Kilcoy, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Kilcoy is a small farming town and part of the Somerset Region Local Government Area in South East
Queensland
, Australia
. The township lies on the D'Aguilar Highway
, 94 km north west of the state capital, Brisbane
, and just to the north of Lake Somerset
. The topography directly north of the town is dominated by the mountains of the Conondale Range
and covered by forests, some of which are protected in state forests and the Conondale National Park
.
Kilcoy Shire covers an area of over 1442 square kilometres. Most residents of Kilcoy are employed servicing the surrounding pastoral area. At the 2006 census
, Kilcoy had a population of 1,500.
Kilcoy was joined by a railway to Woodford and on to the main line at Caboolture from 1913 until 1964.
Kilcoy claims to be the home of the mythical Yowie
, Australia's equivalent of Bigfoot
or the Yeti
, which is said to live in the hills around Kilcoy. There is a large wooden statue of the creature in town.
migrants opened up the area in the early 1840s and cleared land to run beef and dairy cattle. The first settler was Sir Evan Mackenzie, who named his landholding 'Kilcoy' after his family estate in Scotland. Timber felling and milling was also important in the early development of Kilcoy, which was founded in the 1890s.
The town itself was originally named 'Hopetown' or 'Hopetoun' but renamed 'Kilcoy' after mail for the town continuously became misplaced.
In 1842 on the outskirts of Kilcoy Station owned by MacKenzie, 30–60 Native Aborigines of the Gubbi Gubbi tribe (also known as Kabi Kabi) died from eating flour laced with strychnine or arsenic. The Mackenzies were admonished for this mass killing by attorney-General John Hubert Plunkett (1802–1869), who threatened prosecution if an official complaint was lodged. Up until the early 1990s Evan Mackenzie, the station owner, was a prime suspect but recent research suggests that he himself was probably not responsible for the massacre, since he was in Sydney
at the time. Though MacKenzie's involvement was never verified, this incident was mentioned in a select committee in 1861 and repeated by W. Coote in 1867.
The English overseer disappeared upon Mackenzie returning. Mackenzie organised the conspiracy of silence to protect the Englishman. This is one of many massacres that were perpetrated by the white settlers of the area.
South East Queensland
South East Queensland is a region of the state of Queensland in Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population...
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 township lies on the D'Aguilar Highway
D'Aguilar Highway
The D'Aguilar Highway is a two-lane highway linking the Bruce Highway near Caboolture with Kingaroy in the state of Queensland, Australia. Major towns along the route include Woodford, Kilcoy, Yarraman, Nanango and Kingaroy...
, 94 km north west 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 just to the north of Lake Somerset
Lake Somerset
Lake Somerset is an artificial lake created by the Somerset Dam on the Stanley River in South East Queensland. The dam was completed in 1953 providing flood mitigation and water storage for the cities of Brisbane and Ipswich and is the site of a small 4 MW hydroelectric power station.At full...
. The topography directly north of the town is dominated by the mountains of the Conondale Range
Conondale Range
The Conondale Range is a mountain range in Queensland, located between Maleny, Kenilworth, Kilcoy and Jimna. The range is the most westerly part of the Sunshine Coast hinterland and part of the Great Dividing Range. The highest point on the range is Mount Langley reaching 868 m above sea level...
and covered by forests, some of which are protected in state forests and the Conondale National Park
Conondale National Park
Conondale is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 98 km northwest of Brisbane.-External links:*...
.
Kilcoy Shire covers an area of over 1442 square kilometres. Most residents of Kilcoy are employed servicing the surrounding pastoral area. 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,...
, Kilcoy had a population of 1,500.
Kilcoy was joined by a railway to Woodford and on to the main line at Caboolture from 1913 until 1964.
Yowie (cryptid)
Yowie is the term for an unidentified hominid reputed to lurk in the Australian wilderness. It is an Australian cryptid similar to the Himalayan Yeti and the North American Bigfoot....
, Australia's equivalent of Bigfoot
Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid...
or the Yeti
Yeti
The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology...
, which is said to live in the hills around Kilcoy. There is a large wooden statue of the creature in town.
History
ScottishScotland
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...
migrants opened up the area in the early 1840s and cleared land to run beef and dairy cattle. The first settler was Sir Evan Mackenzie, who named his landholding 'Kilcoy' after his family estate in Scotland. Timber felling and milling was also important in the early development of Kilcoy, which was founded in the 1890s.
The town itself was originally named 'Hopetown' or 'Hopetoun' but renamed 'Kilcoy' after mail for the town continuously became misplaced.
In 1842 on the outskirts of Kilcoy Station owned by MacKenzie, 30–60 Native Aborigines of the Gubbi Gubbi tribe (also known as Kabi Kabi) died from eating flour laced with strychnine or arsenic. The Mackenzies were admonished for this mass killing by attorney-General John Hubert Plunkett (1802–1869), who threatened prosecution if an official complaint was lodged. Up until the early 1990s Evan Mackenzie, the station owner, was a prime suspect but recent research suggests that he himself was probably not responsible for the massacre, since he was in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
at the time. Though MacKenzie's involvement was never verified, this incident was mentioned in a select committee in 1861 and repeated by W. Coote in 1867.
The English overseer disappeared upon Mackenzie returning. Mackenzie organised the conspiracy of silence to protect the Englishman. This is one of many massacres that were perpetrated by the white settlers of the area.
Books
The book "Moreton Bay Scots 1841–59" by John MacKenzie-Smith, published by Church Activists Press in Virginia, Queensland, Australia in 2000 provides some more detail around the founding of Kilcoy and the people involved.Notable former residents
- Merri RoseMerri RoseMerri Rose was a minister in the Beattie government and member for Currumbin in the Queensland Parliament. -Early life:...
- Major GeneralMajor GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Michael S. J. Hindmarsh, Special Air Service Regiment, Head of Special Operations CommandSpecial Operations CommandSpecial Operations Command may refer to any of these military or police organizations:*Special Operations Command *Special Operations Command elite unit of Maldives Police*Special Operations Command...