TREBONNE
Hinchinbrook Way
Derived from the French phrase “very good”, Trebonne is the gateway to the region’s wilderness experiences. Trebonne is a friendly rural village located 10 km north-west of Ingham.
A local sugar planter by the name of Leon Burguez named the village after Trebonne Creek in the 1870s when the first plantations were established in the Lower Herbert Valley.
How to get to Trebonne
If you are heading out to see the mighty Wallaman Falls or Broadwater State Forest, you will be sure to pass by the little village of Trebonne. Road access is via Ingham on a sealed good-quality road. Ample parking for cars, boat trailers, and caravans is available.
Trebonne Post Office
The Trebonne Post Office, built in 1920 and operating since 1926, is a quaint building that appears to be held together by two rusty nails. Come and view this wonderful piece of heritage and take a photo.
Pelota Mano Court in Trebonne
Constructed with one wall at the front and one on the players left, the Pelota Mano Court is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of the ‘ezker pareta’, or left-wall type of traditional Basque handball court construction.
Also known as a Fronton or Basque Handball Court, the Pelato Mano Court in Trebonne is significant historically as a rare illustration of the presence of people of Basque origin in Queensland.
Basque migration to northern Queensland peaked in the late 1950s, and although small in numbers, contributed significantly to the sustainability of the sugar industry in North Queensland in the 1950s and early 1960s.
There are few monuments or reminders of the presence of the Basques in Queensland, as many later returned to their homeland or relocated to southern cities. The location is also notable because it is the only purpose-built fronton in Queensland.
The Pelota Mano Court has social significance, having historically a strong association for the Basque community in Trebonne and surrounding areas as one of the focal points for their cultural and social activities.
It remains important to people of Basque descent who still reside in the district, as evidenced by the recently written history of the place.
Parks at Trebonne
Situated in the centre of Trebonne, Leo Park features an undercover picnic shelter with tables and gas BBQ, an undercover children’s playground, open grassed areas, and toilets.