Kingaroy, Queensland
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Kingaroy () is a rural town and
locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...
in the South Burnett Region,
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia. The town is situated on the junction of the D'Aguilar and the Bunya Highways, north-west of the state capital
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
and south west of
Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. Located in the Greater Sunshine Coast, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River ( ...
. In the , the locality of Kingaroy had a population of 10,266 people. Kingaroy is the
seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...
of the South Burrnett Region. It is known as the "
Peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, 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 by small and large ...
Capital of Australia" because Australia's largest peanut processing plant is located in the town and its peanut silo dominates the skyline. Kingaroy is also known as the hometown of former
Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is appointed ...
,
Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005) was an Australian politician and farmer who served as premier of Queensland between 1968 and 1987, for almost 20 years, as state leader of the National Party (earlier known as the Co ...
.


Geography

Kingaroy 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 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, Quee ...
about to the south-west. The Stuart River () flows northwards on the western outskirts of the town. The locality is part of the Burnett River catchment. The productive lands of the catchment feature sedimentary floodplains. The rich fertile soils of the floodplains are the agricultural and resource backbone of the region. While there are benefits of the flooding there are also risks including the loss of vegetation in riparian zones, biosecurity issues and spread of
weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, growing where it conflicts with human preferences, needs, or goals.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. Pla ...
species. The locality sits in the Tarong Coal Basin. Kingaroy varies in
altitude Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum (geodesy), datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometr ...
/
elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...
/
height Height is measure of vertical distance, either vertical extent (how "tall" something or someone is) or vertical position (how "high" a point is). For an example of vertical extent, "This basketball player is 7 foot 1 inches in height." For an e ...
above
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...
from about (highlight point) to (highlight point) above sea level. Edenvale is a neighbourhood within the locality (), which takes its name from the Edenvale railway station which was named on 15 March 1911 by the Queensland Railways Department, because the land for the railway station was resumed from "Paradise Farm".


Climate

Kingaroy experiences an elevation-influenced
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
( Köppen: Cfa), with very warm, relatively wet summers and mild, dry winters with cold nights. Annual precipitation averages , with a summer maximum. Record temperatures have ranged from on 12 February 2017 to on 18 July 1961. The original weather station at Kingaroy's Prince Street had been recording rainfall since 1905 and temperatures since 1947. However, it closed in 2000, in favour of the new, more advanced weather station at the town's airport SW.


Etymology

The origin of the name Kingaroy is usually claimed to be derived from the Wakka Wakka Aboriginal word for ' Red Ant'. The local Kingaroy Rugby League football team is known as "the Red Ants" and a Red Ant features on the old Kingaroy Shire coat of arms. A Wakka Wakka Word List provides the following explanation: "Derived from 'king', a small black ant, and 'dhu'roi', meaning hungry. The name was suggested by a local Aboriginal helper of the surveyor, Hector Munro, who surveyed the original grazing holding of this name, on account of these ants being a pest at the survey camp.".Wakka Wakka Jinda Aboriginal Word List compiled by Mavis Hawkins, April 1995 Munro selected Wakka Wakka words describing various species of ants when he surveyed a number of local towns, including Taabinga (dha' be'ngga) and Mondure (mon'dhur).


History

Wakka Wakka Wakka Wakka, or Waka Waka, people are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Queensland. Name "''Wakka''" was assigned the meaning "no" by Western linguists who documented the Wakawaka language. Ethnonyms based on the duplication of t ...
(Waka Waka, Wocca Wocca, Wakawaka) is an
Australian Aboriginal language The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...
spoken in the Burnett River catchment. The Wakka Wakka language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the North and South Burnett Regional Council, particularly the towns of
Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...
,
Murgon Murgon () is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Murgon had a population of 2,220 people. Geography Murgon is in the region of Queensland ...
, Kingaroy, Gayndah, Eidsvold and
Mundubbera Mundubbera ( ) is a rural town and a locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Mundubbera had a population of 1,120 people. Mundubbera is the self-proclaimed "Citrus Capital of Queensland", although ...
. Rural settlement of the area dates back to 1843 when one of the first selections was made at Burrandowan (west of Kingaroy) by
squatter Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not Land ownership and tenure, own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estima ...
and
explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...
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 south-west of present-day Kingaroy. A small, prosperous village grew up around Taabinga in the 1890s. The opening of the 5th stage of Nanango railway line to its terminus at Kingaroy railway station in the newly laid-out town of Kingaroy (known as the 56-mile peg) 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 A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
by the end of World War I and today the original Taabinga Homestead and a few outbuildings are all that remain of it. The area opposite Kingaroy Airport is today known as "Taabinga Village" but is really only a suburb of Kingaroy. Taabinga Village Provisional School opened on 10 August 1897. On 1 January 1909, it became Taabinga Village State School. On 16 July 1961, Taabinga Village State School was closed and pupils transferred to the new Taabinga State School in Kingaroy. Malar Provisional School opened in 1901. On 1 January 1909, it became Malar State School. There were a number of temporary closures until the school closed permanently in 1955. The school was "via Kingaroy". Mount Jones Provisional School opened on 20 January 1902. In 1905, it was renamed Kingaroy Provisional School. On 1 January 1909, it became Kingaroy State School. On 19 February 1918, a secondary department was added, which was discontinued in 1958 when Kingaroy State High School opened. Logboy Provisional School opened on 22 April 1902. On 1 January 1909, it became Logboy State School. It was at 289 Weens Road (). In 1911, it was moved to 215–227 Siefert Street, Crawford, and renamed Crawford State School, opening with 29 students. The first Kingaroy Post Office opened by 1902 (a
receiving office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
had been open from 1895) and was renamed Taabinga Village in 1905, when Kingaroy Railway Station office opened. This was renamed Kingaroy in 1907. The Taabinga Village office closed in 1929. Erin Vale State School opened in 1911. In 1912 it was renamed Stuart Valley State School. It closed in 1961. It was "via Kingaroy". Kingaroy's first general hospital opened on 19 November 1914. Prior the only hospital located in Kingaroy was St. Aubyn's private hospital, which opened in 1910. Clydebank Hospital became Kingaroy's second private hospital, which later became a hostel for children. Kingaroy's new public hospital was opened 7 October 1839.The foundation stone of the Kingaroy Soldiers' Memorial Rotunda was laid on 25 April 1922 (
ANZAC Day Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...
) by the RSL president Sergeant Norman Booth. It was dedicated on 29 June 1932 by Mayor-General Sir Thomas William Glasgow. The Kingaroy Branch of the
Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...
was established 22 August 1922 with Florence Daphne Youngman of Taabinga Homestead as the first president. In 1926 her husband Arthur Youngman donated land at 122 Kingaroy Street and Charlie Gills built the first rooms. On 24 November 1956 a hall was built at the rear of the rooms to allow for catering of weddings and functions. St Mary's Catholic Primary School opened in January 1929. In 1980 it merged with St Mary's Catholic Secondary School to become South Burnett Catholic College. The town's wastewater treatment plant was established circa 1940 with the treated water being discharged into the Stuart River. A major upgrade occurred between 2014–2016 resulting greater processing capacity at greater efficiency with treated water now being recycled for use on sporting fields and the golf course. The Royal Australian Air Force had a significant operational and training presence in the region during the
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the first squadrons deploying to the town's airport about mid-1942. At least eight squadrons were based at RAAF Kingaroy then (viz. Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6, 15, 75, 92 and 93 Squadrons), together with No. 3 Initial Training School. Aircraft operated there by the RAAF included Avro Ansons, CAC Wirraways, DAP Beauforts, DH Mosquitos, Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawks and Bristol Beaufighters. Kingaroy R.A.A.F. Post Office was open from 7 August 1942 until 28 February 1946. The presence of the US Army in Queensland generally and more particularly in Kingaroy created a need to supply them with very large quantities of
navy bean The navy bean, haricot bean, Jigna bean, pearl haricot bean, Boston bean, white pea bean, or pea bean is a variety of the common bean (''Phaseolus vulgaris'') native to the Americas, where it was first domesticated. It is a dry white bean that ...
s (known as
baked beans Baked beans is a Dish (food), dish traditionally containing white Phaseolus vulgaris, common beans that are parboiling, parboiled and then baking, baked in sauce at low temperature for a lengthy period. Canned baked beans are not baked, but ar ...
in Australia) which led to widespread planting of navy beans in the Kingaroy area from 1940 with seed supplied by the US Army. Such was the military importance of navy beans that all war-time production of navy beans was done under contract to the
Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...
and subject to the National Security Act. After the war, the industry struggled with a number of issues including tariffs, marketing, processing and being controlled from Brisbane. With the vast majority of bean growers in Queensland being in the Kingaroy area and following the destruction of the processing factory in
Toowoomba Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...
, local growers decided to form a co-operative based in Kingaroy to process and market the product locally on a site provided by Kingaroy Shire Council who wanted to encourage the project. Since 1993, the cooperative is known as Bean Growers Australia. St Mary's Catholic Secondary School opened in 1946. In 1980 it merged with St Mary's Catholic Primary School to become South Burnett Catholic College. Kingaroy State High School opened on 28 January 1958, replacing the secondary department at Kingaroy State School. South Burnett Catholic College opened in 1980, as the merger of St Mary's Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools. Kingaroy Christian College opened on 24 April 1984 and closed on 6 May 1999. The college had buried a
time capsule A time capsule is a historic treasure trove, cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy ...
on 24 April 1994. On 16 April 2013, former students dug up the time capsule with the assistance of the owners of the former school site. The time capsule contained a number of small items including a
floppy disk A floppy disk or floppy diskette (casually referred to as a floppy, a diskette, or a disk) is a type of disk storage composed of a thin and flexible disk of a magnetic storage medium in a square or nearly square plastic enclosure lined with a ...
. St John's Lutheran Primary School opened on 23 January 1989 with 26 students and 2 teachers. The school was established by relocating the school buildings from the closed Mannuem Creek State School in Mannuem. In 2014 the school expanded to offer junior secondary schooling (Years 7 to 9). Kingaroy celebrated its centenary in 2004. Kingaroy is also noted for being the first region in Australia to be placed on Level
Water Restrictions
which occurred on 1 October 2007. In 2017, Kingaroy Magistrates and District Court underwent a $5.3 million refurbishment. The improvements included a full internal and external refurbishment and a new secure interview room for witnesses to give evidence. The courthouse was officially opened on 6 February 2018 by Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath.


Demographics


Heritage listings

Kingaroy has a number of sites listed on the
Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As ...
, including: * St Michael and All Angels Church, 2–6 Alford Street * Carroll Cottage, 6 Edward Street * former Kingaroy Shire Council Chambers (now home to the Kingaroy Regional Art Gallery), 126 Haly Street * Kingaroy Peanut Silos, 117–131 Haly Street * Burrandowan Station Homestead, Kingaroy Road, Durong * Taabinga Homestead, 7 Old Taabinga Road, Haly Creek * Wylarah, South Burrandowan Road, Ironpot * former Kingaroy Butter Factory, 67 William Street Kingaroy also has a number of sites listed on the Local Heritage Register of the
South Burnett Regional Council The South Burnett Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the South Burnett district of Queensland, Australia. In the , the South Burnett Region had a population of 32,996 people. Geography The South Burnett Regio ...
, including: * Kingaroy Showgrounds – the former Coolabunia railway station and station master's house, pavilions, World War II huts, spectator stands, stables and amenities come under the umbrella of the Showgrounds listing, Youngman Street.


Education

Kingaroy State School is a government primary (Early Childhood to Year 6) school for boys and girls at 61 Alford Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 503 students with 44 teachers (41 full-time equivalent) and 33 non-teaching staff (22 full-time equivalent). It includes a
special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...
program. Taabinga State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at Rae Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 354 students with 25 teachers (21 full-time equivalent) and 22 non-teaching staff (13 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program. The school has a war memorial. Saint Mary's Catholic College is a Catholic primary and secondary (Prep–12) school for boys and girls at 10 Kent Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 480 students with 41 teachers (38 full-time equivalent) and 30 non-teaching staff (22 full-time equivalent). St John's Lutheran School is a private primary and secondary (Prep–9) school for boys and girls at 84-94 Ivy Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 432 students with 31 teachers (27 full-time equivalent) and 33 non-teaching staff (24 full-time equivalent). Kingaroy State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at Toomey Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 999 students with 99 teachers (91 full-time equivalent) and 49 non-teaching staff (35 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program. The Kingaroy campus of TAFE Queensland is a technical college on the north-east corner of the Bunya Highway and Geritz Road ().


Economy

Traditionally, Kingaroy has always been the centre of Australia's peanut and
navy bean The navy bean, haricot bean, Jigna bean, pearl haricot bean, Boston bean, white pea bean, or pea bean is a variety of the common bean (''Phaseolus vulgaris'') native to the Americas, where it was first domesticated. It is a dry white bean that ...
industries but since the early 1990s it has also developed into one of the twin hubs of the South Burnett's rapidly expanding wine industry (the other hub is at
Murgon Murgon () is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Murgon had a population of 2,220 people. Geography Murgon is in the region of Queensland ...
, Redgate and Moffatdale, to the north).
Drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D.  Jiang, A.  Khan, W.  Pokam Mba, D.  Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...
s 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
vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...
s 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 these enterprises has been largely attributed to the scenery of the location, and has benefited the local economy. Bean Growers Australia is a cooperative association with its headquarters at 82-84 River Road () where it has its processing factory. Its members grow a range of beans including
soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source o ...
s,
adzuki bean ''Vigna angularis'', also known as the , azuki bean, aduki bean, red bean, or red mung bean, is an Annual plant, annual vine widely cultivated throughout East Asia for its small (approximately long) bean. The cultivars most familiar in East A ...
s,
navy bean The navy bean, haricot bean, Jigna bean, pearl haricot bean, Boston bean, white pea bean, or pea bean is a variety of the common bean (''Phaseolus vulgaris'') native to the Americas, where it was first domesticated. It is a dry white bean that ...
s, mungbeans,
chickpea The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual plant, annual legume of the family (biology), family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, cultivated for its edible seeds. Its different types are variously known as gram," Bengal gram, ga ...
s, black eye beans, field peas,
linseed Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of the ...
and
popcorn Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns, or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated. The term also refers to the snack food produced by the expansion. It is one of the oldest snacks, with evidence of p ...
. Other than grapes, peanuts and navy beans, other crops commonly grown in the Kingaroy area are
sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...
,
wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
,
maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
, sunflowers,
citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...
fruits and duboisia, a kind of plant often used for pharmaceutical products. Kingaroy is centred on one of Australia's largest pork producing regions, and since the early 1960s has been home to one of Queensland's largest pig abattoirs, Swickers Kingaroy Bacon Factory. Hardwood Forestry Plantations have been prominent across the landscape since the early 2000s, having been established on many farms in the region as joint ventures between Landholders and the Queensland Government. The Plantation Forestry Industry is expected to provide employment for many locals in the future.


Sports

Kingaroy has a vibrant sporting life. The town is home to a number of leading sports people including NRL players
Chris Sandow Chris Sandow (born 9 January 1989) is an Indigenous Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a goal-kicking or , he could also play as a . Background Sandow was born in Kingaroy, Queensland. Sandow grew up in Quee ...
and Chris McQueen Wallabies centre/fly-half Berrick Barnes, as well as former Australian cricket test and one day opening batter
Matthew Hayden Matthew Lawrence Hayden (born 29 October 1971) is an Australian cricket commentator and former cricketer. His career spanned fifteen years. Hayden was a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman who, along with opening partners Ju ...
and Southern Stars women's cricket Australian representative bowler Holly Ferling. Kingaroy also has its own
golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
club,
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
club. Kingaroy Bowls Club has 2 Grass greens and plays on Thursdays and Sundays. Kingaroy & District Tennis Association has 8 synthetic grass courts, and a practice wall. The tennis club holds Thursday night fixtures and other social day matches during the week. It is also has a notable speedway track. Kingaroy has a rich history with Australia's four Football codes. Rugby League is arguably the most popular sport in terms of having a following, which reflects the passionate Rugby League culture in the Wide Bay-Burnett region. Kingaroy has a rugby league team that participates in the South Burnett Rugby League competition, named the Kingaroy Red Ants. The town also has two Football (Soccer) teams, Gunners and Wests, that take part in the South Burnett's Football competition. Kingaroy is also home to the South Burnett Thrashers, a Rugby Union team that participates at B Grade level in the strong Darling Downs Rugby Union competition. In 2013, an AFL team, the South Burnett Saints, joined the Darling Downs competition. This is based in Kingaroy and plays at Lyle Vidler Oval. Kingaroy previously had junior and senior AFL teams in the Darling Downs AFL competition, with the Kingaroy Bulldogs senior men's side playing on and off from the early 1980s up until 2006, and the Kingaroy-Nanango Jets junior side playing up until 2009. The Kingaroy Showgrounds is also home to the Kingaroy Speedway, a clay oval. The speedway, which opened in 1968, is run by the South Burnett Speedway Club.


Culture

Kingaroy has a vibrant 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 South Burnett Regional Council operates a public library in Kingaroy at Glendon Street. Live entertainment is held regularly at the Returned Services League club as well as several central hotels and in Kingaroy Town Hall. A half-dozen cellardoors are located either in town of very close to it. The South Burnett Musical Comedy Society (SBMCS) is based in Kingaroy and annually holds a minor production (e.g. a concert) around April/May and a major production (a full theatrical musical) around August to October. The group celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2019.


Facilities

Kingaroy Police Station is at 11-13 Alford Street (). Kingaroy Fire Station is on the southern corner of Kent Street and Edward Street (). Kingaroy SES Facility is at 5 Glendon Street (). Kingaroy Hospital is a public hospital at 152-176 Youngman Street (). Lady Bjelke-Petersen Community Hospital (also known as South Burnett Community Private Hospital) is a private hospital at 31 Markwell Street () owned by the Queensland Eye Instutite. Kingaroy Ambulance Station is on the western corner of Kent and Edward Street, opposite the fire station (). The Kingaroy Public Library opened in 1945 and had a major refurbishment in 2011. Kingaroy also has an aerodrome a few kilometres from the centre of town and there is a coach service between Proston and Caboolture on weekdays. Kingaroy Wastewater Treatment Plant is a sewage treatment plant at 7-33 Hodges Road (). The South Burnett Regional Council have a depot at 2 Ivins Street ().


Amenities

Kingaroy Shoppingworld is a shopping centre on the corner of Youngman and Alford Street (). The Kingaroy and Kingaroy Twilight branches of the
Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...
meet at the Kingaroy CWA hall at 122-124 Kingaroy Street (). Kingaroy Showground is at 41-47 Avoca Street ().


Parks

There are a number of parks in the area: * Adermann Park () * Apex Park () * Belle Street Park () * Bjelke Petersen Recreation Reserve () * Carroll Nature Reserve () * Cowie Drive Park () * Dell Court Park () * Doonkuna Street Park () * Earl Park () * Earle Park Kingaroy () * Fisher Street () * Freemans Nature Park () * Gwalia Court Park () * J A Carroll Park () * Kingaroy Heights Environmental Park () * Memorial Park () * North Street Park () * O'Neill Square () * River Road Park () * Rotary Park () * Sonaree Crescent Park () * Walter Road Park () * Gordonbrook Dam )


Events

Regular events include: * Wine and Food in the Park Festival (held annually on the second Saturday in March) * Kingaroy Show (held annually each May) * Burrandowan Picnic Races (held annually each May at Burrandowan since 1922) * Kingaroy Trail Ride held since 2009 at "Minmore" from Kingaroy on the Burrandowan road (May 2011) * Kingaroy Bacon Fest (held annually in August since 2018) * the week-long UAV Outback Challenge flying robot competition (a week-long event held in September on alternate years) * Christmas Carnival (annually each December).


Attractions

The Central Business District of the town is dominated by the Peanut Company of Australia's peanut
silo A silo () is a structure for storing Bulk material handling, bulk materials. Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use toda ...
s (a local landmark). The Information, Art, and Heritage Precinct is located directly opposite the peanut silos. The complex includes * the Kingaroy Regional Art Gallery, * Visitor Information Centre, * Heritage Museum, * interpretative arena which highlights local industries. The Heritage Precinct includes * Carroll's Cottage (the first building constructed in Kingaroy) * Carrollee Hotel * Shire's earliest Council Chambers (built in 1913). The Kilkivan to Kingaroy Rail Trail follows the old railway line between the two towns. It is long and passes through
Goomeri Goomeri ( ) is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Goomeri had a population of 677 people. Geography The town is located on the intersection of ...
,
Murgon Murgon () is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Murgon had a population of 2,220 people. Geography Murgon is in the region of Queensland ...
, Wondai, Tingoora, Wooroolin, Memerambi, and Crawford. The trail from Kilkivan to Murgon is unsealed. Queensland’s first and longest sealed rail trail section of from Murgon to Kingaroy is for walkers and cyclists only. Short distances between towns means coffee is never far away. The town has two lookouts. * The narrow road to Mt Wooroolin Lookout is not suitable for vehicles towing caravans or trailers. The lookout provides 360 degree views, as well as a grassed area with picnic tables and wood barbecues. There is a loop trail for hikers and mountain bikers from Mt Wooroolin Lookout through the nature reserve of endangered eucalypt woodland and dry vine forest. Regent Bowerbirds, Black-breasted buttonquail and Eastern Shriketit can sometimes be sighted. * Apex Park and Lookout is adjacent to the Carrol Nature Reserve Kokoda Track (refer Amenities). The lookout is accessed by a walking track. Dollar birds, Indian Koel, Rufous whistler, Rufous fantail and the Eastern whipbird can sometimes be sighted. The Kingaroy Observatory (formerly Maidenwell Observatory) was moved to its new site in Geoff Raph Drive at the airport in early March 2015 and opened for business on 29 June. Kingaroy Observatory is a major tourist attraction for those wanting to eyeball the Universe up close, in large powerful telescopes, under a canopy of stars not affected by light pollution. The town is situated in the middle of some spectacular scenery, and is popular for
bushwalking A hike is a long, vigorous walking, walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer tim ...
. 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 is the largest town in the
South Burnett The South Burnett is a peanut growing and wine-producing area on the Great Dividing Range, north of the Darling Downs, in Queensland. It is with the basin of the Burnett River. The area is within two local government areas, South Burnett Region ...
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; and a range of restaurants, fast food outlets and petrol stations (including 24-hour petrol stations). Unlike many towns of its size, Kingaroy has its own shopping mall that includes Woolworths,
Big W Big W (stylised as BIG W) is an Australian chain of discount department stores, which was founded in regional New South Wales in 1964. The company is a division of the Woolworths Group and as of 2024 operated 179 stores, with around 18,000 emp ...
, and other retailers.


The Big Peanut

The Big Peanut is a monument located in Lions Park on the corner of Kingaroy Street and Baron Street. It is considered to be one of Australia's big things. Constructed by scrap metal artist Kane Minogue using old farming machinery from local peanut farms, the 450 kilogram sculpture stands at 3.4 metres tall and has a width of 1.4 metres. The Big Peanut was installed in Lions Park on 4 November 2021 and was officially unveiled at a community celebration on 2 April 2022 which was also held to recognise the Kingaroy Needs A Big Peanut committee, the sponsors and Minogue. The original mascot from the defunct Kingaroy Peanut Festival was also in attendance. Kingaroy's Peanut Festival was an annual event held from 1959 until it was axed in 2011 following the Queensland floods due to a lack of community support. Although the idea for such as landmark had regularly been suggested for at least thirty years prior, it wasn't until 2017 when the concept for The Big Peanut garnered substantial support after a social media campaign was launched called "Kingaroy Needs A Big Peanut" which drew support from
South Burnett Regional Council The South Burnett Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the South Burnett district of Queensland, Australia. In the , the South Burnett Region had a population of 32,996 people. Geography The South Burnett Regio ...
. Prior to the installation of The Big Peanut, the landmark was depicted in a 2020 episode of the ABC Kids program '' Bluey''. In March 2022, a 29-year-old man appeared in court on 15 charges including 12 counts of wilful damage by graffiti after he used spray paint to vandalise The Big Peanut and other local sites across Kingaroy between 3 January 2022 and 10 January 2022. He was ordered to pay restitution, complete 40 hours of unpaid graffiti removal work and also fined $250 for drug offences.


Notable people


References


External links

* *
South Burnett Regional Council
– Official site
Kingaroy Wine & Food in the Park Festival
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