Kilkivan, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Kilkivan is a town in the South Burnett
region of Queensland
, Australia
. The town is located on the Wide Bay Highway
, 224 kilometres (139.2 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane
and 54 kilometres (33.6 mi) west of Gympie
. At the 2006 census
, Kilkivan had a population of 339.
Kilkivan was first settled by Europeans in the 1840s. Queensland’s first gold discovery was at Kilkivan in 1852 and subsequent findings escalated into a gold rush in the 1860s. The town was named for a pastoral run owned by pastoralist John Daniel Mactaggart after his father's farm name in Kintire, Scotland
.
The Kilkivan and District Museum and information centre in the main street features extensive displays which pay tribute to the regions early pioneers at the museum.
The country town features parks and restored historical buildings, a tribute to the town’s golden heyday. Kilkivan has antique stores, a historical walk and a unique cafe and B&B is housed in the town’s original bank.
With strong historical links to the old coach and stock routes, Kilkivan is one of the few towns on the Bicentennial National Trail
. A stone plaque commemorates the opening of the trail in 1988. Travel by bike, horse or foot along historic routes through scenic country. The area is home to a variety of Australian native wildlife including possums, wallabies
, birds and goannas. Camp under the gum trees at Rossmore Park close to Kilkivan, or at the overnight National Trail facility, complete with horse yards in Kilkivan.
The Kilkivan Great Horse Ride is held annually in April. Over 1000 horses and riders start from five points around Kilkivan and travel 20 – 30 km along parts of the National Trail to Kilkivan for the Grand Parade down the main street.
Mudlo Gap is a popular forest park 8.5 km north of Kilkivan.
Major industries today include tourism, beef, dairying and forestry.
South Burnett
The South Burnett is a peanut growing and wine-producing region on the Great Dividing Range, north of the Darling Downs, in Queensland.-Towns:...
region of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The town is located on the Wide Bay Highway
Wide Bay Highway
The Wide Bay Highway is a state highway of Queensland, Australia. It is a rather short road, running approximately 45 kilometres in an east-west direction linking Goomeri to Gympie...
, 224 kilometres (139.2 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and 54 kilometres (33.6 mi) west of Gympie
Gympie
Gympie may refer to:* Gympie, a city in Queensland, Australia** Gympie Airport** Electoral district of Gympie** Gympie Region, its local government authority* Gympie Gympie , a stinging plant...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Kilkivan had a population of 339.
Kilkivan was first settled by Europeans in the 1840s. Queensland’s first gold discovery was at Kilkivan in 1852 and subsequent findings escalated into a gold rush in the 1860s. The town was named for a pastoral run owned by pastoralist John Daniel Mactaggart after his father's farm name in Kintire, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
The Kilkivan and District Museum and information centre in the main street features extensive displays which pay tribute to the regions early pioneers at the museum.
The country town features parks and restored historical buildings, a tribute to the town’s golden heyday. Kilkivan has antique stores, a historical walk and a unique cafe and B&B is housed in the town’s original bank.
With strong historical links to the old coach and stock routes, Kilkivan is one of the few towns on the Bicentennial National Trail
Bicentennial National Trail
The Bicentennial National Trail , formerly known as the National Horse Trail is the longest marked multi-use trail in the world, stretching 5,330 kilometres from Cooktown, through New South Wales to Healesville, 60 km north-east of Melbourne...
. A stone plaque commemorates the opening of the trail in 1988. Travel by bike, horse or foot along historic routes through scenic country. The area is home to a variety of Australian native wildlife including possums, wallabies
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
, birds and goannas. Camp under the gum trees at Rossmore Park close to Kilkivan, or at the overnight National Trail facility, complete with horse yards in Kilkivan.
The Kilkivan Great Horse Ride is held annually in April. Over 1000 horses and riders start from five points around Kilkivan and travel 20 – 30 km along parts of the National Trail to Kilkivan for the Grand Parade down the main street.
Mudlo Gap is a popular forest park 8.5 km north of Kilkivan.
Major industries today include tourism, beef, dairying and forestry.