Buchan, Queensland


Buchan is a coastal town in the locality of Palm Cove in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia.

Geography

Buchan is a coastal town with sandy beaches north and south of Buchan Point. The Captain Cook Highway passes through the town.

History

The town name is derived from Mount Buchan, named on 20 October 1873 by explorer George Elphinstone Dalrymple, after one of the districts of his native Aberdeenshire in Scotland.
In the 1880s, there was a coconut palm plantation with over 600 trees owned by James Jamieson known as the Mount Buchan Estate. It was predicted to become a popular seaside retreat for the people of Cairns. The palm trees along the beach areas gave it the nickname Palm Beach but, as that caused confusion with other places officially known as Palm Beach, it acquired the name Palm Cove, which is now the official name for the locality.
In April 1933, a number of families were living at Buchan Point while the men were working on the road from Cairns to Port Douglas. The families asked the Queensland Government to provide a school. It is unclear when the school opened but in December 1933 the children of Buchan Point State School enjoyed a "breaking up" party at Hartley's Creek. However, the school closed in February 1934.