Nerada, Queensland


Nerada is a rural locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the, Nerada had a population of 97 people.

History

The locality takes its name from its former railway station. It is believed to be an Aboriginal word from the Mamoo language meaning grass country.
Nerada State School opened on 11 February 1937. It closed in 1945.
In 1958 Dr Allan Maruff started the first commercial tea plantings in Australia since 1886 in the Nerada valley, south of Cairns, Queensland, using seedlings from the former Cutten brothers plantation at Bingil Bay. In 1969 Tea Estates of Australia commenced tea planting adjacent to the Nerada plantation. In 1971 Nerada Tea Estates opened Australia's first commercial tea factory. In 1973 TEA purchased NTE, ceased selling bulk tea and marketed the tea under the Nerada brand.