Name: Hou Wang Chinese Temple
City: Queensland Australia
Phone:
Price:
What's it like?
Atherton, in the heart of the fertile Atherton
Tablelands near Cairns, was home to a thriving
Chinese community from the 1880s to the mid-1900s.
The remains of Atherton's Chinatown are now an archeological site featuring the community's place of worship, the Hou Wang Temple, which was conserved, restored and opened to the public in 2002.
Half-hour guided tours take visitors through the Queensland National Trust-owned temple where incense sticks were once burned and where offerings were made to the gods. It was used as a place of worship until the early 1970s.
Built in 1903, the temple is the only surviving timber and iron Chinese temple
in Queensland, and has been preserved as part of the Queensland
Heritage Trails Network. Most of its fittings, including the carvings and
items used for worship, were especially made in China, and even survived a major
cyclone in 1956, which blew the front section of the temple down.
Part of the Queensland Heritage Trails Network, the Hou Wang Temple is part of a complex which also includes a Chinese gallery and gift shop.
The gallery features interactive displays of Atherton's Chinese heritage, along with a prized collection of original artefacts including musical instruments donated by James Cook University of North Queensland, a maize husker and crusher and historic photographs of the once bustling Chinatown.
The Atherton temple is the only one in Australia
and New Zealand dedicated to Hou Wang.
Just an hour's drive west of Cairns, the Atherton
Tablelands' volcanic origins have created a spectacular natural environment of
rugged mountain ranges, dramatic waterfalls and volcanic lakes. Its fertile farmlands
are known as the "food bowl" of the north-west, with local produce including honey,
nuts, coffee, red claw crayfish, fruit and vegetables. An ideal romantic getaway,
the region offers B&Bs, cosy guest houses and rainforest cottages, many with log
fires, spa baths, and private balconies overlooking the rainforest, as well as
a wide range of restaurants and cafes specialising in the delicious local produce.
Heritage Significance
By 1877, an estimated 17,000 Chinese people were at the Palmer River Goldfield,
north of Cairns. Many came directly from China
to Queensland, but others came via the Pine Creek goldfields of the Northern
Territory.
Once the alluvial workings of the Palmer declined, many Chinese returned home. Others spread out to a number of towns in the Tropical North, where they became known for their market gardens and shop keeping. The strong Chinese community grew in the area because of their ability to grow maize and vegetables where Europeans failed.
The Chinese population living in and around Atherton's Chinatown grew quickly to more than 1,000 in 1909. Its short main street was crowded with small timber houses, shops, herbalists, and a Tong society hall.
By the 1920s, the Chinese population dwindled and the temple began to fall into disrepair. In order to prevent further deterioration, a number of Chinese families purchased the land on which it stood. In 1979, the building, and later the Atherton Chinatown, was donated to the National Trust of Queensland.
The entire Chinatown site, including the temple, is of heritage significance and is included in the Queensland Heritage Register.
The Hou Wang Temple is open seven days a week from 10am to 4pm.
For more information:
Atherton Tableland Information Centre
Tel +61 7 4091 4222
Tourism Tropical North Queensland
Tel +61 7 4031 7676
- By Sue Fuller
If you're gonna travel abroad, make sure you are prepared... take it from us, travel insurance is an absolute must!
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