| Type: | town |
| Cracow | |
| State: | qld |
| Coordinates: | -25.2967°N 150.3047°W |
| Pop: | 114 |
| Established: | 1931 |
| Postcode: | 4719 |
| Area: | 721.9 |
| Timezone: | AEST |
| Utc: | +10:00 |
| Dist1: | 49.8 |
| Dir1: | SSE |
| Location1: | Theodore |
| Dist2: | 133 |
| Dir2: | S |
| Location2: | Bileoela |
| Dist3: | 270 |
| Dir3: | S |
| Location3: | Rockhampton |
| Dist4: | 494 |
| Dir4: | NW |
| Location5: | Taroom |
| Location4: | Brisbane |
| Dist5: | 87.5 |
| Dir5: | SSE |
| Lga: | Shire of Banana |
| Stategov: | Callide |
| Fedgov: | Flynn |
| Near-N: | Camboon |
| Near-Ne: | Eidsvold West |
| Near-E: | Eidsvold West |
| Near-Se: | Eidsvold West |
| Near-S: | Cockatoo |
| Near-Sw: | Glebe |
| Near-W: | Spring Creek |
| Near-Nw: | Isla |
Cracow is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia.[1] [2] In the, the locality of Cracow had a population of 114 people.
Historically, Cracow is a gold mining town, with some recent mines opening.[3]
The town is located on the Eidsvold–Theodore Road, 494km (307miles) by road north-west of the state capital, Brisbane.
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.[1] [9] 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.[10] 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[11] and was destroyed in a fire in 2006.
Cracow State School opened on 12 June 1933. 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.[12] It was at 11-17 Third Avenue .[13] 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.[14]
Circa 2000, Fred Brophy and wife Sandi purchased the Cracow Hotel.[15] He operated his famous boxing tent as an annual event in Cracow.[16]
In 2004, Newcrest Mining reestablished gold mining in the town, leading to hopes the town may recover. This mine is now operated by Aeris Resources.[17] The shops are vacant although the hotel remains open.
The 2019 horror-comedy film Two Heads Creek was filmed on location in Cracow.[18] [19]
In the, the locality of Cracow and the surrounding area had a population of 196 people.
In the, the locality of Cracow had a population of 89 people.
In the, the locality of Cracow had a population of 114 people.
The Cracow Hotel at 30 Third Avenue (corner Tenth Avenue,)[20] 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.
The Cracow community centre is at 57-63 Tenth Avenue (-25.2953°N 150.3018°W) and is operated by the Banana Shire Council.[21]
There is also a caravan park located at 11 Third Avenue, next to the old court house which has been turned into a museum.
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.
