″E / 17.1631°S 145.2766°E) 849 metres (2,785 ft)[5][6]
- Wog Hill (17°11′41″S 145°19′05″E / 17.1946°S 145.3180°E) 769 metres (2,523 ft)[5][7]
- Hoot Hill (17°11′42″S 145°21′48″E / 17.1951°S 145.3632°E) 847 metres (2,779 ft)[5][8]
- Mount Emerald (17°12′13″S 145°24′21″E / 17.2035°S 145.4058°E) 1,124 metres (3,688 ft)[5][9]
The Tablelands railway line enters the locality from the north-east (Arriga), passes through the town, and exits to the west (Dimbulah).[4] Historically, the locality was served by many railway station, but all are now abandoned (from west to east):
- Piemonte railway station (17°07′57″S 145°09′55″E / 17.1324°S 145.1654°E)[10]
- Fumar railway station (17°08′01″S 145°10′47″E / 17.1335°S 145.1796°E)[10]
- Mutchilba railway station (17°08′15″S 145°12′28″E / 17.1376°S 145.2079°E)[10]
- Algoma railway station (17°08′20″S 145°13′49″E / 17.1389°S 145.2303°E)[10]
- Parada railway station (17°08′23″S 145°14′53″E / 17.1396°S 145.2481°E)[10]
- Lemonside railway station (17°08′12″S 145°15′14″E / 17.1367°S 145.2539°E)[10]
- Bontaba railway station (17°07′15″S 145°16′24″E / 17.1207°S 145.2734°E)[10]
- Tabacum railway station (17°06′42″S 145°17′47″E / 17.1117°S 145.2964°E)[10]
History[edit]
Mutchilba railway station was named on 2 March 1923 by the Queensland Railways Department using an Aboriginal word meaning big dead tree.[11]
Mutchilba State School opened on 21 August 1939.[12][13]
A design plan for the town of Mutchilba was prepared in August 1954 as part of the development of the Mareeba-Dimbula irritation area.[14] The first town allotments were surveyed in March 1955.[2]
Mutchilba Post Office opened on 1 March 1956 (a telegraph office had been open from 1936).[15]
The town was downgraded by the Mareeba Shire Council in 1999 and has been officially a part of Dimbulah, Queensland since then.[16] On 12 October 2012 it was announced that the town is again officially recognised in the Queensland place names database.[17]
Between 2008 and 2013, Mutchilba (along with the rest of the Shire of Mareeba) was within the Tablelands Region.[18]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Mutchilba had a population of 495 people.[19]
Economy[edit]
Mutchilba is known for its large production of mangoes.[20][21]
Despite the name, the Mount Emerald Wind Farm is not in Mutchilba, but is on the north-western slopes of Mount Emerald in the neighbouring locality of Arriga.[22][4]
Education[edit]
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Mutchilba State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 33 Marsterson Street (17°08′21″S 145°12′43″E / 17.1393°S 145.2120°E).[23][24] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 24 students with 2 teachers and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).[25] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 20 students with 4 teachers (2 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[26]
There are no secondary schools in Mutchilba. The nearest government secondary schools are Dimbulah State School (to Year 10) in neighbouring Dimbulah to the west and Mareeba State High School (to Year 12) in Mareeba to the north-east.[4]
Amenities[edit]
St Joseph's Catholic Church is in Masterson Street. It is within the Dimbulah Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns which is administered from the Atherton parish.[27]
Events[edit]
Mutchilba is known for the "Mango Mardi Gras", which is a celebration of the many mango farms in the region.[28]
The Feast of St Joseph is celebrated by the Catholic church on the first Friday of March with a mass followed by a barbeque.[27]
References[edit]
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mutchilba (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Mutchilba – town in Shire of Mareeba (entry 23669)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ "Mutchilba – locality in Shire of Mareeba (entry 48798)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Mountain peaks and capes - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Mount Masterton – mountain in Mareeba Shire (entry 21205)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Wog Hill – mountain in Mareeba Shire (entry 37804)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Hoot Hill – mountain in Mareeba Shire (entry 16102)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Mount Emerald – mountain in Mareeba Shire (entry 11608)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Railway stations and sidings - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ "Mutchilba – railway station in the Shire of Mareeba (entry 23670)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
- ^ "Our school". Mutchilba State School. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "TOWNSHIP AT MUTCHILBA". Cairns Post. No. 16, 427. Queensland, Australia. 4 November 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 25 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ Wiped off the map, Mutchilba fights back Archived 26 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine stuff.co.nz, 11 July 2012
- ^ Tony Moore, Mutchilba back on the map Archived 26 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine, The Age, 13 October 2012
- ^ "De-amalgamation". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Mutchilba (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "Australian mango". Rocky Creek Orchards. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Furner, Mark (20 July 2022). "Mango Road leads to good taste and good jobs". Media statements. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "Mount Emerald Wind Farm". Mt Emerald Wind Farm. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Mutchilba State School". Mutchilba State School. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
- ^ "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Dimbulah Parish". Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ Moore, Tony (10 July 2012). "Wiped off the map, Mutchilba fights back". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
Further reading[edit]
- Mutchilba State School : 50th Jubilee, 1939 - 1989, Mutchilba State School, 1990
- Marletta, Cesare (1993), Italians in the Dimbulah-Mutchilba Region, 1930-1970, Cesare Marletta
External links[edit]
