In the west of Kin Kin is Woondum National Park and Woondum Forest Reserve. The hills and mountains in this area are covered by eucalypt forest and rainforest.[6]
History
There has long been debate over the origin of the name Kin Kin. It is most widely believed to mean "plenty black ants" after the small black ants very common in the area.[4][7][8] This is reflected in the local school newsletter "Kin Kin ANTics" and the large ant sculpture outside the Kin Kin General store, home of Black Ant Gourmet. Some sources suggest the name comes from the Aboriginalkauin kauin meaning red soil.[9][10]
Axeman Hillcoat felling a tree in the Kin Kin district ca. 1915Illawarra Dairy Cattle on Mr G Grevetts farm at Kin Kin, circa 1931
Timber-getters moved into the area in the late 1870s.[4] Later it became a smallcrop and dairy farming community, from then on land and farm usage started to change and there was a decline in production farms. Early deforestation and clearing of land led to small produce and dairy farming from the early 1900s. The banana industry boomed in the years after World War 1, but experienced a significant decline in the 1930s as prices fell. Beans and Zucchini were major crops for many years, but smallcropping declined from the 1980s and is now undertaken on a limited basis.[citation needed]
The family of William Douglas Francis, one of Queensland's pioneering botanists, moved to the area circa 1906. Many native trees first identified by him are found in the area.[11]
Kin Kin State School opened on 26 May 1909 with the arrival of the first teacher Kathleen Storer. In 1917 it was renamed Kin Kin Junction State School (to avoid confusion with the school in the town of Kin Kin, now known as Kin Kin State School). It closed on 18 August 1981.[12][13] It was at 984 Pomona Kin Kin Road (26°17′03″S152°52′35″E / 26.2841°S 152.8764°E / -26.2841; 152.8764 (Kin Kin Junction State School (former))).[14][15] The Kin Kin Arboretum now occupies the site and the school building was relocated in 1986 to the Kin Kin Sports Group for use as a community centre.[16]
Kin Kin School of Arts opened on Friday 14 July 1911. It comprised a reading room, a library room, and a hall. The building as a whole was 50 by 28 feet (15.2 by 8.5 m) with a small stage, furnished with a piano by Mr. Sedgeman of Gympie.[20]
Kin Kin Township Provisional School opened on 18 October 1916, with classes initially held in the School of Arts hall. An unused school building was moved from Crawford (near Kingaroy) to Kin Kin and classes commenced in the new building on 14 March 1921. On 1 September 1921, it was renamed Kin Kin Township State School. On 19 October 1923 it was renamed Kin Kin State School. The building was extended in 1923 and an additional classroom opened on 12 March 1928. A teachers residence was built in 1930. The original school was shifted and later demolished to make way for a new building which officially opened on 7 April 1962. This building is still in use, with two additional classroom buildings, a kitchen, and undercover area in the immediate surrounds.[24][12]
At the start of the 2022 school year the enrolment totalled 47 students with 5 teaching staff and 8 non-teaching staff.[25]
On 17 February 1924, a severe storm caused substantial damage to the School of Arts hall which was reconstructed by July.[26]
In 1926, St Mary's Catholic Church opened in Bowman Street. It was destroyed in the 1985 storm.[27]
A storm and associated tornado on 16 January 1930 brought 6 inches (152mm) of rain in an hour. It caused flash flooding and damage to crops and many buildings.[32][33]
On the morning of 22 September 1932, a severe thunderstorm produced a tornado estimated at 100 yards (91m) wide which travelled from the Cooran tablelands through the Sister Tree, Wahpunga, Eulama, and Cootharaba districts before crossing Lake Doonella and going out to sea. While no injuries were reported, many trees and crops were affected and a number of buildings damaged or destroyed. A hail storm several hours later caused further damage.[34][35]
A severe hailstorm on the afternoon of 10 October 1933 dumped 6 inches (152mm) of rain in 20 minutes causing flash flooding, and left drifts of hail up to 3 feet (91 cm) deep. Extensive damage was reported to businesses in the main street, and to banana plantations, small crops, and buildings in surrounding areas.[36]
The butter factory was closed in 1937.[4] Deregulation of the milk industry led to the exit of all but a handful of family dairy farms. The last farms (in order of closure, Davis, Ferris, and Shepperson) had closed by 2012.
On 14 August 1971, a tornado passed through the town killing Mr and Mrs WHT Fleet of Moran Group, and 13 month old Deborah Joy Lister of Wahpunga. 8 homes were completely destroyed, in total 25 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and the damage was estimated at over $100,000 (1971 dollars). Large hail was also reported.[37][38]
From 1980 the "Great Kin Kin Horse Race" and associated Carnival was held annually on a hilly 3 km course over the southern end of the Wahpunga Range, starting and finishing at the showgrounds behind the Country Life Hotel. After peaking in popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the race was eventually discontinued, with the last Carnival being held in 2004.[39] The horse ride has been revived as an annual social ride covering 25 km on the Noosa Trail Network from the Kin Kin Showgrounds to Tablelands Lookout near Cooran and back.[40]
A hail storm and associated tornado hit on 28 February 1985, destroying the Butter Factory and causing widespread property damage, including to St Luke's Anglican Church (rebuilt) and St Mary's Catholic Church (not rebuilt).[41][42][43][28][27]
On 4 November 1994, a severe storm produced large hail and a tornado which damaged or completely destroyed several buildings.[44]
In 2007, a plan to develop a $400 million eco-tourism resort east of Kin Kin was rejected by the Government of Queensland on the grounds that the development was not part of the regional planning document.[45]
Although currently and historically within the Shire of Noosa, between 2008 and 2013 the Shire of Noosa (and hence Kin Kin) was within the Sunshine Coast Region) until 2014 when the shire was re-instated following a vote by the residents.[46][47][48][49]
On 2 April 2009, the town was hit by the highest flooding on record [50] from Kin Kin Creek, a tributary of the Noosa River following intense rainfall. 78 year old local resident Margarida Jackson died after her car was swept off a bridge over the Kin Kin Creek West Branch, the Country Life Hotel on Main Street was inundated with 3m of water and there was widespread property damage and loss of livestock.[51] A further flood on 13 April 2009 again inundated the Country Life Hotel.[52]
Demographics
In the 2006 census, the locality of Kin Kin had a population of 546 people.[53]
In the 2011 census, the locality of Kin Kin had a population of 694 people.[54]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Kin Kin had a population of 764 people.[55]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Kin Kin had a population of 844 people.[1]
Many original farms have been subdivided into small hobby farms, some growing fruit trees, and many carrying horses or beef cattle. Today Kin Kin boasts health retreats, accommodation, small businesses, artists, a rock quarry and bush foods.[citation needed]
The Shire of Noosa operates a mobile library service on a weekly schedule at the Kin Kin school.[64]
There are public toilets and a playground in the park next to the Memorial School of Arts Hall, and public toilets, a barbecue, and shelter at Wahpunga School Park.
The Kin Kin Tennis Courts are located behind the Memorial School of Arts Hall.
There is a skate park and public camping available on the oval behind the Country Life Hotel.
The Kin Kin Arboretum is located 2.5 km south of the village.
^"About Woondum". Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. 7 January 2013. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
^Blake, Thom. "Kin Kin Methodist Church". Queensland religious places database. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
^"District News". Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette. 16 December 1916. p. 3.
^Dale, John (1991). Kin Kin Schools Past and Present. Kin Kin State School. ISBN0646061143.
^"Annual reports". Kin Kin State School. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
^"The Brisbane Courier, page 7". The Brisbane Courier. 23 February 1924.
^ abBlake, Thom. "St Mary's Catholic Church". Queensland religious places database. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
^Maccoll, Margaret (25 August 2020). "Church future in question". Noosa Today. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
^Blake, Thom. "St Luke's Anglican Church". Queensland religious places database. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
^"Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette". Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, page 7. 17 January 1930.
^Robert Blackmore & Sara Hicks (8 April 2009). "Flood damage and isolation in Kin Kin". ABC Sunshine Coast. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
^Calligeros, Marissa (14 April 2009). "Coast pub smashed again". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
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