Cracow, Queensland
Town in Queensland, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cracow is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] Historically, Cracow is a gold mining town, with some recent mines opening.[4] In the 2021 census, the locality of Cracow had a population of 114 people.[1]
Cracow | |||||||||||||
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Third Avenue, Cracow, 2014 | |||||||||||||
  Cracow | |||||||||||||
 Interactive map of Cracow | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates: 25.2967°S 150.3047°E | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Queensland | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Location |
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| Established | 1931 | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 721.9 km2 (278.7 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 114 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.1579/km2 (0.4090/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+10:00 (AEST) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 4719 | ||||||||||||
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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:
- Mount Edwards (Mount Bannister) (25.3580°S 150.3403°E) 460 metres (1,510 ft)[6][7]
- Mount Elvinia (25.3490°S 150.3392°E) 441 metres (1,447 ft)[6][8]
- Mount Irving (25.2125°S 150.2794°E) 460 metres (1,510 ft)[6][9]
- Mount Steel (25.2219°S 150.2214°E) 440 metres (1,440 ft)[6][10]
History
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]
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] As of 1977, 19,910 kilograms (43,890 lb) of gold had been extracted from the mine.[13]
Cracow Post Office opened on 1 October 1932.[14]
Cracow State School opened on 12 June 1933.[15][16][17] It was found to be too small with a few months so it was relocated and extended with an annex.[18][19] It closed on 12 December 1997.[15][20] It was at 11-17 Third Avenue (25.2933°S 150.3010°E).[21]
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 almost a ghost town with many deserted houses and shops.[22]
Circa 2000, Fred Brophy and wife Sandi purchased the Cracow Hotel.[23] He operated his famous boxing tent as an annual event in Cracow.[24][25]
In 2004, Newcrest Mining reestablished gold mining in the town, leading to hopes the town may recover.[22] This mine is now operated by Aeris Resources.[26]
The 2019 horror-comedy film Two Heads Creek was filmed on location in Cracow.[27][28]
Demographics
In the 2011 census, the locality of Cracow and the surrounding area had a population of 196 people.[29]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Cracow had a population of 89 people.[30]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Cracow had a population of 114 people.[1]
Facilities
The Cracow Hotel at 30 Third Avenue (corner Tenth Avenue, 25.2954°S 150.3026°E)[31] 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.[26]
The Cracow community centre is at 57-63 Tenth Avenue (25.2953°S 150.3018°E) and is operated by the Banana Shire Council.[32]
There is also a caravan park located at 11 Third Avenue, next to the old court house which has been turned into a mining museum.[33]
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 are no nearby schools providing secondary education to Year 12; the alternatives are distance education and boarding school.[34]
