Towns of the South Burnett
Kingaroy’s peanut silos, Nanango’s heritage streets, Wondai’s galleries and Cherbourg’s living history — the country towns that give the region its texture.
Silo Towns, Heritage Main Streets and a Community With a Story to Tell
The South Burnett is a region of country towns, each with its own character and all within an easy drive of the next. Kingaroy is the practical hub; Nanango and Blackbutt guard the southern approaches; Wondai and Murgon anchor the wine-and-rail-trail north; and Cherbourg holds some of the most important living history in the state. Threading them together — by car or, in part, by the rail trail — is how you feel the region’s real texture.
The Towns of the South Burnett
Eight stops, each worth slowing for.
Kingaroy
The peanut capital of Australia, its landmark silos presiding over heritage cafes, the widest choice of beds in the region and the Kingaroy Observatory’s dark-sky sessions. The natural base for a first visit.
Nanango
One of Queensland’s oldest towns, settled in the late 1840s, with a handsome main street, antique-hunting and pub rooms — an easy first or last night on the Brisbane side.
Wondai
A trail town with an outsized arts streak — the regional art gallery, timber museum and gallery-cafe culture — and the natural mid-point base for the rail trail.
Murgon
The northern service town, gateway to the wine ridges and to Cherbourg, with the dairy and farming heritage of the Burnett on show at the museum precinct.
Blackbutt
The famous bakery stop on the D’Aguilar Highway climb — timber-town heritage, antique shops and the traditional coffee-and-pie pause on the way in.
Cherbourg
An Aboriginal community on Wakka Wakka Country whose community-run Ration Shed Museum tells the mission-era story in its own voice — frank, generous and unforgettable. Visit respectfully.
Proston
The small town serving the Boondooma Dam run — a classic Burnett main street and the last supplies before the lake and the historic homestead.
Yarraman
Where the highways meet on the region’s southern edge, with timber heritage, forest drives nearby and a handy stop between the Burnett and the Downs.
Explore the Towns One by One
Two towns reward a dedicated visit. Kingaroy is the region’s beating heart — the peanut silos, the Peanut Van, the heritage streetscape and the observatory’s dark skies all sit within a few minutes of each other. And Cherbourg, just beyond Murgon, offers something no other town can: the Ration Shed Museum, where the Wakka Wakka community tells its own history with honesty and grace.
For the full picture, see our dedicated Kingaroy guide and Cherbourg & the Ration Shed Museum guide.
More of the Region
The towns are the connective tissue — here’s what they connect.
Wine Region
Murgon and Moffatdale’s cellar doors sit just north of the towns — verdelho its calling card.
The wine region → 🥜 EatFood & Farm
The Peanut Van, farm gates and the region’s bakeries — the produce behind the main streets.
Food & farm → 🚴 RideThe Rail Trail
The trail links Kingaroy, Wondai and Murgon on gentle grades through the gallery towns.
The rail trail →South Burnett Towns — Quick Answers
What is the main town in the South Burnett?
Kingaroy is the regional hub — the “peanut capital of Australia”, marked by its landmark peanut silos, with the region’s widest choice of accommodation, cafes and services and the Kingaroy Observatory on its doorstep. See our Kingaroy guide.
Which South Burnett town is the oldest?
Nanango is one of Queensland’s oldest towns, settled in the late 1840s, and wears its history in a handsome main street. It makes an easy first or last night an hour closer to Brisbane than the region’s heart.
What is Cherbourg and can visitors go there?
Cherbourg is an Aboriginal community near Murgon on Wakka Wakka Country. Its community-run Ration Shed Museum tells the story of the mission era in the community’s own voice and welcomes respectful visitors. See our Cherbourg guide.
Is there a rail trail linking the towns?
Yes — the South Burnett Rail Trail follows the old railway line linking Kingaroy, Wondai and Murgon on gentle grades. See our rail trail guide.
Which town has the famous bakery?
Blackbutt, on the D’Aguilar Highway climb from Brisbane, is renowned for its bakery and makes the traditional coffee-and-pie stop on the way into the region.
Queensland’s Quiet Wine Country, Sorted in One Call
Vineyard cottages, mountain chalets, the towns between and the tastings threaded through — planned from Brisbane by the family that’s toured Queensland since 1974.
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