Kilkivan
Small and pleasant rural township north-west of Gympie.
Located 218 km north of Brisbane and 52 km north-west from Gympie on the Wide Bay Highway, Kilkivan is a small and pleasant township nestled into the eastern hills of the Great Dividing Range. Today it is a service centre for the surrounding beef and dairy cattle industries and there is little indication that it was once a thriving mining town.

The Kilkivan area was settled in the 1840s and the town takes its name from a property which was established around that time. European settlement of the area had been fraught with dangers. A settler named Sheridan had tried to settle in the area but the local Aborigines had successfully repulsed him killing two of his shepherds and large numbers of his stock. Eventually a Scot named MacTaggart selected 1600 acres which he named Kilkivan. European settlement of the area was slow until a gold reef, the Rise and Shine (the town was briefly named after the reef), was discovered at nearby Mount Neurum in 1868.

Like so many of the gold towns in the area the days of Rise and Shine, which relied on the easy discoveries of alluvial gold, were numbered. In its heyday the town had a population of 2 000 miners serviced by grog shanties, four hotels, and several general stores. The best find on the field was a nugget weighing 75 ounces.

Within four years the alluvial gold in the area had run out. Fortunately the Black Snake reef was discovered in 1874 and the economy of the town was sustained until 1902.

Around the same time (1872) copper was also discovered at Mount Clara on the Fat Hen Creek. A smelter was established which today is part of the National Estate.

Things to see:  

Mount Clara Copper Smelter
Access to the Mount Clara Copper Smelter is not easy. Travel 1.5 km out of town towards Gympie then turn right and travel 11.5 km along Rossmore Road. The smelter is located 3 km from the road.The National Estate assessment of the old copper mine ruins notes that 'To process the ore eight reverbatory furnaces were built, the remains of which include a collapsed reverbatory furnace, fragments of railway line used to carry timber to the furnace, and a chimney 16.5 metres high. The chimney is constructed of locally hewn stone of pleasant colour and texture and bonded with clay mortar. The site is notable for the absence of modern intrusions and as a relic of early mining activity in the area.'

Kilkivan Folk Museum
There is a folk museum in Kilkivan which is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 12.00pm - 3.00pm. It can be opened at other times by appointment.

	Tourist Information
	Kilkivan Shire Council Office 28 Bligh St Kilkivan QLD 4600 Telephone: (07) 5484 1133
	Hotels
	Kilkivan Hotel/Motel Bligh St Kilkivan QLD 4600 Telephone: (07) 5484 1125 Rating: **
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	The Left Bank B&B 10 Bligh St Kilkivan QLD 4600 Telephone: (07) 5484 1016
	Caravan Parks
	Rossmore Caravan Park Rossmore Rd Kilkivan QLD 4600 Telephone: (07) 5484 1340
	Restaurants
	The Left Bank BYO Cafe 10 Bligh St Kilkivan QLD 4600 Telephone: (07) 5484 1016