Lakeland, Queensland

Lakeland, Queensland - also known as 'Lakeland Downs' - is a small farming centre in Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia.

It is at the junction of the main Peninsula Development Road (which is paved all the way from Cairns to Lakeland), and the Mulligan Highway. It is located in the Shire of Cook.

It contains a hotel, a cafe, and roadhouse and a small store. The main products are peanuts, maize, sorghum and cattle, coffee, tea and tropical fruits.

The village is named for William Lakeland who was born in 1844 at Rose Bay, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and was one of the earliest and most energetic prospectors of Cape York Peninsula.

1873 in association with Christie Palmerston they prospected on the newly discovered (1873) Palmer goldfield, shortly thereafter with Robert Sefton finding traces of gold on the Batavia River (now known as Wenlock River). The gold rush of Batavia River began 1892 culminating in 300 diggers.

1876 Lakeland with Sefton and other men, discovered the Coen goldfield and in 1878 they mapped-out and cut a track, along which a rush took place from Cooktown and the Palmer.

He discovered the Hamilton River and the Claudie River rising in the Janet Range and flowing south-easterly into Lloyd Bay. The Claudie was named for his son Claude Lakeland. He assisted J. T. Embley in his surveys on Cape York Peninsula in 1884-1885.

In 1887 he, in company with men named Mr. Bowden and Mr. Dickie, located wolfram on a field, between the Pascoe River and Canoe Creek, later called Bowden Field.

In 1888 he came upon a rich reef which is now known as Iron Range.

He died alone in 1920 while travelling on horseback from Coen to Mount Carter (Iron Range). Supplies exhausted, he attempted to return to Coen lost his way and died. A saddle, other articles and human remains were found in 1923.

He is commemorated in 1924-1925 by a marble headstone at the spot where his remains were found and interred; the headstone was conveyed for many miles over some of the roughest country in the Cape York Peninsula on a horse-drawn bush-sled made from the forked limb of a tree.

His widow died at Cooktown in 1949 aged 90 years.

References

• Pike, Glenville. 1979. Queen of the North: A Pictorial History of Cooktown and Cape York Peninsula. G. Pike. ISBN 0-9598960-5-8.
• Trezise, P.J. 1969. Quinkan Country: Adventures in Search of Aboriginal Cave Paintings in Cape York. A.H. & A.W. Reed, Sydney.
• Trezise, Percy. 1973. Last Days of a Wilderness. William Collins (Aust) Ltd., Brisbane. ISBN 0-00-211434-8.
• Trezise, P.J. 1993. Dream Road: A Journey of Discovery. Allen & Unwin, St. Leonards, Sydney.
• Premier's Department (prepared by Connell Wagner). 1989. Cape York Peninsula Resource Analysis. Cairns. (1989). ISBN 0724262008
• Roth, W.E. 1897. The Queensland Aborigines. 3 Vols. Reprint: Facsimilie Edition, Hesperian Press, Victoria Park, W.A., 1984. ISBN 0-85905-054-8
• Ryan, Michelle and Burwell, Colin, eds. 2000. Wildlife of Tropical North Queensland: Cooktown to Mackay. Queensland Museum, Brisbane. ISBN 0-85905-045-9 (set of 3 vols).
• Scarth-Johnson, Vera. 2000. National Treasures: Flowering plants of Cooktown and Northern Australia. Vera Scarth-Johnson Gallery Association, Cooktown. ISBN 0-646-39726-5 (pbk); ISBN 0-646-39725-7 Limited Edition - Leather Bound.
• Sutton, Peter (ed). Languages of Cape York: Papers presented to a Symposium organised by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra. (1976). ISBN 0-85575-046-4
• Wynter, Jo and Hill, John. 1991. Cape York Peninsula: Pathways to Community Economic Development. The Final Report of The Community Economic Development Projects Cook Shire. Cook Shire Council.