Butchers Creek

Butchers Creek is on the eastern edge of the Atherton Tableland. It is one of the few parts of the tableland that drains eastward, its creeks being tributaries of the Mulgrave River.^[3] The area receives high rainfall and the traditional land use has been for dairying and beef fattening.^[4]

Butchers Creek is said to take its name from a massacre of the Ngajanji people at a bora ring in the area in the 1880s.^[5]

In the early 20th century, a group of Russian immigrants established dairy farms in the area, giving it the nickname "Little Siberia".^[6]

Butchers Creek Provisional School opened on 8 October 1913 with 11 students studying under teacher John Tait. It became Butchers Creek State School in 1918.^[7] The school celebrated its centenary in 2013.^[8]

In the 2016 census, Butchers Creek had a population of 113 people.^[9]

In the 2021 census, Butchers Creek had a population of 85 people.^[1]

Butchers Creek State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at the corner of Topaz and Gadaloff Roads (17.3612°S 145.6922°E / -17.3612; 145.6922 (Butchers Creek State School)).^[10][11][12] In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 27 students with 2 teachers and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).^[13] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 11 students with 2 teachers (1 full-time equivalent) and 4 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).^[14] It includes a special education program.^[10]

There are no secondary schools in Butchers Creek. The nearest government secondary school is Malanda State High School in Malanda to the west.^[15]

Alexander Prokhorov, winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1964, was born in Butchers Creek (then part of Peeramon) and attended Butchers Creek State School.^[8]