Kenilworth, Queensland

Kenilworth is a small town in the upper Mary Valley area of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. This is a rural area, about 50 km from the coast, with dairy farming as the major industry. Local visitor attractions include a cheese factory and art galleries as well as walking, camping and 4-wheel driving in the Kenilworth State Forest. At the 2006 census, Kenilworth had a population of 238.

Kenilworth also has a delightful 'Living History' Museum with a theatrette which shows a history of the district to visitors, together with displays covering many areas of history past.

Exploration

The Mary River was known to the Aboriginals as the Numabulla and the name for the Kenilworth area being Hinka Booma. In 1842 the first Europeans named the river as the Wide Bay River. In 1847 that Governor Fitzroy renamed the River after his wife Mary.Origin of the Town:

Richard Smith tendered to set up the first cattle run on the east bank of the Mary River in 1850. At the time Mrs Smith was reading Sir Walter Scott's novel "Kenilworth" and she decided to name the property after the novel. The town was surveyed and split off Kenilworth Station in 1921 and took the name of the Station. During the second half of the 19th Century, the Smiths took up more land.

Farmers Settle the Area

Other settlers arrived in 1891 originally intending to grow small crops. There was a ready market at the goldfields in Gympie but after the floods of...
Read More