📍10 Best Things To Do In Kingaroy, Queensland: South Burnett Road Trip Visitor Guide. (2024.)
WANT TO KNOW THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN KINGAROY, QUEENSLAND?
A couple of hour’s drive west of the spectacular coastal destination of Noosa lies the lovely country town of Kingaroy, the heart of the peaceful South Burnett region.
Famous for its peanut growing, this prolific road trip stop has some fantastic attractions not to miss. From its two breathtaking lookouts to being the gateway to the spectacular Bunya Mountains National Park, these are the best things to do in Kingaroy and surrounds from one road trip enthusiast to another.
👉 My top 3 picks for what to do in Kingaroy, Australia:
- Mt Wooroolin Lookout.
- Apex Lookout.
- Bunya Mountains National Park.
Planning Your Trip? Use My Favourite Resources!
Tours/Experiences: I recommend Viator.
Accommodation: I recommend Booking.com.
Flights: I recommend Aviasales.
Car Rental: I recommend economybookings.
Best Things To Do In Kingaroy.
1. Mt Wooroolin Lookout.
Mount Wooroolin Recreation Area.
If you only have time to visit one place in Kingaroy make it Mt Wooroolin. Located on a mountaintop reserve on the outskirts of town, the formal lookout itself is even higher elevated than the rest of the park surrounding it thanks to it being perched on a secondary hill to clear the line of trees in front of it. This allows it to have spectacular sweeping views of the South Burnett countryside, making it the town’s most wonderfully scenic spot.
Plus, being out of town, it’s a lot quieter and peaceful here, and with lots of flat open space to kick around a hacky or throw around a frisbee and picnic tables to chow down some snacks or a meal, this beautiful place is also a great spot to rest and recharge.
2. Apex Park & Lookout.
Mt Wooroolin isn’t the only place with wonderful views. Back in town, Apex Park and Lookout or the corner of Fisher and Coral Street overlooks the southern urban areas and the vast countryside south of it.
And thanks to its orientation, it’s a fantastic spot to watch the long shadows of golden hour change as the sun rises or sets.
3. Peanut Van & Sign.
With its agricultural significance being growing peanuts, one of the best things to do in Kingaroy is take a classic silly family photo of the Big Peanut to signify you’ve been to Australia’s peanut growing capital.
I’m so happy they finally put one there, even though I haven’t been to the town since it was installed, but it was disheartening that even though its significance growing the legume is well known, it never had an iconic Big Thing to make it loud and clear to tourists that this is what this place is famous for, which was downright unAustralian if you ask me.
Nevertheless, it’s thankfully there now. But what has been there for much longer is the Peanut Van, where there are many wonderful peanut flavour combinations to moreishly snack on. Plus, not far away you can see the giant storage silos where they keep the delicious food, which are prominent landmarks in the show.
4. Kilkivan-Kingaroy Rail Trail.
If you’re looking to get out of the car and explore by other means, much of the South Burnett region is noticeably absent of scenic trails to explore. However, one worth checking out starts right in Kingaroy. The Kilkivan-Kingaroy Rail Trail is a lovely 88km track along an old trail line repurposed to connect the biggest town in South Burnett to the small town of Kilkivan in the western part of the greater Gympie region.
This is a fantastic multi-day adventure for bushwalking and mountain bike riding, passing through picturesque country terrain. And with much of the trail through the South Burnett section sealed, plus relatively short distances between most of the towns, with most having free camping and caravanning places to stay right next to it, it’s a fantastic multi-day, long-distance adventure. Or, if you’re not up to tackling the entire thing, you can also opt to do a smaller section to get a taste of what it has to offer.
5. Kingaroy Observatory.
One of the most unique and fascinating things to do in Kingaroy at night is to use highly advanced and specialised equipment to see the spectacular observable universe and all its magnificent formations in all their distant glory. This is what makes the Kingaroy Observatory such a great place to visit as you can look closer at our beautiful night sky and see these incredible glimmering objects, such as galaxies and nebulae that make up our twinkling night sky, much closer than you can with the naked eye or a consumer telescope.
But as this celestial experience is highly dependent on the moon, it’s best to check their calendar and plan to visit when the moon won’t be in the sky when you’re there. Or at the least, when it emits the least amount of light as that’ll make the other wonderful features of the night sky less visible. Then there’s also the weather to contend with, which always means that there may unfortunately be a last-minute cancellation if too much cloud or smoke is present.
Best Places To Visit Near Kingaroy.
6. Bunya Mountains.
Straddling the border of the Western Downs and South Burnett, Bunya Mountains National Park is easily the most beautiful, scenic and must-visit place both places have to offer.
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As a mountain range rising sharply up from the relatively flat surrounding landscape, this revered national park, with its iconic bunya trees and walking trails leading to picturesque lookouts and natural waterfalls is a refreshing change of pace from the endless country roads and undulating landscapes.
Plus, it’s a wonderful wildlife haven, with adorable resident wallabies practically taking over the mountaintop village, Dandabah, while many other species of birds also call this isolated cluster of peaks home.
As if that wasn’t enough to get you to spend a day here, perhaps knowing that this is a certified Dark Sky Park, which means there’s so little light pollution that there’s no better to observe the night sky will convince you to stay the night at the three rustic national park campgrounds.
Or that’s not your style, there are also over 60 beautiful cabins and cottages that’ll suit everyone’s budget and level of comfort, making this national park a fantastic day trip and an even better weekend escape.
8. J.S. Fischer Lookout.
As if Bunya Mountains National Park didn’t have enough scenic attractions to visit, the road up to it from the southeast is incredible picturesque as it nears the top, with the easily accesible J.S. Fisher Lookout, a must-spot wantage point shortly before the national park techically starts.
It’s a beautiful place to stop and enjoy views overlooking the Western Downs countryside from the three formal areas where you can view the landscape. The clearing in front of one of them is known as “The Balds” and not only are there not trees closeby interfering with the views, but it’s also where gorgeous wallabies like to hang out at too, so you may spot one of them while you’re there as well. But even if you can’t don’t worry, there’s never any shortage of them further along at Dandabah.
9. Hannibal’s Bucket.
If you’re out Nanango’s way, Hannibal’s Bucket next to the highway on the southern side of town is a great place to stop. It’s a huge 41-tonne red mining truck attachment that’s hard to miss driving along the D’Aguilar Highway.
It used to work the Tarong Coal Mines, which supplies coal to the power station of the same name, but it is now essentially like the town’s Big Thing and a fun photo op for passersby.
One of the favourite things people like to do is reverse their cars into it so they can capture a photo that truly showcases the size of this thing which can reportedly carry 100 tonnes of material.
10. Wooroolin Wetlands.
If you enjoy birdwatching, the Wooroolin Wetlands is a lovely attraction north of Kingaroy to do so.
The sign at Dalton Park is a fascinating read before heading in as it talks about its intriguing geology, where the seasonally flooded landscape sometimes drains out completely because it lies in a volcanic area and is prone to tremors creating a space for the water to leak into underground lava tubes.
Strolling through the reserve, the dead eucalyptus trees have created a fantastic nesting area for many resident and migratory birds.
It’s home to numerous birds, but one species that is particularly prevalent that I saw was the sweet Australian galah. Those cute pink and grey cockatoos are the resident birds of a feather that flock together.
You can either lay in wait in a bird hide, or you can wander the wetlands to see if you can spot any of them or any of the other flying fauna that call this place home.
Kingaroy Attractions Map.
Conclusion: What To Do In Kingaroy, South Burnett Visitor Guide.
With two beautiful lookouts showcasing the picturesque countryside and being within a stone’s throw of the spectacular Bunya Mountains National Park, there are plenty of excellent things to do in Kingaroy and surrounds.
