Multicultural Communities

The Tablelands region is a growth area that has an extremely culturally and linguistically diverse population. The 2006 Census shows the population of the Tablelands is 42,196 and that the two main areas where there is the greatest cultural diversity are the Mareeba and Dimbulah regions.

In Mareeba 16.7% of people were born overseas, while in Dimbulah 20.7% of people were born overseas.

60 different nationalities are represented in Mareeba - Dimbulah and the most commonly spoken languages, apart from English, are Italian (3.9% compared to 1.0% in Australia), German, Croatian, Dutch and Spanish.

In other Tablelands towns the multicultural diversity includes:

• Atherton and surrounds - 12.8% born overseas and languagesother than English spoken at home include Italian, German, Dutch, Tagalog and French
• Malanda and surrounds - 14.4% born overseas and languages other than English spoken at home include German, Italian, Dutch, Tamil and French
• Herberton and surrounds - 11.7% born overseas and languages other than English spoken at home include German, Dutch, French and Tagalog.

By 2026, the Queensland Government Planning Information and Forecasting Unit predicts that each of the former shires of Atherton, Eacham, Herberton and Mareeba will have a median age significantly higher than the population of Queensland. The number of people aged 65 years and over living in the Tablelands Regional Council area is expected to more than double from 6,528 people in 2006 to 16,482 in 2031 (PIFU, Medium Series Projections, 2008).

Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders on the Tablelands
Of the total population in Tablelands (previous State Electoral Division) Indigenous persons (comprises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) are 3,280 people which is 8.6% compared with 2.3% Indigenous persons in Australia.

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