Prospector James Venture Mulligan discovered gold in the Hodgkinson River area in 1876.
Mines were established and many towns developed:[1] Many miners relocated from the Palmer River goldfields to the Hodgkinson field.
However, it was a very steep trip up through the Barron Gorge to reach Cairns and so explorer Christy Palmerston successfully searched for an easier track (known as the Bump Track) down the Great Dividing Range to the coast leading to the creation of Port Douglas.
Just five kilometres away from each other, the towns developed at a fast pace and were soon home to various hotels, retail stores and shops.
Mining operations received a further boost with the inauguration of the Cairns-Mareeba rail line in 1893 which improved accessibility to the area.