Guide to Kingaroy Queensland Australia

Kingaroy is the largest town in the South Burnett, about two and a half hours north-west of Brisbane. It sits on a plateau of deep red soil, 440 metres above the sea, and is famous throughout Australia for peanuts. The huge silos in the middle of town are its emblem. Around it are navy bean and grain farms, piggeries, and the vineyards that have made the South Burnett Queensland’s largest wine region.

Known For

• The peanut silos and the Peanut Van
• Cellar doors and local produce
• The South Burnett Rail Trail and dark-sky stargazing

The town of about 10,000 people is the commercial centre for a wide farming district. Kingaroy Street and Haly Street meet near the silos, with the museum, art gallery and visitor centre gathered opposite in an old power station precinct. The climate is noticeably cooler than the coast, with crisp winter nights and frosty mornings.

Things To Do in Kingaroy

The silos and the Peanut Van

The three clusters of peanut silos on Haly Street, up to 42 metres high, dominate the skyline; they belong to the processing company and are not open, but they make an unmissable photograph. On the highway into town, the Peanut Van has been selling locally grown nuts since 1969, in more than twenty flavours from plain salted to chilli and lime.

Kingaroy Heritage Museum

In the town’s 1925 powerhouse, opposite the silos, the museum tells the story of the peanut industry through old threshers, pullers and shellers, many of them built by local farmers. Entry is free. The visitor information centre and the Kingaroy Regional Art Gallery, which shows work by South Burnett artists, are next door.

Wineries

Several cellar doors lie within a short drive, producing verdelho, shiraz and other varieties suited to the warm days and cool nights. Kingsley Grove Estate, just out of town, is one of the best known, and more wineries are found around Murgon and Moffatdale, 45 minutes north. Opening days vary, so ring ahead.

Lookouts

Mount Wooroolin Lookout, a few minutes west, has a wide view over the town and the patchwork of red and green farmland, with picnic tables and barbecues. Apex Lookout, in town, is good at sunset.

South Burnett Rail Trail

A sealed trail follows the old railway for 44 kilometres from Kingaroy north through Wooroolin and Wondai to Murgon. It is gently graded and suits walkers and cyclists of all abilities, with towns spaced for coffee stops. Bikes can be hired locally.

Stargazing

The Kingaroy Observatory, at the airport, runs night-sky sessions with large telescopes under some of the clearest skies in south-east Queensland. Bookings are essential and sessions depend on the weather.

Events

BaconFest, held each August, celebrates the district’s pork industry with food stalls, cooking demonstrations and music, and draws visitors from across the state.

Where To Stay

Kingaroy has the best range of accommodation in the South Burnett, with a dozen or so motels, pub rooms, holiday parks and a showground that takes caravans.

Vineyard cottages, farm stays and bed and breakfasts are scattered through the surrounding district, and the cabins of the Bunya Mountains are less than an hour away.

Eat & Drink

The town has a good choice of cafes, pubs, clubs and restaurants, and local produce is easy to find: peanuts in every form, pork and bacon, olives, cheese and wine. Several wineries serve platters or lunch at the cellar door.

History

Kingaroy is in the country of the Wakka Wakka people; the name comes from their word for the red ant. The district was part of Taabinga and Burrandowan stations until the railway arrived in 1904, when the town sprang up at the terminus. Peanuts were first grown commercially here in the 1920s, and the first silos were built in 1938. Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, premier of Queensland from 1968 to 1987, farmed at Bethany, just outside the town.

Getting to Kingaroy

From Brisbane, drive through Kilcoy and Nanango on the D’Aguilar Highway, about 210 kilometres. From the Sunshine Coast, take the road through Kilcoy or through Gympie and Goomeri. Coaches run from Brisbane on some days. Toowoomba is about two hours south.