Killarney, Queensland
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Killarney Queensland |
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View of Killarney from the south
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 Killarney
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| Coordinates | 28°20′S 152°18′E / 28.333°S 152.300°ECoordinates: 28°20′S 152°18′E / 28.333°S 152.300°E | ||||||||
| Population | 773 (2011 census) | ||||||||
| Established | 1878 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4373 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 507 m (1,663 ft) | ||||||||
| LGA(s) | Southern Downs Region | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Southern Downs | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Maranoa | ||||||||
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Killarney is a small town located 35 kilometres (22 mi) south-east of Warwick, on the Condamine River in Queensland, Australia. The town forms part of the Southern Downs local government area. Killarney is located about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from the Queensland/New South Wales border. It is close to Queen Mary Falls, in the Main Range National Park, where Spring Creek plunges 40 m into the valley. At the 2011 census, Killarney had a population of 773.
The name of the town is said to be a result of the area's strong visual resemblance to that of Killarney in County Kerry, a region of south-western Ireland.
Originally part of Canning Downs, established by the Leslie brothers in 1840, the development of the town was largely based on primary production and forestry.
The South Killarney town site was first surveyed in 1878, but the town already boasted several shops and services by this time. Many early settlers to Queensland selected land in the Killarney area with the first of these arriving in 1863. During the 1880s Killarney was described as "one of the most flourishing towns in Southern Queensland".
A branch railway was built from Warwick in 1885. The line closed in 1964.
The first Killarney Post Office opened on 1 July 1877 (a receiving office had been open from 1875). Killarney North Post Office opened on 26 June 1889 (replacing Killarney North Railway Station receiving office open from 1887) and was renamed North Killarney in 1897. In 1905 the Killarney office was renamed Killarney South, and the North Killarney office became the second Killarney office, due to the town having moved to near the railway station.
The town was hit by a destructive tornado on Saturday 23 November 1968, which destroyed many of the original buildings. The main street buildings that survived the storm: the Butter Factory, the Co-op Building, MacKenzie’s Emporium (now a St Vincent de Paul boutique), former Commercial Bank (opposite the Post Office), the Post Office and the Killarney Hotel, hint at the town's former glory. The former National bank building did survive the storm but was relocated to a suburb of Brisbane in 1977. The old Bank Vault foundation stones remain on the vacant block in the buildings original location adjacent to the St Vincent de Paul boutique. November 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of this storm.
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Wikipedia