| Cracow Queensland |
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Cracow
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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] However, in a book detailing the town's history, which was published in/around 1992/1993, Cracow got its name from the sound a whip makes ('cracko'). 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.[4] The closure of the mine led to Cracow becoming a ghost town with many deserted houses and shops. The local hotel 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. The other business was the General Store, which doubled as a post office and video store. In 2004, Newcrest Mining reestablished gold mining in the town, leading to hopes the town may recover.[5]
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