KILKIVAN

The town of Kilkivan was named by first settler John Daniel MacTaggart, after his family farm in the Kintyre region of Scotland.

But we really owe our origins to the discovery of gold in the late 1860’s – and, as some will tell you, well before the ‘gold that saved Queensland’ was found in Gympie City. But that’s another story!

Our first township was actually built on the goldfields but had to be moved when gold was found there too. This became the site of the Prophet Mine.

Eventually, Kilkivan became an agricultural based economy, but even today parts of the area, such as Cinnabar (another name for mercury deposits which were mined there) still echo our early mining past.

The town of Kilkivan was named by first settler John Daniel MacTaggart, after his family farm in the Kintyre region of Scotland.

But we really owe our origins to the discovery of gold in the late 1860’s – and, as some will tell you, well before the ‘gold that saved Queensland’ was found in Gympie City. But that’s another story!

KILKIVAN TO KINGAROY RAIL TRAIL

Looking for a cycling challenge?

Head to Kilkivan, start of the Kilkivan to Kingaroy Rail Trail, a branch railway corridor developed in the early 1900’s.

This one’s definitely not for the Sunday cyclist or the boring bitumen biker.

No! This one’s rustic and it’s real and it’ll take you over 28 kms of rolling hills and farm lands to Goomeri!

Be prepared for steep inclines and wade-able creeks, but the views from Cinnabar sidings and the French pastries at the Goomeri Bakery make it all worthwhile.

Can also be done on horse or by foot.

MT CLARA CHIMNEY STACK

In the upper reaches of Fat Hen Creek, about 13 km outside Kilkivan, is Mt Clara Chimney Stack, Queensland’s oldest surviving copper smelter built in 1873.

Once part of an active copper mine and a first for Queensland, it’s mostly ruins now, but locals know that if you look closely enough, little remnants of our gold mining past can be found in the grounds surrounding the chimney.

Heritage listed, the Chimney Stack was added to Queensland Heritage Register in 1992.

KILKIVAN & DISTRICT MUSEUM – A TRIBUTE TO OUR PAST

We’re proud of our little museum.

Local’s know it as the “Rise and Shine” named after the first gold fields discovered here in 1874.

Today it’s called the Kilkivan & District Museum and Visitor Centre and our golden past’s told across eight different historical buildings – from a railway fettler’s cottage and railway cream shed to a stockman’s hut and Forestry Barracks.

It’s also got a huge collection of historical documents and photos here, just in case you’re trying to find an ancestor.

Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10.00am – 3.00pm or by appointment, this little gem’s worth calling ahead for.

GREAT KILKIVAN HORSE RIDE

We have a real connection to all things horses and horsemanship and we’re proud to be on the Bi-Centennial National Trail, (travelling from Cooktown in Northern Queensland to Victoria in the south).

This trail was the inspiration for our own Great Horse Ride which each year, brings together hundreds of riders to cross some of our region’s most picturesque forest trails on horseback. It’s really quite something to behold.