Cracow, Queensland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Map all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap 
Download coordinates as: KML
Cracow
Queensland
Cracow QLD - Streetscape.jpg
Third Avenue, Cracow, 2014
Cracow is located in Queensland
Cracow
Cracow
Coordinates25°17′48″S 150°18′17″E / 25.2967°S 150.3047°E / -25.2967; 150.3047 (Cracow (town centre))Coordinates: 25°17′48″S 150°18′17″E / 25.2967°S 150.3047°E / -25.2967; 150.3047 (Cracow (town centre))
Population89 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density0.1233/km2 (0.3193/sq mi)
Established1931
Postcode(s)4719
Area721.9 km2 (278.7 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
  • 133 km (83 mi) S of Bileoela
  • 270 km (168 mi) S of Rockhampton
  • 494 km (307 mi) NW of Brisbane
LGA(s)Shire of Banana
State electorate(s)Callide
Federal division(s)Flynn
Localities around Cracow:
Isla Camboon Eidsvold West
Spring Creek Cracow Eidsvold West
Glebe Cockatoo Eidsvold West

Cracow is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2016 census the locality of Cracow had a population of 89 people.[1]

Historically, Cracow is a gold mining town, with some recent mines opening.[4]

Geography[]

The town is located on the Theodore – Eidsvold Road, 494 kilometres (307 mi) by road north-west of the state capital, Brisbane.[5] Cracow has the following mountains:

History[]

Goldfield Stores, circa 1932

The town was named after a pastoral run, which was in turn named by pastoralist John Ross, in 1851, for the Polish city of Kraków, which had recently been the centre for a fight for Polish national independence.[2][11]

Gold was first discovered in Cracow in 1875 by itinerant fossickers and a further discovery of a nugget was made by an Aboriginal man in 1916. In 1931, the Golden Plateau mine was established and it operated continuously until 1976.[12]

Cracow Post Office opened on 1 October 1932.[13]

Cracow State School opened on 12 June 1933 and closed on 12 December 1997.[14] It was at 11-17 Third Avenue (

 WikiMiniAtlas
25°17′36″S 150°18′04″E / 25.2933°S 150.3010°E / -25.2933; 150.3010 (Cracow State School (former))).[15]

At its gold mining peak, the town included five cafes, barber shop, billiard saloon, two butchers, a picture theatre and a soft drink factory.[16] The closure of the mine led to Cracow becoming a ghost town with many deserted houses and shops.

In 2004, Newcrest Mining reestablished gold mining in the town, leading to hopes the town may recover.[16] This mine is now operated by Aefis Resources.[17] The shops are vacant although the hotel remains open.

Cracow Hotel.jpg

In the 2011 census, Cracow and the surrounding area had a population of 196.[18]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Cracow had a population of 89 people.[1]

The 2019 horror-comedy film Two Heads Creek was filmed on location in Cracow.[19][20]

Facilities[]

Cracow Hotel bar, 2014

The Cracow Hotel at 30 Third Avenue (corner Tenth Avenue,

 WikiMiniAtlas
25°17′43″S 150°18′09″E / 25.2954°S 150.3026°E / -25.2954; 150.3026 (Cracow Hotel))[21] is one of the only remaining retail business, as it attracts a lot of tourists due to its unusual array of strange artifacts adorning the ceilings and walls.[17] The other business was the general store, which doubled as a post office and video store.

The Cracow community centre is at 57-63 Tenth Avenue (

 WikiMiniAtlas
25°17′43″S 150°18′06″E / 25.2953°S 150.3018°E / -25.2953; 150.3018 (Cracow Community Centre)) and is operated by the Banana Shire Council.[22]

Events[]

Fred Brophy, owner of the Cracow Hotel, 2014

Every year, Cracow hosts Fred Brophy's Boxing Tent.[23]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Cracow (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ a b "Cracow – town in Shire of Banana (entry 8648)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Cracow – locality in Shire of Banana (entry 49544)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Cracow Gold Operations". Aeris Resources. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  5. ^ Google (11 December 2021). "Brisbane to Cracow" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d "Mountain peaks and capes - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Mount Edwards – mountain in Banana Shire (entry 11235)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Mount Elvinia – mountain in Banana Shire (entry 11585)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Mount Irving – mountain in Banana Shire (entry 16851)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Mount Steel – mountain in Banana Shire (entry 32315)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  11. ^ "NOMENCLATURE OF QUEENSLAND—100". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane: National Library of Australia. 24 January 1936. p. 12. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  12. ^ Beattie, Ross. "Cracow". Ross Beattie's Localities pages. Archived from the original on 25 October 2009. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
  13. ^ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  14. ^ Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  15. ^ "Environs of Cracow" (Map). Queensland Government. 1963. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  16. ^ a b Lee, Tim (23 February 2006). "Old gold town revels in resources boom". Landline. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  17. ^ a b "The Town of Cracow in the Banana Shire". Sandstone Wonders. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  18. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Cracow (Banana Shire) (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 3 April 2016. Edit this at Wikidata
  19. ^ Burt, Jemima; Stünzner, Inga. "Two Heads Creek is the cannibal movie that could put the tiny Queensland town of Cracow back on the map". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 2 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  20. ^ "Two Heads Creek (2019)". IMDB. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  21. ^ "Cracow Hotel". Google Maps. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  22. ^ "Halls". Banana Shire Council. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  23. ^ "Simple Pleasures: Banana Shire" (PDF). The Gladstone Region. Tourism Queensland. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.

External links[]

Media related to Cracow, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from ""