Latest news with #CracowHotel
ABC News
26-04-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Tiny town of Cracow's cheap property prices attracts newcomers
As property prices continue to skyrocket across most of Australia, there are still pockets of cheap homes in regional communities. The small town of Cracow is off the beaten track between Eidsvold and Theodore in the Banana Shire, 500 kilometres north-west of Brisbane. Four homes sold in the township last year for between $83,000 and $170,000. Ms Newall and her partner enjoy an off-grid lifestyle. ( ABC Capricornia: Vanessa Jarrett ) Geraldine Newall moved with her partner to Cracow in 2023, looking for somewhere to settle after travelling in a caravan for the better part of the past two decades. "It was just the place I wanted. It's quiet, there's not a lot of people," Ms Newall said. Snatching up the property for under $100,000, it's a stark difference from the city of Rockhampton, three hours away. Rockhampton's median home value in 2024 was $410,000, according to CoreLogic data. While Cracow property prices might be keeping the dream of home ownership alive, it comes with a different kind of cost. A bit of preparation needed The only operational business in the township is the local pub. After years of travelling on the road, Ms Newall can finally have chickens. ( ABC Capricornia: Vanessa Jarrett ) The closest town to buy a bottle of milk and bread is Theodore, 50km down the road, which has a small independent grocery store. Ms Newall said she did top-up shops in Theodore and visited Rockhampton every two to three months. It's not too different from when she was caravanning and would travel with a month's supply of food. "We're used to that," Ms Newall said. Getting trades out to Cracow can also be a challenge, and it was only when an electrician's van was parked at another resident's house that Ms Newall was able to snag him to return to her place weeks later. "When we first came here, we needed an electrician and we'd heard that locals had been trying for two years to get someone to come out here," Ms Newall said. The couple enjoy the serenity in Cracow. ( ABC Capricornia: Vanessa Jarrett ) The closest doctors are also in Theodore. But despite some of the challenges, Ms Newall, like most other locals, isn't swayed to leave any time soon. Pub the heart of town The local pub, filled with quintessential country pub relics and memorabilia, puts on events to entertain the small community. "We have lots of events throughout the year. We just had a big Australia Day and probably had about 70 people here for the day," pub owner Nikki Burke said. "A lot of motorbike groups come through during the year and variety bash car rallies." There's also a local park, museum with artefacts from the mine and a short drive away is what locals call "Cracow Beach", a sandy area on the banks of the Dawson River out of town. Nikki and Stuart Burke and their children Chilli and Brophy took over the Cracow Hotel in 2021. ( ABC Capricornia: Vanessa Jarrett ) Ms Burke moved to Cracow in 2002 to work as a barmaid for boxing identity Fred Brophy who had bought the local pub. "There were 15 locals and about half a dozen drill rigs with the drillers in town, so it was pretty wild days," she said. "I think I owned the only registered car in town in those days." Cracow is off the beaten track between Theodore and Eidsvold. ( ABC Capricornia: Vanessa Jarrett ) At its peak in the 1930s, the town was once home to an estimated 4,000 people who flocked to the region in the hopes of finding gold. The mine was wound down and closed in the 1970s. It was reopened in 2004 but has a regimented workforce with a mining camp on the outskirts of town and most workers fly or drive in and out. These days, the population is 114, according to the latest Census in 2021. Township of Cracow, believed to be taken in the 1940s. ( Archives: taken by Arthur Sleep. ) With rural properties surrounding the town, Ms Burke estimates the actual township is about 50 people. According to the latest real estate listing, there are currently three properties on the market for sale, all under $170,000. Ms Burke said most people moved to the community in search of a peaceful lifestyle. "Some people don't mix, they move out here because they like the quiet. Others are really involved in community, but someone will always put up their hand and help you here if you need it," she said. Stuart Burke has been renovating the old Cracow Hall. ( ABC Capricornia: Vanessa Jarrett ) Ms Burke, along with her husband, Stuart, ended up buying the pub off Fred Brophy in 2021. "It's quiet, it's peaceful, there's a good community here, we pretty much get left alone most of the time," Mr Burke said. " We haven't got services, but that's a negative to positive for me anyway. It [the peaceful lifestyle] outweighs it. " ABC Capricornia — local news in your inbox Get our local newsletter, delivered free each Friday Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Cracow, Queensland: A hidden gem in the Australian Outback with a storied past
Not all roads lead to Cracow. In fact, getting to this town in the heart of the Outback requires careful preparation. Halfway there, the GPS signal disappears. And, as there are no petrol stations along the route, you need to bring an adequate supply of fuel if you don't want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere. Cracow, however, rewards the traveller's effort. After a long, pothole-laden journey, you finally see a town that — although it does not resemble Kraków, the better-known Polish city — has its own subtly charming, albeit austere, character. The town's ties to Poland remain unclear. Some say that the founder of the first settlement in the area had a Polish wife and was moved by her compatriots' struggle for freedom in the 19th century. But others believe that the name comes from the rustling of dry branches (or crack), which are abundant in this harsh climate. Either way, what is beyond doubt is that this place has long attracted people with an explorer's spirit and a desire for something more than an ordinary life. Cracow was one of the last towns to emerge during the gold rush of the 1930s. At its peak, it had a bustling population of around 10,000 people, and almost 20,000 kg of gold was mined locally. Eventually, its good fortune came to an end — the gold mine closed and Cracow turned into a ghost town. The population dropped to around 50, and its centre was filled with rusty buildings no longer reminiscent of its past vibrancy. Related This sustainable Galapagos cruise showed me a side of the islands Darwin never saw Deep snow, thick ice and zero delays: Inside the Arctic Circle airports that never cancel a flight Prominent among these dilapidated locales, however, is the Cracow Hotel and Pub, run by Stuart and Nikki Burke along with their two children, Brophy and Chilli. Although the local gold mine has resumed operations after being deserted for years, the town is far from revived. Euronews headed to Cracow to find out how a pub in the middle of nowhere works, and to tell the story of the people who have decided to breathe life into this forgotten place. Cracow Pub and Hotel owner Stuart Burke is one of those rare free spirits willing to choose the Australian wilderness as his home. Stuart was part of a troupe of tent boxers in his youth and participated in fights under the nickname "Kid Goanna". He and other fighters travelled from town to town, offering a rare moment of entertainment for hard-working farmers and miners in the Australian Outback. The Cracow Hotel had been in the hands of another boxer before — for many years it was owned by legendary boxer Fred Brophy, an icon of the Australian tent boxing scene. It was with this troupe that Stuart Burke first came to town, and the Cracow pub is where he met his future wife, Nikki. When Brophy announced that he was going to sell the property, the Burkes immediately decided to buy it — to ensure that the Cracow story continued. "Twenty-three years later, we're married, have two children and run the pub where we met," says Stuart. But life in the Australian wilderness is far from perfect. Parcels cannot be sent to Cracow, and the nearest shop is a 3.5-hour drive away. The Burkes do what they can, but at the height of the tourist season they have to travel this route up to once a week. Stuart isn't complaining, however: "We didn't even have a road until 10 years ago." Despite the obvious challenges of living in Cracow, the family cannot imagine living anywhere else. They agree that Cracow is their home, and running the pub is their way of life. As Nikki recalls, since its founding in 1938, the pub has showed its "ability to survive" even through the worst of times. Stuart stresses that there are two ways to get to Cracow. "You either have to be very meticulous to get to us or get very, very lost!" The spiritual atmosphere and reputation of the last town of the gold rush era attracts a particular type of visitor. "All types of people visit us, but especially vagabonds, travellers and even rock stars," he says. The walls and ceilings of the pub, covered from top to bottom with visitors' signatures, are an archive of all those who have managed to reach this remote place. Related Give back while you travel: Fiji's 'Loloma Hour' invites visitors to help protect paradise But Cracow values loyalty above all: the area's permanent residents visit the pub regularly, and the staff know their orders by heart. It is a place to exchange good and bad news, overhear local gossip and complain about the weather. The pub's owners are particularly proud that they manage to attract customers despite not having the poker machines, so-called 'pokies', that are booming in popularity in the Australian Outback. Gambling addiction is one of the country's leading public health challenges. Australians lose more than $25bn (€13.9bn) each year on legal gambling, making them the world "leaders" in terms of per capita losses. The Cracow Pub is resisting these trends by trying to build a local identity around other activities. The owners recently became involved in organising a rally of Cracovians — both descendants of former miners and those whose ties to the town are purely emotional. Residents also recognise the role played by the reopened mine. Although it has not contributed to significant population growth, it is sustaining the local community. The Cracowians stubbornly refuse to let their town disappear from the map. In recent years, the town has gained yet another face and one straight out of a horror film. A film crew has moved into the abandoned hospital in Cracow, and the town has grown into a mecca for independent horror films. Special effects creator and make-up artist Kadey Platt, who works as a bartender in the Cracow pub after hours, explains that although she ended up in the town by accident, she has now lived there for two years. "I'm a city girl. I never imagined myself in a place like this," she says. Platt and her team were looking for a location for a horror film about a zombie kangaroo. The strangeness of the Cracow pub seemed ideal, and she later decided to stay on. Along with her crew, she bought a nearby abandoned hospital and turned it into their command centre. As she recalls, "the quietness that Cracow offers is conducive to creativity. There are no distractions, instead you can find a kangaroo mum relaxing by the threshold". Platt emphasises that the contrast between the quiet town and the lively pub never ceases to amaze her. "These walls are full of history," she says. The spirits of Cracow are particularly looked after by Brophy, the 20-year-old son of the pub's owners, who was named after the legendary boxer through whom his parents met. Together with his mum, Brophy has been researching unmarked graves in Cracow. Thanks to their efforts, they were able to restore the cemetery and commemorate the miners and locals buried there whose names are no longer remembered. As he points out, although no one has found gold in Cracow on their own for years, the ground here hides other stories. Related Planning a wellness break? Discover Poland's hidden gem on the Baltic Coast Brophy is interested in the fate of the indigenous inhabitants of the area — their culture, customs and tragic fates. He explores the traces of massacres perpetrated on Aboriginal people by white settlers in pursuit of gold. "It's an unwritten chapter," he says. Just as we were about to leave Cracow, a car pulled up in front of the pub. One of the locals came up to Brophy with a box full of old newspaper cuttings, found somewhere in an attic in Cracow. "I've got some new stories for you," he said. And so we saw with our own eyes how a pub in the Australian wilderness had become a custodian of the memory of a small town and its intricate history. "That's the way it is with Cracow," says Stuart. "It may not be on the way, but you can't stop coming back to it!"
Euronews
22-04-2025
- Euronews
Cracow, Queensland: A hidden gem in the Australian Outback with a storied past
ADVERTISEMENT Not all roads lead to Cracow. In fact, getting to this town in the heart of the Outback requires careful preparation. Halfway there, the GPS signal disappears. And, as there are no petrol stations along the route, you need to bring an adequate supply of fuel if you don't want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere. Cracow, however, rewards the traveller's effort. After a long, pothole-laden journey, you finally see a town that — although it does not resemble Kraków, the better-known Polish city — has its own subtly charming, albeit austere, character. The town's ties to Poland remain unclear. Some say that the founder of the first settlement in the area had a Polish wife and was moved by her compatriots' struggle for freedom in the 19th century. But others believe that the name comes from the rustling of dry branches (or crack ), which are abundant in this harsh climate. Either way, what is beyond doubt is that this place has long attracted people with an explorer's spirit and a desire for something more than an ordinary life. The Cracow Hotel and Pub is the only operating business in the town. Maria Kamińska Cracow was one of the last towns to emerge during the gold rush of the 1930s. At its peak, it had a bustling population of around 10,000 people, and almost 20,000 kg of gold was mined locally. Eventually, its good fortune came to an end — the gold mine closed and Cracow turned into a ghost town. The population dropped to around 50, and its centre was filled with rusty buildings no longer reminiscent of its past vibrancy. Prominent among these dilapidated locales, however, is the Cracow Hotel and Pub, run by Stuart and Nikki Burke along with their two children, Brophy and Chilli. Although the local gold mine has resumed operations after being deserted for years, the town is far from revived. Euronews headed to Cracow to find out how a pub in the middle of nowhere works, and to tell the story of the people who have decided to breathe life into this forgotten place. Abandoned buildings in the centre of Cracow. Maria Kamińska A magnet for adventurers Cracow Pub and Hotel owner Stuart Burke is one of those rare free spirits willing to choose the Australian wilderness as his home. Stuart was part of a troupe of tent boxers in his youth and participated in fights under the nickname "Kid Goanna". He and other fighters travelled from town to town, offering a rare moment of entertainment for hard-working farmers and miners in the Australian Outback. ADVERTISEMENT The Cracow Hotel had been in the hands of another boxer before — for many years it was owned by legendary boxer Fred Brophy, an icon of the Australian tent boxing scene. It was with this troupe that Stuart Burke first came to town, and the Cracow pub is where he met his future wife, Nikki. When Brophy announced that he was going to sell the property, the Burkes immediately decided to buy it — to ensure that the Cracow story continued. Memorabilia in the Cracow pub Maria Kamińska "Twenty-three years later, we're married, have two children and run the pub where we met," says Stuart. ADVERTISEMENT But life in the Australian wilderness is far from perfect. Parcels cannot be sent to Cracow, and the nearest shop is a 3.5-hour drive away. The Burkes do what they can, but at the height of the tourist season they have to travel this route up to once a week. Stuart isn't complaining, however: "We didn't even have a road until 10 years ago." Despite the obvious challenges of living in Cracow, the family cannot imagine living anywhere else. They agree that Cracow is their home, and running the pub is their way of life. As Nikki recalls, since its founding in 1938, the pub has showed its "ability to survive" even through the worst of times. 'You have to get lost' in order to get to Cracow Stuart stresses that there are two ways to get to Cracow. "You either have to be very meticulous to get to us or get very, very lost!" ADVERTISEMENT The spiritual atmosphere and reputation of the last town of the gold rush era attracts a particular type of visitor. "All types of people visit us, but especially vagabonds, travellers and even rock stars," he says. The walls and ceilings of the pub, covered from top to bottom with visitors' signatures, are an archive of all those who have managed to reach this remote place. But Cracow values loyalty above all: the area's permanent residents visit the pub regularly, and the staff know their orders by heart. It is a place to exchange good and bad news, overhear local gossip and complain about the weather. Memorabilia related to the tent box in the Cracow pub Maria Kamińska The pub's owners are particularly proud that they manage to attract customers despite not having the poker machines, so-called 'pokies', that are booming in popularity in the Australian Outback. ADVERTISEMENT Gambling addiction is one of the country's leading public health challenges. Australians lose more than $25bn (€13.9bn) each year on legal gambling, making them the world "leaders" in terms of per capita losses. The Cracow Pub is resisting these trends by trying to build a local identity around other activities. The owners recently became involved in organising a rally of Cracovians — both descendants of former miners and those whose ties to the town are purely emotional. Residents also recognise the role played by the reopened mine. Although it has not contributed to significant population growth, it is sustaining the local community. ADVERTISEMENT The Cracowians stubbornly refuse to let their town disappear from the map. Is it haunted? In recent years, the town has gained yet another face and one straight out of a horror film. A film crew has moved into the abandoned hospital in Cracow, and the town has grown into a mecca for independent horror films. Special effects creator and make-up artist Kadey Platt, who works as a bartender in the Cracow pub after hours, explains that although she ended up in the town by accident, she has now lived there for two years. ADVERTISEMENT "I'm a city girl. I never imagined myself in a place like this," she says. Platt and her team were looking for a location for a horror film about a zombie kangaroo. The strangeness of the Cracow pub seemed ideal, and she later decided to stay on. Along with her crew, she bought a nearby abandoned hospital and turned it into their command centre. As she recalls, "the quietness that Cracow offers is conducive to creativity. There are no distractions, instead you can find a kangaroo mum relaxing by the threshold". Platt emphasises that the contrast between the quiet town and the lively pub never ceases to amaze her. "These walls are full of history," she says. ADVERTISEMENT The interior of the pub is filled with signatures and memorabilia Maria Kamińska Small-town ghosts The spirits of Cracow are particularly looked after by Brophy, the 20-year-old son of the pub's owners, who was named after the legendary boxer through whom his parents met. Together with his mum, Brophy has been researching unmarked graves in Cracow. Thanks to their efforts, they were able to restore the cemetery and commemorate the miners and locals buried there whose names are no longer remembered. As he points out, although no one has found gold in Cracow on their own for years, the ground here hides other stories. Brophy is interested in the fate of the indigenous inhabitants of the area — their culture, customs and tragic fates. He explores the traces of massacres perpetrated on Aboriginal people by white settlers in pursuit of gold. "It's an unwritten chapter," he says. ADVERTISEMENT Just as we were about to leave Cracow, a car pulled up in front of the pub. One of the locals came up to Brophy with a box full of old newspaper cuttings, found somewhere in an attic in Cracow. "I've got some new stories for you," he said. And so we saw with our own eyes how a pub in the Australian wilderness had become a custodian of the memory of a small town and its intricate history. "That's the way it is with Cracow," says Stuart. "It may not be on the way, but you can't stop coming back to it!" ADVERTISEMENT
