Bugger it. Nick%u2019s Restaurant owner Nick Crameri is going to want to shove his famous accordion up my derriere but it has to be said: Herberton has taken over from Yungaburra as the historical gem on the Tableland.
It has become obvious to all willing to admit it that as one thrives the other is in decline.
Take all the modern cars off Herberton’s main street, have a couple of beers, and one could be forgiven for believing you had stepped back in time.
The same can be said about Yungaburra’s heart but it is missing one vital ingredient – the beer.
The grand old dame, the Lake Eacham Hotel, is seeking a suitor after falling into the hands of receivers.
And now, the 99-year-old pub, which once held the mantle of being the Tableland’s social centre, sits idle. Her future is unknown. And the frog. It’s gone too.
Sure it was controversial but big things matter in this wide land of ours.
The 4m by 2m fibreglass masterpiece was ripped from its perch off the now defunct Frog Fuel and sits patiently on a farm waiting to be relocated.
Then there is the eyesore.
How on earth did the council pass the giant half-built undercover area at the quaint Yungaburra Primary School?
Visitors tackling the breath-taking Gillies Highway used to be greeted by the lovely wooden school but now it’s a monstrosity, some sort of alien bucks’ night prank gone terribly wrong, welcoming travellers.
But now there is Herberton – until recently, the butt of many jokes.
"Can’t you find a boyfriend in Herberton?" they used to sneer. "Got too many teeth to fit in?"
"Why did you buy in Rock Town?" they would heckle.
"You must have rocks in your head."
But the shoe is now on the other foot.
It’s safe to say, no community on the Tableland has felt the bite of decline more than the region’s oldest town.
Founded in 1880 after the discovery of tin, it boomed and within 20 years boasted a population of 8000, had two newspapers, 17 pubs and a brewery.
Then the price of tin collapsed and the town went with it.
However, in the face of one of the worst economic downturns in Australia’s history, one so bad it’s seen powerhouses like Tom Hedley crumble, Herberton is back with a vengeance.
And what’s behind its miraculous recovery?
A pretty simple formula really – the tourism dollar.
It has injected new life into the small community and it is now buzzing with hope and enthusiasm as it bounds into the future.
The Herberton Mining Museum and the world-class Herberton Spy Camera Museum, which has all the ingredients of a thriller – CIA agents, KGB spy cameras and global espionage – were already drawcards.
But the credit for taking the town from backwater to historical gem has to been given to the former owners of Just Jeans, Craig and Connie Kimberly.
Their arrival and their deep philanthropic pockets are behind the reopening of the Herberton Historic Village.
For more than six years, the unique collection of Australiana, which includes 42 buildings and more than 150,000 exhibits, was rotting.
Now, it’s a thriving tourist attraction and the whole town is reaping the rewards as thousands of tourists, mostly from around the region, drop in.
I keep expecting the village’s honeymoon to end but the tourists keep coming.
My house, in the heart of Herberton, is now on the tourist circuit.
Once quiet weekends have now been replaced by a throng of cars and motorbikes weaving through the town’s streets.
To be honest, the noise is drowned out by the ringing of local tills as visitors spend, spend, spend in our town.
So if you haven’t already made the trip, come to Herberton.
But please stop in at Yungaburra on the way up – it’s a fantastic town.
Nothing Herberton can throw at it can take away its cultural and natural attractions and beauty.
Its lakes – Tinaroo, Eacham and Barrine – are second to none, as is its famed market, and Nick and the rest of the business community are always ready to delight visitors with their warm hospitality.
And right now, Yungaburra needs the tourism dollar more than ever.
