| Shire of Eacham Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location withinQueensland | |||||||||||||||
| Population | 6,359 (2006 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 5.6454/km2 (14.6216/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1910 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 1,126.4 km2 (434.9 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Council seat | Malanda | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Far North Queensland | ||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
TheShire of Eacham was alocal government area ofQueensland. It was located on theAtherton Tableland, a plateau forming part of theGreat Dividing Range west of the city ofCairns. The shire, administered from the town ofMalanda, covered an area of 1,126.4 square kilometres (434.9 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1910 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the Tableland area to become theTablelands Region.
Despite its tropical latitude, the high altitude on the tableland allows adairy industry to operate.
On 22 Nov 1910 the area aroundLake Eacham was incorporated as the Shire of Eacham, taking in part of each of the Shires ofTinaroo,Johnstone andCairns.[2][3]
Its first meeting was held atYungaburra's community hall on 22 February 1911. In April 1912, a site for a shire hall was reserved inMalanda.[4] On 12 April 1913, the shire relocated its offices to Malanda.[5] However, the planned council chambers did not open until 22 Feb 1939.[6]
Around 1920, the shire council began an active role in developing theMalanda Falls into the (now heritage-listed)Malanda Falls Swimming Pool and associated infrastructure, initially for local recreation but then increasingly to attract tourists to the area via Cairns.[7]
On 15 March 2008, under theLocal Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by theParliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Eacham merged with the Shires ofAtherton,Herberton andMareeba to form theTablelands Region.[8]
The Shire of Eacham included the following settlements:
1 - shared withCassowary Coast Region
2 - split with the formerShire of Atherton
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1933 | 4,324 |
| 1947 | 3,740 |
| 1954 | 3,771 |
| 1961 | 3,842 |
| 1966 | 3,598 |
| 1971 | 3,327 |
| 1976 | 3,433 |
| 1981 | 4,137 |
| 1986 | 5,135 |
| 1991 | 5,609 |
| 1996 | 6,074 |
| 2001 | 6,076 |
| 2006 | 6,359 |
17°21′13″S145°35′37″E / 17.35361°S 145.59361°E /-17.35361; 145.59361