Kianara

Overview

Kianara is the regional centre for the Wesland Ranges and the administrative centre for the Upper Wesland Council. Kianara is situated along the Burnett Highway, 116km (72mi) east of Arnton and 88km (54mi) north-east of Hauton.

Kianara is the staging point for nature walks of the region, but is most notably known as the hub for the Upper Wesland Ranges, a popular mountainous area which receives regular snow.

Etymology

Kinaira or key-neye-ya is an old Arnish term for 'place of mountains' and was first called that by legendary Ahnslen explorer William Blaxland, who was the leader of the first expedition to find the northeastern coastline from Arnton.

History

Kianara was first established as a town for trading, as the early settlement of modern Port Blaxland was being developed. It became the stopover point between Arnton and Port Blaxland. Since then, a more direct route to Arnton has been established and the town was rebranded as a resort town which serviced the snowfields of the Upper Wesland Ranges. Tourism to the area increased significantly in the 21st century, following the establishment of an airport near the town in 1996.

Climate

Kianara experiences a subtropical highland climate (Cfb) will mild summers and cold winters. Summer temperatures don't often pass the mid twenties in the township, as it is at 1,420m above sea level. Night time minimums are normally in the low teens and sub-zero temperatures in winter are frequent and can extend into the daytime. There is usually 10 days of settled snowfall every year in the township. Temperatures are on average 8 degrees cooler than Hauton and around 13 degrees cooler than Arnton.

A winter storm in 1955 brought heavy snowfall to the township and caused significant transport problems in the Wesland Ranges, with many towns east of Kianara separated from the township until the conditions improved.