Cracow, Qld…Almost a Ghost Town

A visit to Cracow is certainly worth it if you are in the Theodore-Eidsvold area.  We took a drive to this tiny town with its population of around 50 whilst staying in Theodore.  Having previously overnighted in Cracow during 2016 we were keen to revisit and take another look around town.  

Cracow has recently been the topic of a couple of ABC stories – Back Roads Season 11, the episode titled ‘Theodore’ will give you a sneak peek of the quirky pub, currently owned and managed by the Burke family – Stuart, Nikki, Brophy and Chili.  The pub was previously owned by Fred Murphy of boxing tent fame.  And an ABC News story dated 17 February 2025 interviewed Nikki and son Brophy who have been restoring the old cemetery – a truly inspiring tale and such a credit to them.   

 The Heritage Centre is packed full of information about gold mining history.  At its peak in the 1930s, Cracow boasted a Post Office, State school, hospital, police station, cafes, barber shop, billiard saloon, picture theatre, butchers and soft drink factory.

An Aboriginal stockman found the first nugget of gold in the district in 1913, with the mining of the precious metal dating back to the early 1930s.  Around 20,000 kg of gold has been extracted from the mine – that’s an awful lot of jewellery!

No visit to Cracow is complete without a visit to the Cracow Hotel – the lifeblood of this little town. 

There are powered donation campsites in town right by the Heritage Centre.  You’ll find toilets and showers there too.