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Kingaroy
KNOWLEDGE OF Kingaroy
Kingaroy is an agricultural town and Local Government Area in Queensland, Australia, approximately 209 kilometres or about 3 hours drive northwest of Brisbane at the junction of the D'Aguilar and the Bunya Highway. Major industries in the town include peanut farming. Its name is derived from a Wakka Wakka aboriginal word for 'Red Ant' (Kingaroori) because of a unique species of ants found in the area which have adapted to the natural colour of Kingaroy's distinctive rich red soils.
It claims to be the "Peanut Capital of Australia" and the "Baked Bean Capital of Australia" because the world headquarters of both the peanut and Navy bean industries are located in the town.The township has a population of around 8,000 people, situated in the middle of some spectacular scenery, and is popular for bushwalking. Kingaroy was the home town of the former Premier of Queensland, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.
Rural settlement of the area dates back to 1843 when one of the first selections was made at Burrandowan (west of Kingaroy) by squatter and explorer Henry Stuart Russell. Even through Russell was reputedly the first European to realise the potential of the South Burnett, it was Simon Scott of Taromeo (now Blackbutt) and the Haly brothers of Taabinga who brought the first flocks of sheep to the area in the late 1850s.
In 1878 the district where Kingaroy now stands was settled by the Markwell brothers. When the first resumptions were made from the enormous Taabinga holding, the brothers selected two adjoining areas and in 1883 these leases were converted to freehold and became known as the 'Kingaroy Paddock'. The corner of this paddock was located on what is now known as Haly Street, named after the brothers who settled at Taabinga Station about 12km east of present-day Kingaroy.
A small, prosperous village grew up around Taabinga in the 1890s but the arrival of the railway in 1904 led to a land explosion around Kingaroy and the development of Kingaroy as it now exists. Taabinga quickly declined into a ghost town by the end of World War I and today the original Taabinga Homestead and a few outbuildings are all that remain of it. Kingaroy celebrated its Centenary in 2004.
Kingaroy Shire has a population of 12,500 residents and takes in an area of 2,422 square kilometres. Kingaroy itself is the largest town in the South Burnett and the region's commercial centre, offering all the services, shopping facilities and many of the industries generally expected in much larger centres. The town has its own hotels, motels, caravan parks, bed and breakfasts and cabins; supermarkets and convenience stores; and a range of restaurants, fast food outlets and petrol stations (including a 24-hour petrol station). Kingaroy also has a commercial aerodrome a few kilometres from the centre of town and is regularly served by major bus lines.
Kingaroy has the most cosmopolitan feel of any South Burnett township but it's still a relaxed, friendly and informal country town at heart. It has the typical low-humidity semi-alpine climate of all South Burnett townships and is surrounded by extensive (and very picturesque) farmlands interspersed with low rolling hills. The Booie Range lies immediately north-east of the town and the Bunya Mountains about 55km to the south-west.
The CBD area of the township is dominated by the Peanut Company of Australia's twin peanut silos (a local landmark). The Kingaroy Visitor Information Centre and Kingaroy Heritage Museum are both located directly opposite the peanut silos in the town's Heritage Precinct, which is made up of a collection of historic buildings ranging from Carroll's Cottage (the first building constructed in Kingaroy) through to the Carrollee Hotel and the Shire's earliest Council chambers.
Traditionally, Kingaroy has always been the centre of Australia's peanut and navy bean industries. But since the early 1990s it's also developed into one of the twin hubs of the South Burnett's rapidly-expanding wine industry (the other hub is at Murgon, Redgate and Moffatdale, 55km to the north). Several wineries are located either in or very close to the town, along with the Booie Range Distillery which opened in 2001 - only the third distillery in Queensland.
Kingaroy has a vibrant sporting, cultural and social life and is home to an art gallery and several local craft outlets as well as a range of well-maintained and attractive parklands. The town has two lookouts (at nearby Mt Wooroolin and Apex Park in Fisher Street) which provide striking panoramic views across the area. Kingaroy also has its own golf club, bowling club and RSL and regularly hosts live entertainment at these; at the Kingaroy Town Hall; and at several CBD hotels. A half-dozen wineries are located either in town of very close to it.
Major annual events include the Wine and Food In The Park Festival (held each March); the Kingaroy Show (held each May); the Burrandowan Picnic Races (held at Burrandowan on the outskirts of the Shire, also each May); the Kingaroy Peanut Festival (held each September); the two-day Taabinga Spring Music Festival (each October); and the Christmas Carnival (each December).
Droughts and uncertainty surrounding the region's annual peanut crop led some farmers to diversify and grow grapes. Rich volcanic soil, hot dry summers and cold winters proved to be ideal conditions for wine growing. Quite a number of vineyards were established in the region, and the success of their wine enables the South Burnett region, which includes Kingaroy, to promote the area as a tourist destination. The success of this enterprise has been largely attributed to the scenery of the location, and has benefited the local economy.
It claims to be the "Peanut Capital of Australia" and the "Baked Bean Capital of Australia" because the world headquarters of both the peanut and Navy bean industries are located in the town.The township has a population of around 8,000 people, situated in the middle of some spectacular scenery, and is popular for bushwalking. Kingaroy was the home town of the former Premier of Queensland, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.
Rural settlement of the area dates back to 1843 when one of the first selections was made at Burrandowan (west of Kingaroy) by squatter and explorer Henry Stuart Russell. Even through Russell was reputedly the first European to realise the potential of the South Burnett, it was Simon Scott of Taromeo (now Blackbutt) and the Haly brothers of Taabinga who brought the first flocks of sheep to the area in the late 1850s.
In 1878 the district where Kingaroy now stands was settled by the Markwell brothers. When the first resumptions were made from the enormous Taabinga holding, the brothers selected two adjoining areas and in 1883 these leases were converted to freehold and became known as the 'Kingaroy Paddock'. The corner of this paddock was located on what is now known as Haly Street, named after the brothers who settled at Taabinga Station about 12km east of present-day Kingaroy.
A small, prosperous village grew up around Taabinga in the 1890s but the arrival of the railway in 1904 led to a land explosion around Kingaroy and the development of Kingaroy as it now exists. Taabinga quickly declined into a ghost town by the end of World War I and today the original Taabinga Homestead and a few outbuildings are all that remain of it. Kingaroy celebrated its Centenary in 2004.
Kingaroy Shire has a population of 12,500 residents and takes in an area of 2,422 square kilometres. Kingaroy itself is the largest town in the South Burnett and the region's commercial centre, offering all the services, shopping facilities and many of the industries generally expected in much larger centres. The town has its own hotels, motels, caravan parks, bed and breakfasts and cabins; supermarkets and convenience stores; and a range of restaurants, fast food outlets and petrol stations (including a 24-hour petrol station). Kingaroy also has a commercial aerodrome a few kilometres from the centre of town and is regularly served by major bus lines.
Kingaroy has the most cosmopolitan feel of any South Burnett township but it's still a relaxed, friendly and informal country town at heart. It has the typical low-humidity semi-alpine climate of all South Burnett townships and is surrounded by extensive (and very picturesque) farmlands interspersed with low rolling hills. The Booie Range lies immediately north-east of the town and the Bunya Mountains about 55km to the south-west.
The CBD area of the township is dominated by the Peanut Company of Australia's twin peanut silos (a local landmark). The Kingaroy Visitor Information Centre and Kingaroy Heritage Museum are both located directly opposite the peanut silos in the town's Heritage Precinct, which is made up of a collection of historic buildings ranging from Carroll's Cottage (the first building constructed in Kingaroy) through to the Carrollee Hotel and the Shire's earliest Council chambers.
Traditionally, Kingaroy has always been the centre of Australia's peanut and navy bean industries. But since the early 1990s it's also developed into one of the twin hubs of the South Burnett's rapidly-expanding wine industry (the other hub is at Murgon, Redgate and Moffatdale, 55km to the north). Several wineries are located either in or very close to the town, along with the Booie Range Distillery which opened in 2001 - only the third distillery in Queensland.
Kingaroy has a vibrant sporting, cultural and social life and is home to an art gallery and several local craft outlets as well as a range of well-maintained and attractive parklands. The town has two lookouts (at nearby Mt Wooroolin and Apex Park in Fisher Street) which provide striking panoramic views across the area. Kingaroy also has its own golf club, bowling club and RSL and regularly hosts live entertainment at these; at the Kingaroy Town Hall; and at several CBD hotels. A half-dozen wineries are located either in town of very close to it.
Major annual events include the Wine and Food In The Park Festival (held each March); the Kingaroy Show (held each May); the Burrandowan Picnic Races (held at Burrandowan on the outskirts of the Shire, also each May); the Kingaroy Peanut Festival (held each September); the two-day Taabinga Spring Music Festival (each October); and the Christmas Carnival (each December).
Droughts and uncertainty surrounding the region's annual peanut crop led some farmers to diversify and grow grapes. Rich volcanic soil, hot dry summers and cold winters proved to be ideal conditions for wine growing. Quite a number of vineyards were established in the region, and the success of their wine enables the South Burnett region, which includes Kingaroy, to promote the area as a tourist destination. The success of this enterprise has been largely attributed to the scenery of the location, and has benefited the local economy.
Chapi