Malanda, Queensland

A service centre for the Atherton tableland dairy industry. The town declares itself as the headquarters for one of the largest and longest milk runs in the world.
Location: 25 km south east of Atherton; 85 km from Cairns; 732 m above-sea level.
Origin of name: said to be derived from the word for 'waterfalls' in the local Aboriginal language.
Brief history: the town was first developed when the discovery of tin at Herberton brought a steady stream of miners moving over the mountains from the coast. Malanda was scheduled in 1886 to be included on the railway line to Kuranda, Mareeba and Atherton but problems of construction through the difficult terrain delayed its arrival until 1911. The line closed in 1964. In 1908, James English (later the publican of the Malanda Hotel) and James Emerson moved into the area and brought cattle from Kiama and the Richmond River areas in NSW and Emerson had a herd of 1026 cattle overlanded from Lismore. They took 16 months to reach Malanda and only 560 survived the journey. Despite this arduous start the industry grew and by 1919 Malanda had its own butter factory. A sawmill was established in 1910.
Natural features: Atherton tableland; Malanda Falls
Built features: Majestic Theatre (the world's oldest operating cinema); tea plantations
Heritage features: Malanda Hotel (1911); Peeramon Hotel (6 km east, once a siding for the Tolga-Millaa Millaa railway)