Mareeba
At the northern end of the Atherton Tablelands, just under forty kilometres west-south-west of Cairns in Muluridji country at the confluence of the Barron River, Granite Creek and Emerald Creek, Mareeba takes its name from a word meaning meeting of the waters.
James Venture Mulligan was the first known European visitor to the area, passing the site as he followed the Barron River southwards in May 1875.
John Atherton arrived with cattle in 1877 and opened a wayside inn and store where the Cobb & Co coach route between Port Douglas and Herberton crossed Granite Creek.
Initially known as Granite Creek, the name changed when the railway from Cairns reached the area in 1893.
During World War II, around ten thousand Australian and US service personnel operated a staging post for troops and aircraft bound for New Guinea and the South West Pacific.
Most of the town lies north of the junction where the Kennedy Highway splits. The first section of the Mulligan Highway serves as the town's main street.
