The town of Atherton lies at the foot of the Great Dividing Range on the fringe of what was once rainforest. The original inhabitants were the Ngajan Aboriginal people.
The first European settlers to make semi-permanent camps in the area were timber-cutters such as the Mazlins, Priors and Hallorans who set up camps on Priors Creek in the early 1880's.
 |
The town area was surveyed in 1885 and named "Atherton" after the pioneer of the Tableland, John Atherton. The first allotments stretched from Cook Street, along Main and Mabel Streets to Robert Street. |
Today all the timber has gone and Atherton town looks over the rich, red volcanic soil of "The Golden Triangle", where the main Tableland agricultural crops of maize, peanuts and potatoes are grown. Mangos, avocardos and sugar cane are also now grown on the Tablelands.
|
