A Labour Of Love

When Just Jeans founders Craig and Connie Kimberley stumbled upon a rundown collection of period memorabilia in the Atherton Tableland last year, they knew that here was a treasure that just had to be brought back to life.

The collection consisted of more than 40 nineteenth-century buildings with interior displays, original machinery and vehicles – plus thousands of pieces of antique bric-a-brac. The theme village, the brainchild of former champion axeman Harry Skennar and his wife Ellen, had been the pride and joy of Herberton for over 25 years until escalating public liability insurance costs forced its closure in 2003. But when the Kimberleys decided to re-open the village, the people of Herberton rallied behind them with gusto. “The local community really got behind the idea of re-opening the village”, says Craig Kimberley. “They did all the hard work. Connie and I were just the cheerleaders.”

After long hours of restoration, and with a team of over 80 dedicated volunteers, the result is Herberton Historic Village, an extraordinary re-creation of life in Herberton in the 1880s. A school, live-in bank, shops, foundry, a classic pub and a rare rail ambulance are just a few of the highlights of the collection. My favourite item on display is the 1926 Citroen rail ambulance. It’s unique. Nothing like it can be seen, or even imagined, anywhere else. I just hope that the ambulance never got derailed while it was on duty.

Back in 1879, Willie Jack, James Mathieson and John Newell set up camp on the Herberton River. Newell and Mathieson then cut across country to what is now Herberton, where they made the first discovery of tin in Queensland.

The following year, the ‘Great Northern Lode’ was discovered, and in the same year explorer James Robson cut the first track from Trinity Inlet to the Herberton River, thus facilitating access to the rich tin resources of the area. The first tin treatment mill on the Herberton River was established in 1881 by one John Moffatt (later a respected JP), and a township soon sprang up to service the miners’ needs – which included plenty of liquor.

Five years later, in 1886, the first section of the Cairns-Herberton rail line was opened, but it was not until 1910 that the first trains reached Herberton.

The local newspaper, the Wild River Times, was established in the late 1880s and – surprisingly – revived in 1974.

An 1880s map of Herberton’s main thoroughfare, Grace Street, shows that the locals had their priorities right.

There were no fewer than 12 pubs, many of which were later sadly destroyed by fire, with only six surviving through to the 1900s. Butchers, saddlers, a blacksmith’s shop, pharmacies, an assay office and livery stables were among the other establishments.

Pugh’s Almanac records show that in 1898, Herberton town had a population of 1175, with 2477 people living in the district. Trades and professions represented in the town included an aerated waters manufacturer, auctioneer (who doubled as an accountant in a clear conflict of interests), a coachbuilder, music teachers, surveyor, tobacconist, tailor, jeweller and a watchmaker. The undertaker also worked as a building contractor, presumably making coffins as a sideline.

All this history, and much more, is meticulously documented in the Herberton Historic Village. The buildings, on a scale that makes them feel like a part of toy-town, are nevertheless commensurate in size with the structures of the time. Establishments include Elderslie House (John Newell’s former homestead) a blacksmith’s workshop, two jails, a motor garage (complete with a working seven-tonne Ruston & Hornsby engine) a bootmaker’s shop, photographer, radio store (where ‘wireless’ isn’t an alternative to broadband), sewing machine shop and ladies salon, printers and a Cobb & Co agency.

The oldest exhibit at the Herberton Historic Village, the Cashmere Slab Hut, is a wattle-and-daub building from 1870 – well before the discoveries of tin in the area. Nearly as old are the old schoolhouse (from 1881) and the 1882 Bank of Australasia building. The bank even had a bed for the head teller – which certainly saved on the cost of hiring a security guard.

Other establishments and shops at the Village are continually coming online or being improved. One of Craig Kimberley’s pet projects – the old toolshed – has just reopened to house over 200 lovingly restored carpenter’s tools – from adzes to spokeshaves, all ready for use rather than looking sparkling new. The old camera shop is also being extended, and two jails (from Almaden and Atherton, with one and two cells respectively) are ready to house naughty visitors.

One thing you can’t miss at the entrance to Herberton Historic Village is the Tin Pannikin Pub – a clone of the famous Ettamogah Pub, and probably the only non-authentic building on site.

A 1926 vintage Essex ute is embedded in the roof, and the interior looks in keeping. Unfortunately you can’t get a beer there as yet, but hopefully that will be remedied soon. Also on the drawing board to open in 2010 is the restored Bakerville Pub, which will certainly be more in keeping with its surrounds.

There is plenty of room for expansion at Herberton Historic Village. The property extends all the way down to the Herberton River, so plans are afoot for a riverside café and restaurant, in keeping with the requests of a number of visitors. It is to be hoped, however, that the restaurant won’t serve authentic period food – meat plus three overcooked veg might be just a little too much to take.

That aside, the whole village is an ongoing labour of love, and so authentic that at times I had to blink to remind myself that I was in the 21st century rather than walking in the shoes of my great-grandparents. If this is the effect that Herberton Historic Village has on the visitor, then maybe the proprietors of similar villages ought to come here, if only to see how things should be done.

HERBERTON HISTORIC VILLAGE

Open 9–5 daily from 1 March to 31 January (closed in February)
Admission costs $22 for adults, $14 for kids; family (2+2): $65.
(07) 4096 2002
www.herbertonhistoricvillage.com.au

GETTING THERE

Herberton is on the Atherton Tableland, about 90 minutes drive from Cairns. The cool climate of the Atherton Tableland comes as a welcome relief to those suffering from height-of-summer torpor. Stretching in a wide arc from the west to the southeast of Cairns, and sandwiched between the Bellenden Ker Range and the Great Dividing Range, the Tableland is a fertile green plateau, at an altitude ranging between 600 and 1000m above sea level. Not for nothing have the lush rainforests of the plateau been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage register.

ATHERTON TABLELAND HIGHLIGHTS

• Lake Barrine and Lake Eachem, volcanic crater lakes that seem to belong to another planet.
• Hypipamee National Park near Herberton; and Millstream Falls, Australia’s widest waterfall.
• The village of Yungaburra, which seems to be frozen in time.
• The brand-new Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway, an elevated forest boardwalk with a cantilever and observation tower, provides spectacular rainforest views.
• The Atherton Tableland region grows over 75% of Australia’s coffee crops, and many plantations have ‘cellar-door’ sales facilities. A must-visit place is Coffee Works at Mareeba, billed as the world’s largest museum of coffeemaking paraphernalia. Other products of the Tableland include mango wine, cheeses and macadamia nuts.

WHERE TO STAY

KURANDA RAINFOREST ACCOMMODATION PARK
88 Kuranda Heights Road
(07) 4093 7216
www.kurandarainforestpark.com.au

DISCOVERY HOLIDAY PARK
Lake Tinaroo
1300 727 044
www.discoveryholidayparks.com.au

ATHERTON HOLIDAY PARK
4km east of Atherton Post Office on the Gillies Highway
(07) 4091 1099
www.athertonholidaypark.com