Dimbulah
Postcode: 4872
Dimbulah is a town located in Far North Queensland, Australia, 114 kilometres from Cairns by road, on the Atherton Tableland. The town was established in 1876 to service the Tyrconnell Gold Mine, one of the richest mines on the Hodgkinson Gold Fields. The name “Dimbulah” is thought to have come from the local Indigenous Australian word for “long waterhole”, referring to the Walsh River that runs nearby the town.
The area around Dimbulah was originally home to the Djankun and Kuku Djungan tribe. During the 1920s the Queensland government forcibly removed most of their children, forcing the tribe to scatter.
In the early 1900’s the area received an influx of Italian migrants and in 1928 tobacco was introduced, becoming the areas major industry soon after. At its peak, there were 800 growers in the area, producing over 8,000 tonnes (60% of national yield) of tobacco a year.
Dimbulah was first settled when gold was discovered on the Hodgkinson area to the north in 1876. Within a year, thousands had flocked to the area and cattle runs were established to provide food for the miners. It became the centre for miners in the wolfram fields and old goldfields based respectively in the Wolfram Camp and Hodgkinson areas. After World War 2 tobacco became a dominant crop and remained so until Government Policies influenced Sales in recent years. This change has forced alternative crops such as Tea Trees, Navy Beans and Tropical Fruits to be introduced to help overcome the demise of the Tobacco Industry. The town enjoys a relatively good environment and has most amenities including an Olympic standard swimming pool. Just a couple kilometres west of Dimbulah is Chillagoe where tourists can visit the Chillagoe caves and see balancing rocks and Aboriginal art paintings.