tobaccoleaf

About 40 km east of Dimbulah, Mareeba had its first tobacco crop in 1930. Within a few years tobacco was planted at Dimbulah, coinciding with the arrival of Italian migrant farmers. A local tobacco growers association was formed in 1935, later joining with Mareeba growers to lobby for an irrigation scheme. The war delayed the scheme, as well as leading to the internment of some Italian men. Some families left behind suffered considerable hardship. Source: queenslandplaces.com.au/dimbulah

Located 64 km west of Cairns and 450 metres above sea-level, Mareeba is the centre for a number of agricultural activities including coffee plantations, mango farms, avocado farms, and, most importantly, tobacco growing. In fact, the town is the centre of the Atherton Tablelands tobacco industry and consequently is home to the Tobacco Leaf Marketing Board. Tobacco was first grown in the area in 1928 and did much to bring prosperity to a town which had previously been little more than a stopping point. Today there are over 400 tobacco farms around the town. The Tinaroo Falls dam supplies the tobacco industry with most of its water requirements. Source: www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/mareeba-20040208-gdkqfr.html

By 1931, many people were unemployed all over Queensland and the government decided to introduce a scheme to remedy this situation. In an attempt to create work for unemployed, the Queensland Minister for Agriculture, Mr Bulcock, introduced a Tobacco Settlement Scheme which would allow those unemployed to become tobacco growers on the abandoned Soldier Settlement pineapple farms. A state farm west of Beerburrum was set up to raise the tobacco plants in a nursery and the seedlings were then transported to the tobacco farmer’s plots. Preference was given to large families. Each family was supplied with a plot of land, a cow and a house. If homes from the original settlement were not available on plots selected, an interesting method of construction was used. Tobacco growing is known as a difficult crop to cultivate. Unfortunately due to inexperience and unfavourable weather conditions the farmers encountered many difficulties. The area received large catchments of rain during the period 1933 to 1934. Many tobacco curing barns dotted the landscape and there was also a community curing barn for small farms which may not have warranted their own curing barn. Sorting of cured leaf was done at the Soldier Settlement State farm at Beerburrum. By 1934 problems were again encountered and by the following year most curing barns had been demolished. Only a few tobacco farms still functioned. Source: www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/Council/News-Centre/Backward...