Cracow
Queensland
Third Avenue, Cracow, 2022
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))
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
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 Eidsvold–Theodore Road, 494 kilometres (307 mi) by road north-west of the state capital, Brisbane.[5]

Cracow has the following mountains:

History

Third Avenue of Cracow, 1961

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] However, some believe it to have gotten the name sound of cracking stock whips echoing throughout the ranges.

Gold was first discovered in Cracow in 1875 by itinerant fossickers and a further discovery of a nugget was made by an Aboriginal stockman, Johnny Nipps in 1916. In 1931, the Golden Plateau mine was established and it operated continuously until 1976.[12] A total of 592,578 ounces of ore was mined from the Golden Plateau, which at the time of its closure was an equivalent of $60mil.

Cracow Post Office opened on 1 October 1932[13] and was destroyed in a fire in 2006.

Cracow State School opened on 12 June 1933.[14] It was moved in 1935 after a young boy drowned in a nearby creek. The school remained there until its closure on 12 December 1997.[14][15] It was at 11-17 Third Avenue (25°17′36″S 150°18′04″E / 25.2933°S 150.3010°E / -25.2933; 150.3010 (Cracow State School (former))).[16] The school building was moved to a nearby cattle station.

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.[17]

Fred Brophy, former owner of the Cracow Hotel, 2014

Circa 2000, Fred Brophy and wife Sandi purchased the Cracow Hotel.[18] He operated his famous boxing tent as an annual event in Cracow.[19]

In 2004, Newcrest Mining reestablished gold mining in the town, leading to hopes the town may recover.[17] This mine is now operated by Aeris Resources.[20] The shops are vacant although the hotel remains open.

In the 2011 census, Cracow and the surrounding area had a population of 196.[21]

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.[22][23]

Facilities

Cracow Hotel, est 1937
The Cracow Pub Bar, 2022

The Cracow Hotel at 30 Third Avenue (corner Tenth Avenue, 25°17′43″S 150°18′09″E / 25.2954°S 150.3026°E / -25.2954; 150.3026 (Cracow Hotel))[24] is the only remaining business in the township, as it attracts a lot of tourists due to its array of antique and unusual artifacts adorning the ceilings and walls.[20] The hotel has been under new ownership as of March 2021. The Cracow hotel is now owned by Nikki Burke and family.

The Cracow community centre is at 57-63 Tenth Avenue (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.[25]

There is also a caravan park located at 11 Third Avenue, next to the old court house which has been turned into a museum.

Education

There are no schools in Cracow. The nearest government school is Theodore State School in Theodore to the north-west; it provides primary education and secondary education to Year 10. There is no nearby school providing secondary education to Year 12; options are distance education and boarding school.[26]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Cracow (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  2. 1 2 "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. 1 2 3 4 "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 23 October 2009. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
  13. ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  14. 1 2 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. ↑ "Queensland state school - centre closures" (PDF). Queensland Government. 20 August 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  16. ↑ "Environs of Cracow" (Map). Queensland Government. 1963. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  17. 1 2 Lee, Tim (23 February 2006). "Old gold town revels in resources boom". Landline. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  18. ↑ Ross, Shelley (November–December 2007). "Meet you at The Cracow" (PDF). Flying. pp. 60–63. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  19. ↑ "Simple Pleasures: Banana Shire" (PDF). The Gladstone Region. Tourism Queensland. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  20. 1 2 "The Town of Cracow in the Banana Shire". Sandstone Wonders. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  21. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Cracow (Banana Shire) (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ "Two Heads Creek (2019)". IMDB. Archived from the original on 21 May 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  24. ↑ "Cracow Hotel". Google Maps. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  25. ↑ "Halls". Banana Shire Council. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  26. ↑ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
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