Peachester

Originally named Peach Trees, after the wild peach trees growing on the pasturage reserve near the Stanley River, it was later changed to Peachester. "Chester" means "village" in England. An early variation was "Peachchester".

History: Bunya Country ... A convict settlement was established in 1824 on the Brisbane River, and in 1838 the Superintendent of Works, Andrew Petrie, explored the Sunshine Coast area as part of an investigation into its timber resources. A recommendation by Petrie led to NSW Governor Gipps issuing an order in April 1842 that the Bunya Pine country be reserved for the Aborigines. This meant that in the strip of country along today's Sunshine Coast to the Maroochy River and west to the Dividing Range, no licences were to be granted for land occupation or timbercutting. Durundur ... However, by the time this proclamation was made, a number of stations had already been taken up in the western part of the Bunya country on the upper Brisbane River. The most northerly at that time was Durundur, a 60 square mile property bounded on the east by the D'Aguilar Range and on the north by the Wide Bay Range (Blackall Range) which was taken up by the Archer Brothers in 1841.