Cracow, Queensland
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| Cracow Queensland |
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| Population: | 123 [1] |
| Established: | 1931 |
| Postcode: | 4719 |
| Location: |
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| LGA: | Banana Shire Council |
| State District: | Callide |
| Federal Division: | Flynn |
Cracow is a gold mining town in Queensland, Australia, in the Banana Shire Local Government Area. The town is located on the Theodore - Eidsvold road, 485 kilometres north west of the state capital, Brisbane. The town was named for a pastoral run, named in 1851 by pastoralist, John Ross, presumably for the Polish city of Kraków.[2] At the 2006 census, Cracow and the surrounding area had a population of 123.[1]
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.[3]
At its gold mining peak, the town included five cafes, barber shop, billiard saloon, two butchers, a picture theatre and a soft drink factory. The closure of the mine led to Cracow becoming a ghost town with many deserted houses and shops. The local hotel is the only remaining retail business, owned by Fred Brophy, the famous bush boxing troupe manager; although off the beaten track, it attracts a lot of tourists due to its unusual array of strange artifacts adorning the ceilings & walls. In 2004, Newcrest Mining NL reestablished gold mining in the town, leading to hopes the town may recover.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Cracow (Banana Shire) (State Suburb). 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
- ^ Place Name Details - CRACOW. Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
- ^ Beattie, Ross. Cracow. Ross Beattie's Localities pages. Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
- ^ Lee, Tim. "Old gold town revels in resources boom", Landline, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2006-02-23. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
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