Palmer is a rural locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia.[2]

Palmer Queensland
Gold mining dredge on the Palmer River
Palmer
Coordinates	15.9702°S 143.5386°E / -15.9702; 143.5386 (Palmer (centre of locality))
Population	46 (SAL 2021)[1]
Postcode(s)	4892
Area	7,682.4 km2 (2,966.2 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
LGA(s)	Shire of Cook
State electorate(s)	Cook
Federal division(s)	Leichhardt
Suburbs around Palmer: Maramie Dixie Laura Maramie Palmer Lakeland Groganville Gamboola Mount Mulgrave Highbury

The former towns (now unbounded localities) of Byerstown, Lukinville, Maytown, Palmerville and Stonyville (or Stony Creek), all dating from the 1870s-1880s gold rushes around the Palmer River, are within the locality.[3]

Geography

The Palmer River which flows through the locality from east to west. The Palmer River Goldfields Resource Reserve is the eastern part of the locality to the north of the river.

History

Kuku Yalanji (also known as Gugu Yalanji, Kuku Yalaja, and Kuku Yelandji) is an Australian Aboriginal language of the Mossman and Daintree areas of North Queensland. The language region includes areas within the local government area of Shire of Douglas and Shire of Cook, particularly the localities of Mossman, Daintree, Bloomfield River, China Camp, Maytown, Palmer, Cape Tribulation and Wujal Wujal.[4]

Yalanji (also known as Kuku Yalanji, Kuku Yalaja, Kuku Yelandji, and Gugu Yalanji) is an Australian Aboriginal language of Far North Queensland. The traditional language region is Mossman River in the south to the Annan River in the north, bordered by the Pacific Ocean in the east and extending inland to west of Mount Mulgrave. This includes the local government boundaries of the Shire of Douglas, the Shire of Cook and the Aboriginal Shire of Wujal Wujal and the towns and localities of Cooktown, Mossman, Daintree, Cape Tribulation and Wujal Wujal. It includes the head of the Palmer River, the Bloomfield River, China Camp, Maytown, and Palmerville.[5]

The locality takes its name from the Palmer River which flows through the locality from east to west and the Palmer goldfields around the river. The river was named on 5 August 1872 by William Hann after Arthur Hunter Palmer, then Premier of Queensland.[2]

At the 2021 census, the population of Palmer was 46.[6]

Heritage listings

Palmer has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Conglomerate Range: Wild Irish Girl Mine and Battery[7]
• Laura to Maytown: Laura to Maytown Coach Road[8]
• Maytown Town Reserve: Maytown Township[9]
• Palmerville Station: Alexandra Mine and Battery[10]
• Stony Creek: Stonyville Township[11]
• Strathleven: Palmer River Gold Company Dredge[12]

Attractions

The Palmer River Goldfield Resource Reserve has old gold mines, rusting machinery, and some traces of the Maytown township for the visitor to explore.[13]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Palmer, Queensland.

• "Palmer River". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.