Queensland State Archives 2153 Peanut silos Kingaroy 1945

The South Burnett is a peanut growing and wine-producing area on the Great Dividing Range, north of the

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was general ...

, in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

. It is with the basin of the

Burnett River The Burnett River is a river located in the Wide Bay–Burnett and Central Queensland regions of Queensland, Australia. Course and features The Burnett River rises in the Burnett Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, close to Mount Gaeta a ...

. The area is within two local government areas,

South Burnett Region The South Burnett Region is a local government area in the South Burnett district of Queensland, Australia. Origins This Local Government was created in March 2008 as a result of the report of the Local Government Reform Commission released in ...

and

Gympie Region The Gympie Region is a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is between the Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay and centred on the town of Gympie. It was create ...

Towns

Towns located within this region with a population of more than 1,000 include

Kingaroy Kingaroy is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. The town is situated on the junction of the D'Aguilar and the Bunya Highways, north-west of the state capital Brisbane and south west of Gympie. As a ...

, Murgon,

Wondai Wondai is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wondai had a population of 1,975 people. Geography Wondai is located to the south of the Bunya Highway, north west of the state capital, Brisbane ...

and Nanango. Towns with a population under 1,000 people include Kilkivan, Goomeri,

Proston Proston is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. Geography The town is located north-west of the state capital, Brisbane northwest of the South Burnett regions commercial centre, Kingaroy and south ...

, Blackbutt, Kumbia, Tingoora, Hivesville, Memerambi, Wooroolin, Moffatdale, Crawford, Coolabunia, Mount Mowbullan, Goodger, Booie, Benarkin, Cloyna and Wheatlands.

Transport

The

D'Aguilar Highway The D'Aguilar Highway is a two-lane highway linking the Bruce Highway near Caboolture with Kingaroy in the state of Queensland, Australia. Major towns along the route include Woodford, Kilcoy, Blackbutt, Yarraman, Nanango and Kingaroy. The hi ...

leads south east, while the

Bunya Highway The Bunya Highway is a state highway of Queensland, Australia. It is a relatively short road, running approximately 173 kilometres in a south-westerly direction from Goomeri to Dalby. The highway connects the Warrego and Burnett Highways. Th ...

enters the region from the south west. The Wide Bay Highway connects to

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River, which floods Gympie occasionally. The ...

and the

Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Nat ...

towards the coast and the

Burnett Highway The Burnett Highway is an inland rural highway located in Queensland, Australia. The highway runs between its junction with the Bruce Highway at Gracemere, just south of Rockhampton, and Nanango. Its length is approximately 542 kilometres. The ...

continues north of the region. The

Brisbane Valley railway line The Brisbane Valley railway line was a railway connection in Queensland, Australia connecting Ipswich, west of Brisbane, to the upper Brisbane River valley. Progressively opened between 1884 and 1913, the railway provided a vital transport lin ...

reached Blackbutt in 1905. The line was closed in the 1993.

Wine region

The South Burnett Wine Region is another attraction, with Verdelho grown successfully, due to the warm climate and rich soils. With around ten wineries, it is a relatively new wine region. Grapes were first planted in the area in 1898. Industrial production began in 1993. Most of the wineries are located close to Kingaroy or in the Moffatdale area north of Murgon. There are none in the west of the region.

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 p ...

and Chardonnay are the most prevalent varieties with production roughly halved between red and white wines.

Attractions

One of the best known attractions in the area is the

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small and ...

-growing district centered on Kingaroy. 12 km from Murgon is the Bjelke-Petersen Dam. Other dams in the region include Gordonbrook Dam and

Boondooma Dam Boondooma Dam is a dam on the Boyne River on the boundary of Boondooma and Proston in the South Burnett Region of Queensland, Australia. In 1983, the dam was constructed across the Boyne River below its confluence with the Stuart River, cre ...

. Tarong Power Station and the Tarong National Park are both in the south of the Burnett. The

Bunya Mountains The Bunya Mountains are a distinctive set of peaks forming an isolated section of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland. The mountain range forms the northern edge of the Darling Downs in the locality also called Bunya Mountains ne ...

, protected within the Bunya Mountains National Park, which contains the largest natural

bunya pine ''Araucaria bidwillii'', commonly known as the bunya pine and sometimes referred to as the false monkey puzzle tree, is a large evergreen coniferous tree in the plant family Araucariaceae. It is found naturally in south-east Queensland Aust ...

forest in the world, are a popular natural attraction in the south of the region. At Kinbombi Falls there are picnic and camping facilities next to a large waterfall, gorge and rocky creek. Rock-wallabies can be seen on local cliffs, particularly around twilight hours.

Garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different s ...

gem fields are found just west of Proston.

References

External links