Herberton
Postcode: 4887
Herberton is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. It has a population of approximately 1,500.
The first European exploration of this area was undertaken in 1875 by James Venture Mulligan. Mulligan was prospecting for gold, but instead found tin on the Herbert River. The town of Herberton was established on 19 April 1880 by John Newell to exploit the tin find, and mining began on 9 May. By the September of that year, Herberton had a population of 300 men and 27 women. In December 1881 a State School was established.
In the late 19th century the Mulligan Highway was carved through the hills from Herberton and passed through what is now Main Street, Atherton, before continuing down to Port Douglas. This road was used by the coaches of Cobb and Co to access western Queensland .
At its apogee, Herberton was the richest tin mining field in Australia, and was home to 17 pubs, 2 local newspapers and a brewery.
Tin mining ceased in Herberton in 1978.
Herberton is in the Australian House of Representatives Division of Kennedy and the Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral district of Tablelands.
Several crops are grown around Herberton, mainly potatoes and maize, and it is the location of Queensland’s only tropical vineyard. Herberton is a mini salad bowl with crops including avocados, lettuce, tomatoes and pumpkins . Poultry and beef industries are also present.