Millaa Millaa Falls | |
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Millaa Millaa Falls in September 2008
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Location | Far North Queensland, Australia |
Coordinates | 17°29′44″S 145°36′36″E / 17.49556°S 145.61000°ECoordinates: 17°29′44″S 145°36′36″E / 17.49556°S 145.61000°E |
Type | Plunge |
Total height | 18.3 metres (60 ft) |
Number of drops | 1 |
Watercourse | Theresa Creek |
Millaa Millaa Falls | |
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Location | Theresa Creek Road, Millaa Millaa, Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia |
Coordinates | 17°29′47″S 145°36′38″E / 17.4963°S 145.6106°E |
Built | - |
Official name: Millaa Millaa Falls | |
Type | state heritage (landscape, built) |
Designated | 5 December 2005 |
Reference no. | 602449 |
Significant period | 1950s (fabric) 1880s, 1909, 1920s (historical) & 1950s onwards (social) |
Significant components | toilet block/earth closet/water closet, memorial - rock/stone/boulder, quarry, waterfall / water feature |
Millaa Millaa Falls is a heritage-listed plunge waterfall at Theresa Creek Road, Millaa Millaa, Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 5 December 2005.
The falls are adjacent to the town of Millaa Millaa on the Atherton Tableland. 'Millaa Millaa' is a MaMu Aboriginal phrase referring to the rainforest vine Elaeagnus Triflora whose fruit appears from May to February. A popular destination of international tour operators, the falls are 18.3 metres high with a pool suitable for swimming at their base. The Millaa Millaa Falls are accessed by sealed road off the Palmerston Highway about 5 minutes from the township of Millaa Millaa.
The Millaa Millaa Falls were discovered during exploration of overland routes to connect the Herberton mining fields with Queensland coastal ports. The falls are named after the nearby township of Millaa Millaa. The name "Millaa Millaa" is derived from a phonetic adaptation of the Aboriginal word "Malay Malay", which in the language of the local Mamu Aboriginal people refers to the rainforest vine (Elaeagnus triflora), which fruit was a seasonal food source. This plant occurs throughout the surrounding area and is commonly known as the Millaa Millaa Vine. This is contrary to the popular belief that the name Millaa Millaa means either "water fall", "many waterfalls" or "plenty water", but does demonstrate how important the falls are in the regional psyche.
In 1882 tracks were blazed through the rainforest close to the falls by both Sub Inspector Alexander Douglas (May 1882) and Christie Palmerston (October to December 1882). Palmerston also mapped an improved track through the area during 1884-1885, which subsequently became known as the Palmerston track. The popular belief that Palmerston camped at and named Millaa Millaa falls, which is in part commemorated by a monument at the site, cannot be substantiated from the historical record.
A clearing at the Millaa Millaa Falls was used as a rest stop for the early horse and mule pack teams that traversed the Palmerston track when travelling to and from the Herberton mining field. This clearing was also used as a base for land surveyors working in the area in 1909 and as a camp for workers constructing the railway line between Malanda and the Millaa Millaa township in the 1920s.