[Census 2006 AUS|id=UCL332400|name=Killarney (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)|accessdate=2008-04-10|quick=on] ]The name of the town is said to be a result of the area's strong visual resemblance to that of Killarney in County Kerry, a region of south-western Ireland.
History
Originally part of Canning Downs, established by the Leslie brothers in 1840, the development of the town was largely based on primary production and forestry.
The South Killarney town site was first surveyed in 1878, but the town already boasted several shops and services by this time. Many early settlers to Queensland selected land in the Killarney area with the first of these arriving in 1863. During the 1880s Killarney was described as “one of the most flourishing towns in Southern Queensland”. [Killarney & District Historical Society, Memories of Killarney & District. Pg 7]
A branch railway was built from Warwick in 1885. The line closed in 1964 ["The Killarney Branch Line" Armstrong, J. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, August, 1976 pp166-181] .
The town was hit by a destructive tornado on Saturday 23 November 1968, which destroyed many of the original buildings. [Citation]
last=Oconnor
first=T
author-link=OCONNOR T, QNP
title=1968 The Year that Shook the World
newspaper=The Courier-Mail
volume=2
issue=
pages=001
year=1998
date=April 25 1998
record-number=CML-19980425-2-001-P629142
url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AUNB:ACMB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0FD87E30DA218800&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=D03C879D46054B7A8E580E50AACBBC33 ] November 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of this storm.Of those remaining, the Butter Factory, the Co-op Building, MacKenzie’s Store (now St Vinnies), the former National bank (opposite the park), former Commercial Bank (opposite the Post Office), the Post Office and the Killarney Hotel hint at its former glory. [Killarney & District Historical Society, Memories of Killarney & District.] Buildings
The Killarney Co-operative is Killarney’s main street under one roof. Partially operating in the original Milward’s General Store, originally established in 1913 as the Killarney Dairy Company, the Co-operative was formed in 1922 and remains community owned. In 2008, the "Co-op" was a department store boasting in-store banking, gifts, shoes, electrical, hardware, garden, agricultural supplies, supermarket, delicatessen and coffee shop.
Several key buildings remain in Willow St. The Killarney Post Office was built in 1905. The CWA building, formerly the School of Arts, was built in 1888 on stilts over Gravel Creek and is testament to how crowded the main street had become at the towns height. The Killarney Hotel is located in Willow St and is the third hotel to sit on this site. [Killarney & District Historical Society, Memories of Killarney & District.]
The Killarney Recreation Club has been a recent addition to the townscape on the southern side of town, built with funds raised by the local community. Two sandstone horseheads at the entrance to the Polocrosse Fields and the “God of Sport Statue” in front of the Club were created by locally based sculptor Paul Stumkat.
Economy
The local economy is underpinned by agriculture, abattoirs, transport and more recently tourism. The annual agricultural show, rodeos, various horse-related events, the annual [http://www.killarneycountrymusic.com.au/ Killarney Country Music Festival] and the annual Border Ranges Trail Ride are major events that attract substantial numbers of visitors to the town. Killarney has many active community and sporting groups including the [http://www.killarney.org.au Killarney Area Promotion Association]
Attractions
The five waterfalls surrounding Killarney make this area a popular scenic destination, the Teviot Falls, Queen Mary Falls, Dagg’s Falls, Brown’s Falls and Upper Brown’s Falls. During wet weather there are two additional falls, Black Fella Falls and Jack Brunton’s Falls, which can be seen tumbling down the cliffs surrounding Killarney at the bottom of the Cambanoora Gorge.
Water supply
Water to the town is supplied from a small weir on Spring Creek.Fact|date=April 2007 In April 2007, the Courier Mail newspaper reported that the town might have to be evacuated due to water shortages caused by years of extreme drought. [ [http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21621315-952,00.html Towns face drought death blow] by Tuck Thomspon. 26 April 2007. Retrieved on 28 April 2007.] . In January 2008 the Condamine River broke it's banks after a week of steady rain and buildings in the main street were flooded [ [http://www.abc.net.au/rural/content/2007/s2139824.htm Floods bring relief to Killarney district] by Amy Phillips Wednesday, 16/01/2008] . Since that time Killarney [ [http://abc.com.au/news/tag/killarney-4373/ ABC Tag] All things Killarney at the ABC] has returned to the verdant green hills local long term residents find more familiar. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s2146961.htm The silver lining to summer's storm clouds] An ABC 7:30 report that highlights "Australia as the land of drought and flooding rains"]
References
External links
[http://www.killarneycoop.com The Killarney Co-operative]
