Cania, Queensland

Cania Dam, 2021

Three Moon Creek rises in the north of the locality (24.39831°S 151.04558°E / -24.39831; 151.04558 (Three Moon Creek (source))) and flows south through the locality into Lake Cania, created by the Cania Dam in the south of the locality (24.65004°S 150.98592°E / -24.65004; 150.98592 (Cania Dam)).[4]

There are a number of protected areas in Cania:[5]

• Cania Gorge National Park in the south of the locality
• part of Kroombit Tops National Park in the north of the locality
• part of Grevillea State Forest in the west of the locality

Thomas Archer was the first European to explore the headwaters of the Burnett River in the 1840s.[6]

Cania pastoral station was established in the 1850s raising sheep until 1883, after which beef and dairy cattle were added.[7]

Gold was discovered in the Cania Gorge in 1870.[8] The gold mining town of Cania was established near Three Moon Creek and gold mining continued there until the early 1920s.[7]

Cania Provisional School opened in 1890. It became Cania State School on 1 January 1909. Due to low attendance numbers, it closed in 1930.[9]

The construction of the Cania Dam across Three Moon Creek in 1982 flooded the former town of Cania. However, headstones from the town's cemetery were relocated to the dam lookout.[10] At low water levels, the tops of the some of the town's buildings become visible, which last occurred in 2010.[7]

In the 2016 census, Cania had a population of 28 people.[11]

In the 2021 census, Cania had a population of 27 people.[3]

There are no schools in Cania. The nearest government primary school is Monto State School in Monto to the south-east. The nearest government secondary school is Monto State High School, also in Monto. However, some parts of Cania are too far from Monto for a daily commute, so distance education and boarding school are other options.[5]

There is boat ramp into the Cania Dam (24.6477°S 150.9820°E / -24.6477; 150.9820 (Cania Dam boat ramp)). It is managed by the North Burnett Regional Council.[12]

There are numerous lookouts in Cania:

• Castle Mountain Lookout (24.6535°S 150.9973°E / -24.6535; 150.9973 (Castle Mountain Lookout))[13]
• Giants Chair Lookout (24.7220°S 150.9842°E / -24.7220; 150.9842 (Giants Chair Lookout))[13]
• Big Foot Lookout (24.7236°S 150.9926°E / -24.7236; 150.9926 (Big Foot Lookout))[13]
• Bloodwood Cave Lookout (24.7180°S 150.9941°E / -24.7180; 150.9941 (Bloodwood Cave Lookout))[13]
• Gorge Lookout (24.7167°S 150.9932°E / -24.7167; 150.9932 (Gorge Lookout))[13]
• Dragon Cave Lookout (24.7161°S 150.9928°E / -24.7161; 150.9928 (Dragon Cave Lookout))[13]
• The Lookout (24.7109°S 150.9944°E / -24.7109; 150.9944 (The Lookout))[13]
• Dripping Rock Lookout (24.7107°S 150.9946°E / -24.7107; 150.9946 (Dripping Rock Lookout))[13]
• The Overhang Lookout (24.7077°S 150.9966°E / -24.7077; 150.9966 (The Overhang Lookout))[13]
• Cania Dam Lookout (24.65270°S 150.98280°E / -24.65270; 150.98280 (Cania Dam Lookout))[10]

• Bleys, Beryl; Bleys, Cecil (2005). Cania diggings : goldfield memories. Monto History Centre.
• Pullar, Ian; Cook, Margaret (2001). Watery sauces: a people’s history of the Water Resources Commission (Queensland) and its predecessors 1881-1995. Dept. of Natural Resources and Mines. ISBN 0734517874.