Things to do in Kingaroy, Queensland: Expert tips for your visit
The best things to do in Kingaroy, Queensland, include the Kingaroy Heritage Museum, the Haly Street peanut silos and stargazing at the Kingaroy Observatory.
Kingaroy is an inland Queensland town, and the administrative centre of the South Burnett region. In Australia, Kingaroy is famous for its peanut production. Either that, or being the former home of dubious ex-Queensland Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.
Best things to do in Kingaroy: Heritage buildings
For visitors, the best things to do in Kingaroy are heritage-related. The Kingaroy Heritage Museum is in the “lots of old machines” school of museum curation. But if you want to learn about the peanut industry, this is the place to come. The museum is inside the town’s old powerhouse.
There are other heritage buildings in Kingaroy, too. St Michael’s and All Angels Church, Carroll Cottage and the Kingaroy Council Chambers all have distinctive architecture. But the stand-out listed buildings in Kingaroy are the enormous peanut silos on Haly Street. They’re bright, they’re white and they dwarf everything around them.
If it’s peanuts you’re interested in, then the Peanut Van has local treasure status. The Peanut Van brags of selling the freshest peanuts in Australia. There are some unusual flavourings on offer, too, including hickory-smoked and curry-tinged peanuts.
Best things to do in Kingaroy: Kingaroy Observatory
But the best Kingaroy attraction is the Kingaroy Observatory. The rural landscape of the South Burnett region means there’s negligible light pollution at night. This makes for magnificent stargazing, and the Kingaroy Observatory hosts regular two hour stars and planets shows. These guided stargazing sessions show off the Southern Hemisphere night sky. Start times depend on the time of year, but the Kingaroy Observatory stargazing sessions cost $35 and can be booked via the Observatory website.
Where is Kingaroy, Queensland?
Kingaroy is inland, on the western side of the Great Dividing Range. It is at roughly the same latitude as Coolum on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
There are several state forests and national parks within easy reach of Kingaroy. The Wondai State Forest is to the north, and the Yarraman State Forest is to the south. But the best bushwalking is to be had in the Bunya Mountains to the south-west.
Kingaroy accommodation
Highly-rated Kingaroy accommodation options include the Burke and Wills Motor Inn, Room Motels Kingaroy and the Kingaroy Country Motel.
Burnett Highway towns
Kingaroy is one of several moderately-sized rural centres that line up along the Burnett Highway between Nanango and Rockhampton. Others include Ban Ban Springs, Gayndah, Mundubbera, Biloela and Dululu. Nobody is going to pretend that this is a more attractive experience than driving up the Queensland coast. But if you’re up for a slice of authentic country Australia, it might just hit the spot. Elsewhere in the South Burnett region, Boondooma Dam is a good spot for swimming and fishing.
Brisbane to Kingaroy drive
The Brisbane to Kingaroy drive is approximately 211km in distance, making for a Brisbane to Kingaroy driving time of two hours and 52 minutes. From Toowoomba to Kingaroy, it’s 152km. The Toowoomba to Kingaroy drive takes about an hour and 51 minutes.
More Kingaroy driving times
- Hervey Bay to Kingaroy: Distance 214km, driving time 2h32m.
- Gympie to Kingaroy: Distance 141km, driving time 1h39m.
- Dalby to Kingaroy: Distance 111km, driving time 1h19m.
- Bundaberg to Kingaroy: Distance 246km, driving time 2h49m.
- Caboolture to Kingaroy: Distance 162km, driving time 2h4m.
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