Lake Eacham Hotel

Yungaburra Whistle Stop Cafe

Sign outside the cafe

Curtain Fig Tree near Yungaburra

The picturesque village of Yungaburra lies in the heart of the Atherton Tablelands, one hour up from Cairns in tropical North Queensland. It is nestled in countryside that has been shaped by volcanic activity, the legacy is stunning surrounds with rainforest, waterfalls, crater lakes and green pastures. Yungaburra remains largely unchanged since 1910, wide verandahs and historical shopfronts line the tranquil streets. With 18 heritage listed buildings, it is the largest National Trust village in Queensland.

Yungaburra is a major meeting point for Atherton Tablelands artists and musicians, and as such it has several art and craft galleries and displays. There are also numerous restaurants, cafes and a variety of accommodation such as the historic Lake Eacham Hotel, which is in the centre of the town.
Yungaburra takes it's name from the language of the Yidinyji Aboriginal people who occupied the area prior to European settlement, meaning a place of enquiring or questioning. Yungaburra was originally called Allumbah Pocket. The district was developed in the early 1880's as an overnight stop for miners and settlers who came from the coast on their way to the tin and gold fields farther west. Shanties grew up along the pack tracks at Boar Pocket (near Lake Barrine) and Ball Pocket (later the township of Kulara which was flooded with the construction of Tinaroo Dam).
In 1886 the land around Allumbah Pocket and Lake Eacham was surveyed for settlement. In 1891 the settlers moved in. The 40 acre blocks were a mixture of scrub and open forest. Those who selected jungle-covered blocks had to clear them by felling the trees and then burning off. Homes were built of timber slabs, with roofs of bark or wooden shingles; beds were sackbag stretchers and cooking was done over open fires. The highest priority was to provide food. Maize, pumpkins, sweet potatoes and other vegetables flourished in the newly cultivated soil but crops had to be protected from wildlife. A pioneer saying was " the soil was so good that when you planted corn it would come up overnight - it did too, for the bandicoots would bring it up". Eventually grass was sown and a few cows introduced to provide milk, butter and beef. Often it was the women and children who remained alone on their blocks of land while the men took casual employment elsewhere to provide money for basic necessities of living.
A small commercial area was developing in Allumbah to serve the new settlers. 1910 was a very significant year for our town. The railway line linking Cairns with the Tablelands reached Allumbah, which was then renamed Yungaburra to avoid confusion with another town. The new railway station caused a geographic shift in focus from the original settlement, which was located towards the north west of the new commercial centre. Buildings were constructed or relocated near the railway. A period of rapid development then began with the construction of a sawmill, a hotel and a number of shops and houses near the railway station. Three churches and the Bank of NSW were built, the school was moved to the present site and a Police Station was established. Yungaburra remains largely unchanged since those early days.

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