Cracow, a rural town in the Shire of Banana, Queensland, was
once a gold mining town, which today has many abandoned streets, houses and shops.
The town is 475 km north-west of Brisbane.
Wulli Wulli People
There are more than 250 distinct Aboriginal language groups spread throughout
Australia.
Wulli Wulli is also written as Wuli-wuli, Wuliwuli, Wilili, etc. and is closely related to Wakka Wakka.
Dr John Mathews collectied language samples from Wulli Wulli Aboriignal informants and published his results in 1926.
The Wulli Wulli, like their
neighbours, probably believed that the Rainbow Serpent came from beneath the ground and created mountains, rivers and gorges as it pushed upward and moved about. The rainbow in the sky and the Rainbow Snake, on the ground and in the waters, are connected from the time of the Dreaming.
The Dreaming was a time when ancestral heroic spirits with supernatural abilities
inhabited and created the world.
In many places, totems were animals such as species of mammals, reptiles, birds and bees. Most people were forbidden from eating their own totem. And could not marry within the same totem group.
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IN 1914 Mr. W. E. Pasry-Okeden collected the following Waka dialect words at Hawkwood station, Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), Thursday 15 February 1934. See more |
Before Europeans arrived, Aboriginal people had experienced other infectious diseases such as trachoma, yaws and hepatitis B for thousands of years. However, Europeans brought smallpox, which had decimated Britain in the eighteenth century. Aboriginal people had no immunity to smallpox, which is one of the most lethal diseases. The impacts on
populations were catastrophic.
Aboriginal hunter-gatherer lifestyle required access to large areas of
land. With European arrival and farming the land, with planting and harvesting crops and raising herd animals, hunting and gathering practices were hugely impacted.
1840s
Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt led the first European exploration of the upper Dawson River district during his
expedition north from the Darling Downs to Port Essington in 1844-46.
1850s
The Cracow pastoral station was
established in 1851 by John Mackenzie-Ross. He named Cracow after the Polish city of Krakow which he admired for its crucial role in Polish independence movements.
1870s
Gold was first found in the Cracow district in 1875. However, payable gold was not discovered until 1931.
1900s
The Taroom Aboriginal Settlement was established as a government-operated reserve on a site on the Dawson River, east of the township of Taroom in 1911. Read
here
In 1916, Johnny Nipps, an Aboriginal stockman found a nugget six miles from the Cracow homestead.
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| Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947) |
Although gold was first found in the district about 1916, no mining occurred until 1931, when the Queensland Government encouraged gold prospecting during the Great Depression.
1920s
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| Cracow football team, Cracow, Queensland, 1926. The football team members are dressed in dark coloured football jumpers, long trousers or shorts, socks and football boots. One member of the team is dressed in a white shirt instead of a dark coloured football jumper. Several members of the team are wearing hats. Top row: Bluey Phips, Bert Butler, Tipsy Parsons, L. Symonds, Jim Neilson, Jim Anderson. Bottom row: George Ger. kie, G. Rose, C. Hayden, J. Hayden, W. Reynolds. (Description supplied with photograph). Banana Shire Library |
1930s
In 1932, the Cracow Goldfield was proclaimed, and gold production from underground and open pit
operations occurred intermittently until 1992.
By November 1932, there was about 2000 people at Cracow.
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Land sale at Golden Mile store, Cracow, Queenslan
d, 1930, Banana Shire Library |
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| Cracow Station employees, Cracow Station, Queensland, no date. Banana Shire Library |
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| A visit by air to Cracow, QLD, Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Thursday 25 February 1932, |
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Main Street of Cracow, QLD, Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 - 1956), Thursday 21 July 1932
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| One of the camps at the Cracow gold diggings, QLD, Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Saturday 16 July 1932 |
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| THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE resident on the Cracow goldfield it bow estimated at iooo, whereat a few weeks ago there were only 300, catered for by one universal store. Now there are seven stores. Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 - 1956), Thursday 25 August 1932 |
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| Shop of Jim Ward, the tailor, in Cracow. All the buildings appear to be constructed from corrugated iron. Cracow was a gold mining town with commercial operations starting around 1932. Vintage QLD |
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| The miners' camp at Cracow, QLD, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 5 October 1932 |
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| ON THE CRACOW GOLDFIELD, DAWSON VALLEY, QUEENSLAND. Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 5 October 1932 |
An old-line coach, driven four-in-hand, brings the mails to the township. (
1.) The Cracow Post Office opened on 1 October 1932.
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| Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 - 1954), Wednesday 23 November 1932 |
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| 1. Main Street, Cracow, QLD. 2. Waiting for the mail. 3. Billiad saloon and cordial factory, Cracow, QLD. Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), Thursday 10 November 1932 |
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| The cafe (on the right) and a store in the main street. Cracow, QLD, Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), Thursday 10 November 1932 |
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| Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), Tuesday 18 October 1932, |
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| Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), Saturday 15 October 1932, |
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| The galvanised iron building appears to have sold everything including petrol. Note the bottle trees growing either side of the track. 1932, SLQLD |
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| Cracow Garage at Cracow, Queensland - 1932, SLQLD |
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| Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), Thursday 22 December 1932. Read here |
At its peak, the town included five cafes, barber shop, billiard saloon, two butchers, a picture theatre and a soft drink factory.
The State primary school, opened in 1933, and closed in 1997.
Work on the Orange Creek weir, part of the Dawson Valley irrigation scheme, was being carried out by intermittent relief workers. This would provide water to Cracow. (
2.)
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| Open cut mine, Cracow, QLD, Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 - 1956), Thursday 29 September 1932 |
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| Goldfield's Store, raider construction by Golden Mile Company. Cracow, QLD, Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 - 1956), Thursday 29 September 1932 |
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| Australian Rugby Union (Wallabies) team in Cracow, QLD, 1935. The Queenslander |
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| Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), Tuesday 31 March 1936 |
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| Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser (Qld. : 1860 - 1947), Saturday 22 May 1937 |
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| Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), Monday 25 October 1937 |
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| GOLDEN PLATEAU MINE-CRACOW, QLD. Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 - 1954), Friday 2 July 1937 |
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| New hospital at Cracow, QLD, Sunday Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1926 - 1954), Sunday 22 May 1938 |
1940s and WWII
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| Recruits who left Rockhampton recently for a southern A.I.F. training camp.-Back row : I. M- Hooke (Rockhampton), R. McDonald (Etna Creek, Rockhampton), J. A. Simpson (Biloela), G. G. St J. Barnard (Rockhampton), A. J. T. McKenzie (Dingo). Centre : M. J. Simmons (Thangool), P. J. Wells (Bouldercombe), A. Wallis (Rockhampton), J. H. Sam(Cracow), A. Humphris (Bajool), F. W. Elwell (Rockhampton). Front row: R. L. Dunn (Rockhampton), T. H. Whitmee (Rockhampton), A. R. Fripp (Baralaba), A. E. Shorley (Comet), W. F. Suttie (Muttaburra), R. J. O'Grady (Callide).Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 - 1956), Thursday 11 July 1940, |
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| Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 - 1956), Thursday 7 November 1940 |
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| Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), Friday 18 January 1946 |
The Inland Defence Road between Ipswich and Charters Towers, via Blackbutt, Nanango, Gayndah, Eidsvold, Banana and Clermont, was built by civilian labour during 1942–1943.
Queensland Italian and Albanian internees who had been rounded up as “enemy aliens",
worked on a section of the Inland Defence Road between Eidsvold and Banana. This 68km section branches off from the Eidsvold-Theodore Road, about 15km east of Cracow.
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| Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 - 1956), Thursday 8 October 1942 |
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| Anzac Parade at Cracow, Queensland, 1949, Banana Shire Council |
1950s
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| Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 - 1954), Tuesday 6 July 1954 |
1970s
Wulli Wulli tenor, Harold Blair AM was the first Australian Aboriginal person professionally trained as an opera singer. He travelled as a performer in Australia and the world, including the first opera at the Sydney Opera House in July, 1973.
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| Derelict house in the town of Cracow, Queensland, October 1976, Aggett, Colin, Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND |
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| House with wide verandas in the town of Cracow, Queensland, October 1976, Aggett, Colin, Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND |
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| Golden Plateau Mine buildings in Cracow, Queensland, October 1976, Aggett, Colin, Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND |
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| Abandoned mining equipment at the Golden Plateau Mine at Cracow, Queensland, 1976, Aggett, Colin, Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND |
"Kevena and Andrew Eakin.
Mother of seven Kevena Eakin is
fighting to bring a Queensland
ghost town back to life, lt is
Cracow, 570km north-west of Brisbane.." Read
here .
The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982) Wed 13 Jun 1979
1990s
The hospital was discontinued in the 1990s.
2000s
Fred Brophy and wife Sandi purchased the Cracow Hotel in 2000. Under new ownership from March 2021.
In 2003, the gold mine by Newcrest Mining Ltd reopened.
The post office was destroyed in a fire in 2006.
In the 2011 census, Cracow and the surrounding area had a population of 196.
Native title rights awarded of 108,000 hectares of land in central Queensland to Wulli Wulli People, in 2015.
Movie, Two Heads Creek was filmed on location in Cracow in 2019.
2022: Owner of the Cracow Hotel, Stuart Burke. See
here
More than two million ounces of gold have been mined from the Cracow goldfields.
Around Cracow
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| Abandoned shops at Cracow, QLD |
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| Abandoned shops at Cracow, QLD |
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| Abandoned shop at Cracow, QLD |
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| Hotel Cracow, QLD |
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| Abandoned miner's house, Cracow, QLD |
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| War. Memorial, Cracow, QLD |
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| Cemetery at Cracow, QLD |
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| Cracow Mining Museum, QLD |
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| Sacred Heart Catholic Church was built c1936 and was the first church in Cracow, QLD |
Things To Do and Places To Go
Cracow Heritage Centre Museum & Caravan Park -21/39 Third Ave, Cracow QLD 4719
Cracow Hotel -3 Third Ave &, Tenth Ave, Cracow QLD 4719
Cracow Beach is a beautiful spot on the Dawson River and Delusion Creek Junction, located 18 kilometres north-west of Cracow along Isla-Delusion Road.
Cracow Beach bush camping - Isla Delusion Rd, Cracow QLD 4719
The Cracow Station
