Cracow Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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Coordinates | 25°17′48″S150°18′17″E / 25.2967°S 150.3047°E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 114 (2021 census) [1] | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 0.1579/km2 (0.4090/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Established | 1931 | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 4719 | ||||||||||||||
Area | 721.9 km2 (278.7 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
Location |
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LGA(s) | Shire of Banana | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Callide | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Flynn | ||||||||||||||
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Cracow is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia. [2] [3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Cracow had a population of 114 people. [1]
Historically, Cracow is a gold mining town, with some recent mines opening. [4]
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:
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.[ citation needed ]
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.[ citation needed ]
Cracow Post Office opened on 1 October 1932 [13] and was destroyed in a fire in 2006.[ citation needed ]
Cracow State School opened on 12 June 1933. [14] It was moved in 1935 after a young boy drowned in a nearby creek.[ citation needed ] The school remained there until its closure on 12 December 1997. [14] [15] It was at 11-17 Third Avenue ( 25°17′36″S150°18′04″E / 25.2933°S 150.3010°E ). [16] The school building was moved to a nearby cattle station.[ citation needed ]
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]
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.[ citation needed ]
The 2019 horror-comedy film Two Heads Creek was filmed on location in Cracow. [21] [22]
In the 2011 census, the locality of Cracow and the surrounding area had a population of 196 people. [23]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Cracow had a population of 89 people. [24]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Cracow had a population of 114 people. [1]
The Cracow Hotel at 30 Third Avenue (corner Tenth Avenue, 25°17′43″S150°18′09″E / 25.2954°S 150.3026°E ) [25] 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 Cracow community centre is at 57-63 Tenth Avenue ( 25°17′43″S150°18′06″E / 25.2953°S 150.3018°E ) and is operated by the Banana Shire Council. [26]
There is also a caravan park located at 11 Third Avenue, next to the old court house which has been turned into a museum.[ citation needed ]
There are no schools in Cracow. The nearest government schoola is Theodore State School in Theodore to the north-west and Taroom State School in Taroom to the south-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. [27]
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