Behind Closed Doors – Woman and families of the Chinese Community across the Atherton Tablelands
21 November 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Join us for an intimate evening with historian Dr Sandi Robb in the historic Meeting Hall at Atherton’s Hou Wang Temple and Museum. Arrive early to explore the temple before the talk, then stay afterwards for Chinese tea and light snacks. With just 20 tickets available, this relaxed regional Trust Talk offers a rare chance to listen, learn and connect in one of Queensland’s most significant Chinese heritage settings.
About the talk
Chinese settlers played a major role in clearing, establishing and growing the early agricultural industry across the Atherton Tablelands. Much has been studied, written and excavated about the Chinese men behind the region’s communities, market gardens, shops and maize farms, yet very little is known about the women in their lives, or what the chance to build a family and a home meant to the community.
In this talk, Sandi will introduce some of the families who settled on the Tablelands and shed light on the hidden lives of the women who lived them, behind closed doors.
About the speaker
Dr Sandi Robb is a historian and Executive Officer of the Cairns Historical Society and Cairns Museum. Over a long career in cultural heritage across North Queensland, she has specialised in interpretation, research, exhibitions and curatorial work, with a particular focus on Chinese family history in Queensland. Her publications include Cairns Chinatown: A Heritage Study, and she co-curated the award-winning exhibition Re-discovering Buk Ti: Chinese Settlers in the Herbert River Valley. Sandi is a founding member of Chinese Heritage in Northern Australia Inc. and a member of the Professional Historians Association of Queensland.
Plan Your Visit
Address
86 Herberton Road,
Open Hours
7:00pm – 9:00 pm
7:00-7:30pm – Guest Arrival and time to explore Hou Wang Temple
7:30-8:25pm – Guest Speaker Sandi Robb, Historian and Executive Officer of the Cairns Historical Society and Cairns Museum.
8:30-9:00pm – Chinese tea, coffee and cake; informal conversations and event close.
Phone
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*A 0.8% booking fee applies for online bookings