Southern Fraser Coast....gateway to Hervey Bay, Fraser Island and Sandy Straits

Antigua Hall

Bauple Recreation Grounds

Curra Country Club

Gunalda Park

Gunalda Recreation Grounds

Gundiah Sports and Recreation Grounds

Free barbeques at Petrie Park, Tiaro

The Mary River at Petrie Park, Tiaro

Tiaro Recreation/Pony Club Grounds

Trail to Tiaro and beyond awaits

If the rush of the city is not your scene and you long for the chance to catch your breath and take stock, then Tiaro and its surrounds are a must.
Be careful though. Many a local came to the bush for a visit and never left!

The Tiaro area is rich with natural beauty, alive with history and home to rare species including the Mary River turtle.
Tiaro township has local arts and craft, smallgoods and cafes, as well as the choice of two historic hotels.
Scenic vistas abound with Petrie Park, the Mary River and Mount Bauple on the doorstep.
Further afield lies Bauple and its museum, the small town of Glenwood, historic bridge crossings over the tranquil Mary River and the old rail sidings of Gundiah and Theebine, complete with country pubs from a bygone era.
The Mary River provides opportunities for camping, fishing and canoeing, while country roads and old stock routes lend themselves to bushwalking, horse riding and mountain biking.
Tiaro is beef and sugar country which help to drive the local economy.
The green canefields stretch as far as the eye can see, while fat cattle wind their leisurely way along well-worn watering routes.

Don't Miss:
• Enjoying macadamia nuts where they were first discovered at the small town of Bauple
• Canoeing down the Mary River and encountering some of the rarest species in Australia including the ancient Australian lungfish and Mary River turtle
• Enjoying a hearty meal and old-fashioned hospitality in a historic country pub
• Tasting top-quality bacon and smallgoods at a butcher shop famous throughout Australia
• Having a picnic by the Mary River at beautiful Petrie Park
• Reliving the pioneering past at the Mt Bauple Museum

Fraser Coast Chronicle 26th December 2011

History of Tiaro

The name 'Tiaro' is of aboriginal origins, dhaw-wa or tau-wau translates as withered or dead tree.
The first attempt at settlement in Tiaro occurred in 1842 when John Eales came overland with 20,000 sheep to establish a station.

Although not successful, this marked a beginning for Tiaro.

Also at this time Andrew Petrie's expedition landed in Tiaro having explored the Mary River. Petrie had been commissioned by the Government to locate the extent of the Bunya Bunya nut country.

A second expedition manned by Simpson and Eiper visited Eales station in 1843, their aim being to locate a site for a German mission station.

Although Tiaro Township was surveyed in 1864 it was not until 1867, influenced by the Gympie Gold rush, that Tiaro became a recognised settlement. The two-day trip to transport gold from Gympie mines to the river port of Maryborough was broken by an overnight stop in Tiaro, where the valuable cargo was secured in the Police Station.

In 1867 a Post Office servce commenced, but it was not until 1881, after the railway had been built, that a full postal service was established.

Local Government had its origins in the Tiaro Divisional Board, established on 11 November 1879. It was annother 25 years before Tiaro Shire Council came into existence on 31 March 1903. The boundaries extended from Owanyilla in the north, to Curra in the south, east from Tinnanbar to the Urah Mountains in the west.

The Bauple Sugar Mill commenced operations in 1886, servicing the requirements of the cane farmers throughout the Shire. The mill operated for some fifty-five years before closing in 1951. From the 1890s onwards Tiaro Shire was the base for a butter and cheese factory, as well as several juice mills.

The Shire continues to maintain a distinct rural character, the main industries in the Shire being - sugar cane, dairy and beef cattle, orchards, sawmilling, timber harvesting and treatment, small crops, vineyards and aquaculture.