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THE ATHERTON

TABLELAND

Fertile Dairying

Area

RISE REVIEWED

Situated on our northern frontier is a much discussed but little known territory-the Atherton Tableland The vast possibilities of this fertile region, and the achievements of its pioneer settlers are sufficient reasons lor the widespread Interest now being taken in this part of Queensland.

These settlers, who 30 years ago opened up the Atherton Tableland lor dairying, faced the future with tra- ditional Australian pioneering courage and foresight. Many of them are so well known in districts nearer Bris- bane that the following interview by a Courier-Mail representative with Mr. E. H. Heale, of Kureen, near Cairns, in which he describes the de- velopment of the Tableland, should be of interest to many.

The elevated climate and rich vol- canic soil of the Atherton Tableland made It one of the finest dairying countries in Australia, said Mr. Heale. The history of its farming settlement dated back to 1903, when a Mr. .Burns, of Brisbane, addressed a gathering in Logan's Hall at Atherton. It was with mixed feelings that those present listened to Mr. Burns's ad- dress. Some were openly sceptical that butter could be produced In the North, but there were others, ' recent arrivals from Victoria, where the pro- prietary butter factory movement \vas widely established, who were more op- timistic. Mr. Burns eloquently urged acceptance of his scheme in the direc- tion of forming a co-operative com- pany, and it was eventually decided thaty a company should be formed, lo be known as the Cairns-Atherton Co-operative Butter Company. Tho settlers attending the meeting each agreed to milk 30 cows and support the company. Guarantees were signed, and lodged in the Bank of North Queensland. Land was procured from the Railway Department In the rail- way triangle at Cairns for the site ol' the first factory. Included among the first movers of the industry pres- ent at the meetlne were Messrs. W. B. Kelly fthe first selector in the dis- trict). W. M'Crau. Tom. Peake, W. Murnane, Bob. Warren, Tom. Swan, Bob. Gordon, T. Marks, and many

others.

. THE FIRST STOCK.

The auestion of suitable cattle was decided in favour of Australian Illa- warra Shorthorns, which were im- ported from the South Coast of New South Wales. Here Mr. Herbie paid a tribute to one of the best known resi- dents of the North. He said that a great deal of the credit in establishing the dalry industry on the Atherton Tableland was due to the generosity and foresight of Mr. W. J. Munroe in lending the provisional directors of the company £3000. free of interest and without security, for the pur-, -îhase of cattle.

Mr. . W. Mamane. of Atherton, travelled to Nowra to purchase 500 head of nine-months old heifers, and Jhev were shipped to Cairns. Thence they were railed to Atherton, where each farmer drew his auota by lot. Regular fresh importations of first quality blood had since proved very successful. Some very flnp Illawarra bulls had been brought from the Rich- mond River and south Coast, and many well-bred Jerseys from Victoria, New South Wales and the Brisbane River district. There were now 30,000 head of cattle on the Tableland pas- tures, of which Jerseys were the most

popular.

BUTTER FACTORIES.

In discussing the history of dairv ! ing in this district, mention must be made of Mr. W. C. Abbott, who, hav [ ing purchased the Golden Grove 1 Estate, near Atherton, was the first

to realise the impossibility of send- ing unchilled cream by rail from Atherton to Cairns. The iourney was in those days a long and damaging one, and a great deal of the cream arrived in a second-class condition. Mr. Abbott purchased a 4-ton re- frigerator and steam boiler. By his tireless energy, and by packing the cream on horses' direct from separa- tor to factory, for years he was able to make first-class butter. After the Cairns factory went into liquidation, the word "co-operative" then became the pass-word on the Tableland, said

Mr. Heale.

At a meeting held at Yungaburra it was decided that a further effort should be made to build a co-operative factory for manufacturing farmers' products, to be situated in a central position on the Tableland. A pro- visional directorate was formed, and among the directors who drew up the articles of the new company were Messrs. G. H. Waller, Chas. Belson, E. C. Roseblade, and himself, E. H. Heale, Negotiations were opened with Mr. Abbott, and it was agreed that he should manufacture the co-opera- tive suppliers' cream at Golden Grove for 3d. per lb. Later, a firm was commissioned to build the new factory on a site to be chosen. Committees were formed at Atherton and Tolga to support their respective choices. Tolga people, in refuting the claim that there was no water suitable for -factory purposes at Tolga, subscribed for the sinking of a well. The Ather- ton site was eventually chosen by vote, an area of about 10 acres on Mazlin's Creek being purchased. The new factory when built was consid- ered quite the last word in factory construction. The first pound of but- ter manufactured, early In 1913, was submitted to auction, being purchased by Mr. Abbott for over £50.

TABLELAND MAIZE.

As time went on it was found that the new scrub land, being rapidly cleared and settled by the Richmond River farmers, was the real dairy coun- try of the Tableland,,, the reason being .that the virgin soil could be sown with paspalum immediately the land was felled. This grass, as well as many others, grew luxuriantly. The Atherton area, although very rich, was more suited to corn growing, and was to-day probably the richest maize growing district in Australia, excepting the famous Snowy River flats.

"This brings us to the war period, when butter was selling UD to 2/6 per lb., and large monthly cheques were the order of the day," continued Mr. Heale. "Some cream cheques were as much as £200 per month. With the passing of time the need for a butter factory at Malanda became impera- tive, and before 1021 this dream mat- erialised. The new factory, which was now the onlv factory worked by the original company, was built in the railway yard at Malanda. A small proprietary factory had also been buift at Malanda, and the settlers of the Millaa Millaa district were now served by a co-operative factory at that

centre.

"It is Impossible to forecast the future, but it is sufficient to say that no district offers a better chance to a good farmer than 'the Atherton Tableland," declared Mr. Heale. To- day manv farmers were encountering serious setbacks in meeting tile . de- mands made upon them, but to those who knew the business, and were ready to give it their best attention, there was a steady living in this far northern land, that held out such rich pro-

mise.

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