Herberton, Queensland


Herberton is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the, Herberton had a population of 855 people.
At its apogee, Herberton was the richest tin mining field in Australia, and was home to 17 public hotels, 2 local newspapers and a brewery.

Geography and climate

Herberton is on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland. It is situated high on the Great Dividing Range south-west of Atherton. Vegetation ranges from tropical rainforest to the east, wet sclerophyll forests to the north and east and open sclerophyll forests and woodlands to the north and west.

History

The first European exploration of this area, part of the traditional land of the Dyirbal, was undertaken in 1875 by James Venture Mulligan. Mulligan was prospecting for gold, but instead found tin. The town of Herberton was established on 19 April 1880 by John Newell to exploit the tin find, and mining began on 9 May 1880. By September 1880, Herberton had a population of 300 men and 27 women. Herberton Post Office opened on 22 November 1880.
The town's name is attributed to John Newell. It is believed he named it after the Herbert River whose northern tributary flows through Herberton and/or after Robert George Wyndham Herbert, the first Premier of Queensland.
In July 1881 the residents of Herberton had raised £115 for the construction of a school. Herberton Provisional School opened on 12 December 1881 with 35 students in the Herberton Hall; the fee was one shilling per week for the first child of a family with an additional sixpence a week for each additional child. In October 1882 the Queensland Government reserved five acres and two roods for a state school and called for tenders to erect a state school and teacher's residence. In November 1882 the contract for the buildings was awarded to James Pasley to construct the buildings using hardwood in nine months for £2,040. In April 1883 the Queensland Government officially announced that there would be a new state school in Herberton. The actual opening date of the new state school is unclear but Thomas Peter Wood was appointed headmaster of Herberton State School from 1 January 1884, so the school was operational at that time. In 1912 the school was one of the first five schools in Queensland to receive a secondary department, commencing operations on 15 February 1912 with the arrival of the teacher Miss Ramsay B.A. who would teach two languages, English history, mathematics, and science. In 1994 a new primary school campus was established with the secondary department remaining on the original school site.
In January 1882 the Queensland Government called for tenders to construct a telegraph line to Herberton. In March 1882 they called for tenders for a post and telegraph office.
In the late 19th century the Mulligan Highway was carved through the hills from Herberton and passed through what is now Main Street, Atherton, before continuing down to Port Douglas. This road was used by the coaches of Cobb and Co to access Western Queensland.
The tin mining in Herberton motivated the Queensland Government to build a railway line to connect Herberton to a coastal port. Three ports were considered: Port Douglas, Cairns and Geraldton, all involving a crossing of the Great Dividing Range. The route from Innisfail was shortest but would go through the roughest terrain crossing the Great Dividing Range. The route from Port Douglas was the easiest to build but it would be longest. Eventually Cairns was chosen as it had the best port and the first section of the Tablelands railway from Cairns to Redlynch at the base of the range was opened on 8 October 1887. However, the railway to Herberton was not completed until 20 October 1910 by which time the tin mining boom was over.
St Mary's Anglican School for girls was opened in 1918 by the Sisters of the Sacred Advent. The school closed in 1965.
Mount St Bernard College was established on 1 February 1921 by the Sisters of Mercy.
Tin mining ceased in Herberton in 1985.
The Herberton Public Library opened in 1995 with a major refurbishment in 2016.
At the 2006 census, Herberton had a population of 974.
In the 2011 census, Herberton had a population of 934 people.

Heritage listings

Herberton has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Herberton is notably drier than the area around Atherton with average rainfall for Herberton of. Herberton is the most northerly location in Australia to have recorded a temperature at or below, and also the only location in Tropical North Queensland to have done so. The average minimum temperature ranges from in winter to in summer, while maximums range from.

Industries

Several crops are grown around Herberton, and it is the location of Queensland's only tropical vineyard. Herberton is a mini salad bowl with crops including avocados, lettuce, tomatoes, maize and pumpkins. Poultry and beef industries are also present.
Herberton's public hospital and the private school, Mt Saint Bernard residential college, are other major employers in the town.

Tourism and attractions

The Herberton Mining Museum and Visitor Information Centre opened in 2005, houses mining and social history of the Herberton Mining field, archives for the local area and maintains a genealogy project recording the families of the district and their histories.
A Heritage Walk for tourists that takes in some of the old buildings and historical features of the town is a popular attraction. Historic Village Herberton is a 16-acre representation of a mining town filled with streets of buildings of the time, each one a museum in its own right with exhibits such as vintage machinery, cars and Australian antiques. It has more than 50 restored period buildings.
The Herberton Spy & Camera Museum houses antique spy cameras, a photographic gallery and photographic memorabilia with guided tours through the museum and a working photographer and photographic studio.
Most recently, a railway museum has been established by volunteers in the former Herberton railway station building. This is operated by volunteers and only open part-time.
The Tepon Equestrian Grounds just out of Herberton have recently been upgraded with a large undercover pavilion for equestrian and other sporting events such as cycling and mountain biking. Local markets are held on the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Wondecla Oval.
There are several caravan parks, hotels, motels and B&Bs located in the town.

Amenities

The Tablelands Regional Council operates a Herberton Public Library and Customer Service Centre at 61 Grace Street.
The Herberton branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the QCWA Hall at 14 William Street.

Education

Herberton State School is a government primary and secondary school for boys and girls at Elwyn Phillips Memorial Drive in Moomin. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 176 students with 20 teachers and 17 non-teaching staff. It inclludes a special education program. The new primary school campus constructed in 1994 is not within Herberton but within the neighbouring locality of Moomin. However, the secondary campus is at the original school site in Grace Street, Herberton.
Mount St Bernard College is a Catholic secondary school for boys and girls at 15 Broadway Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 191 students with 34 teachers and 31 non-teaching staff.

Notable people

Notable people associated with Herberton include: