For tens of thousands of years, the Mareeba district has been home to the Djungan, Muluridji, Kuku Yalanji, and Djabugay peoples. The name "Mareeba" is believed to derive from an Aboriginal word meaning "meeting of the waters", referring to the confluence of the Barron River and Granite Creek. The area provided rich resources including rainforest foods, freshwater fish, and ceremonial gathering grounds. Rock art sites throughout the region, including at Chillagoe and the Palmer River, provide evidence of continuous occupation spanning millennia.

In 1873, James Venture Mulligan discovered gold on the Palmer River, triggering one of Queensland's largest gold rushes. Tens of thousands of prospectors flooded into the region, and Mareeba became a critical supply point on the route from the coast to the goldfields. The Palmer River goldfield produced an estimated 625,000 ounces of alluvial gold. Cooktown boomed as the nearest port, and the route through Mareeba became a lifeline for miners heading inland. The gold rush also brought a large Chinese population to the region, many of whom later became farmers and market gardeners.

The extension of the railway from Cairns across the Atherton Tablelands in 1893 transformed Mareeba from a remote outpost into a connected township. The railway enabled the development of agriculture by providing reliable transport for crops to the coast. The town was formally gazetted in 1893. Timber getting, dairy farming, and maize growing became the first agricultural industries. The rich red basalt soil of the Tablelands proved exceptionally fertile, attracting settlers from southern states and overseas, particularly Italy, Greece, and Malta.

From the 1920s onwards, Mareeba became the tobacco capital of Australia. Italian and Greek migrants established tobacco farms across the district, and by the 1950s the industry was the economic backbone of the region. At its peak, over 600 tobacco farms operated in the Mareeba-Dimbulah corridor, producing the majority of Australia's tobacco leaf. The industry shaped the town's multicultural character, with migrant families from Southern Europe establishing the cultural traditions that continue today. The Mareeba Heritage Museum houses the largest collection of tobacco industry artefacts in Australia.

During World War II, Mareeba was transformed into a major military hub. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) built Mareeba Airfield (Hoevet Field) in 1942, and the area became home to thousands of Allied servicemen. The 345th, 38th, and 22nd Bombardment Groups operated from Mareeba, flying missions across the South Pacific. At peak, over 10,000 military personnel were stationed in the district. The military presence brought infrastructure including roads, water supply, and the airfield that remains in use today as Mareeba Airport. Many servicemen returned after the war to settle in the region.

The collapse of the Australian tobacco industry in the 1970s and 1980s forced Mareeba farmers to diversify. The Mareeba-Dimbulah Water Supply Scheme (MDWSS), completed in the 1950s and expanded through the following decades, provided the irrigation infrastructure needed for new crops. Farmers transitioned to sugar cane, mangoes, avocados, lychees, citrus, and other tropical fruits. Coffee was first planted commercially in the late 1980s, with pioneers like Skybury Coffee (1987) proving the Tablelands could produce high-quality arabica beans.

Today Mareeba is known as the hub of Australia's coffee industry, with the region producing approximately 70% of the nation's coffee. The agricultural sector has expanded to include a $530 million horticulture industry, $45 million in sugar exports, and a thriving beef cattle market. Tourism has become increasingly important, with attractions including the Chillagoe Caves, Granite Gorge, hot air ballooning, and the coffee plantation trail drawing visitors year-round. The population stands at approximately 24,000, and the shire covers 53,457 square kilometres - making it one of the largest local government areas in Queensland.