Escape to Kilcoy, Queensland: 'Why can’t rural towns have exactly what they’ve got in the cities?'

Less than 100 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, Kilcoy is famously home of the Yowie, with a recently updated statue of the mythical creature found in the scenic and appropriately named Yowie Park.

It’s also close to Woodford, home of the Woodford Folk Festival, and close to Somerset Dam, a popular spot for sports and recreational activities.

But there’s more than enough happening in town to keep busy, say locals, with the safe community increasingly attracting younger families and grey nomads looking to pull up stumps and settle down.

Population: 1898, as of the 2016 census.

Who lives here?

Bronwyn Davies, president of the Kilcoy Chamber of Commerce and secretary of the Kilcoy and District Progress Alliance, moved in about two years ago.

She originally relocated to Brisbane a few years prior, but had found the Sunshine Coast hinterland “more to our liking”.

“We came across this little place in 2017. We just fell in love with it – the view is spectacular,” she said. “It’s just become home to us.”

Ms Davies has seen plenty of new small businesses coming to town, and housing – including acreages and smaller homes – was in demand.

“The whole landscape, and the fabric of the community, is amazing,” Ms Davies said. “There’s a lot of old souls who just love the old Kilcoy, the old style – but then they are very welcoming of those of us who are newer.”

One long-standing local is nurse Denise Modistach, whose grandson is the sixth generation of her family in the town. She said she had seen more people choose to relocate to Kilcoy.

“You do see a lot of families coming back in the area, which is good; good for the schools, good for the clubs,” Ms Modistach said, agreeing that the local community was very supportive.

What happens here?

Julie Henley, of the Kilcoy Art Society, said Kilcoy was well serviced by accessible amenities and bigger events.

“For a small town, we have pretty much everything we need ” she said. “And, of course, the other thing, we’re not very far from Woodford. The Woodford Folk Festival brings a lot of people to the area.”

There’s also the races with the Kilcoy Cup attracting more than 1500 people, including women from all over Queensland dressed for the fashion-in-the-field competition.

“We have a lot of camp drafts, polo, pony club and horse racing – that’s a big thing.  They call it the Moonee Valley of the North,” Ms Henley said.

There’s also the artist of the month exhibition and new quarterly exhibitions at the Kilcoy Courthouse Art Gallery. It’s one of three historic buildings in Yowie Park, which itself is a popular place, especially for a coffee.

“We have the best coffee in south-east Queensland, in our opinion,” said Ms Henley, with Yowie Coffee set up in the park Thursday to Sundays. “People come from all over to buy it.”

Alternatively, you can visit one of the local wineries and have a tipple or a beer at the Exchange Hotel or the Stanley Hotel.

Ms Davies said the Kilcoy Country Markets attracted enthusiastic foodies seeking local ingredients, particularly meat and honey.

“People come from far and wide just to get the local produce,” she said. “It’s beautiful. And, all our butchers have the best-quality meat, they source it locally. It’s quite incredible, the difference in the food quality.”

What’s life like here?

Business owner Jayne McKenzie said people sometimes thought small towns would be limited in their opportunities, but Kilcoy demonstrated this wasn’t the case at all.

“Why can’t rural towns have exactly what they’ve got in the cities? It’s just the mindset,” she said, explaining support from the local community made a big difference.

“I think you’ve got the best of everything here in Kilcoy. We’re just near the dam, only an hour and a bit from the city and an hour from the beach.

“My number one thing is, I still think we’ve got good, old-fashioned values here,” Ms McKenzie said. “A lot of respect for seniors and a very low crime rate. That is what I love about it.”

What jobs are here?

One of the biggest businesses in town is the beef-producing Kilcoy Pastoral Company,  and Searles Garden Products is based in the outskirts.

There are small business opportunities too. Ms McKenzie recently won the Queensland rural regional and remote women’s network award as the small business owner of the year for her work turning the local fitness centre around.

Now getting several thousand visits a month and employing seven staff, it’s one Kilcoy’s many local success stories.

“I wouldn’t be able to do it without my really amazing staff, they’re all local,” Ms McKenzie said.

Why move here?

Ms Modistach said the town was a great place to raise children.

“To rear a family, you’ve just got everything you need,” she said. It was safe, with great schools, plenty of local sporting clubs and “a sporting event every weekend of some description” at the Kilcoy showground.

“There’s so many activities, between the Kilcoy library and the gym and the art gallery, there’s so much organised for the kids to do over the school holidays,” she said.

“It has modern facilities and services, but still a quaint little feel about it,” she said. And, of course, there’s the surrounding countryside.

“It’s peaceful, you know, it’s quiet – and the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. There’s magnificent scenery around here.”

Ms Henley said: “What makes this town great is the people, and the community support. We love it here, it’s beautiful. We’ve made some really lovely friends.

“It is a warm and inviting community that enables you to be as busy or quiet as you want to be.

“It’s an hour to Caloundra, it’s an hour on a good run to the airport at Brisbane. It’s a great location – not far from the Sunshine Coast hinterland, but without the tourism.”

And, for Ms Davies, in part, it’s about the vibe.

“You just feel happy all the time – it’s a happy place,” she said.