I have spent a lot of time in Queensland so far this year, helping my parents while on leave between jobs. The trip was packed with errands and appointments, but one morning in Feb 2022 I got up at the crack of dawn to do one family history trip to visit Kin Kin, in the Noosa Hinterland area.
I have written so much in this blog about families and rural life in Kin Kin for the Hapgoods and Waddells in this blog, that I felt like I already half knew the place, albeit about 100 years ago. I am sure we would have driven up there on family drives as kids occasionally, but I really had no adult memories of Kin Kin, and googlemap memories dont really count. To say that my time was limited was an understatement – I had about 3 hours total to squeeze this trip in, and it was a 75 min drive, so I literally had 30 min tops to spend in Kin Kin before turning around and coming home. Still, I managed to pack a lot into that 30 min!
The main feature of the main street of Kin Kin is the Country Life Hotel. It was established in 1914 by William Rohan [1], after he sold the General Store (to George Waddell, more on this in a future post) and moved the store up the hill slightly in order to build the pub. It has been a landmark institution every since. It is a classic Queenland country pub with wide verandahs and a lot of
I had a great breakfast at the Black Ant Gourmet cafe in the Kin Kin General Store – lots of family history in there which needs its own separate post- and then a short walk up and down the main street taking photos to line up later with historical photos.
I also walked up and around the corner to find the St Lukes Uniting Church, where my grandparents Amy Pat Waddell and Jeff Hapgood were married in 1931 (see earlier blog post).
I had with me the original photo of the newly weds Amy Pat and Jeff, exiting the church down the front stairs, and I was able to line the old photo up with the building as it is today, to bring the past into the present.
Source:
[1] Hub of the Community. Gympie Times, 4 July 2016. Accessed 22/02/2022 https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/gympie/hub-of-the-community/news-story/515a21c6975606784a799c067900b169
[2] Exterior view of the two-storey Kin Kin Hotel, 1944. Brisbane John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland http://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/permalink/f/1oppkg1/slq_alma21220322470002061
Hapgoods from Marksbury 
[…] Update: In Feb 2022 I visited Kin Kin and took a photo outside the church that is also relevant – see the end of this post https://hapgoodsfrommarksbury.blog/2022/04/22/visit-to-kin-kin/ […]
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Hello Karen, I enjoyed reading your Kin Kin post, along with your other ones that arrive in my inbox about the Hapgoods. Thanks for all you do in creating this body of work. My Grandparents were Ted and Iris Bentley of SeaView Terrace Caloundra (Jeff Bentley their son was my father). I speak on the phone regularly with Aunty Audrey who is still residing in her SeaView Terrace Caloundra house which was firstly Great Grandparents Bill and Clara Hapgoods home, and where Aunty Stella lived (I imagine after Bill passed) to care for Clara. I hold great memories from childhood of both 25 and 29 Seaview Terrace houses. As yet I have never been to Kin Kin, though it is a place I will make a priority to go in my travels….Dad talked so much about visiting in his childhood, his Grandparents Bill and Clara at their farm in Kin Kin. Best wishes and thanks again for the posts. Andrea Hapgood
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HI Andrea. Do you have photos of your grandparents wedding (that is OK to share?) Would Audrey have one? I havent seen one yet… (Also looking for photo of Clarice’s wedding to Arthur Johnson, which was the 1st one in the Kin Kin Methodist church). Karen
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Your photos are very interesting to see. I am a very distant Waddell. My grandfather was Thomas James Waddell he married Minnie Hogg. They were my grandparents. Cheers Dawn
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Hi Dawn! Pleased to emeet you. I have your grandparents on my Ancestry tree – I have some very distant Waddells and your link is just a branch off a branch from mine… let us know If you have any old family photos you would like to share or know more of the story about why the Waddells left Armagh… Karen
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