Dalla (also known as Dalambara and Dallambara) is a language of the
Upper Brisbane River catchment, notably the
Conondale Range. Dalla is part of the
Duungidjawu language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the
Somerset Region and
Moreton Bay Region, particularly the towns of
Caboolture,
Kilcoy,
Woodford and
Moore. The Mary River was known to the Aboriginals as the
Numabulla and the name for the Kenilworth area being
Hinka Booma. In 1842,
Andrew Petrie named the river as the Wide Bay River. In 1847, that
Governor Fitzroy renamed the river after his wife Mary.
Richard Joseph Smith tendered to set up the first cattle run on the east bank of the Mary River in 1850. At the time Mrs Smith was reading
Sir Walter Scott's novel
Kenilworth and she decided to name the property after the novel. In October 1921, the Kenilworth Estate of was auctioned having been subdivided into town lots, dairy blocks and grazing blocks. Up to £30 was paid for a town lot while the dairy blocks fetched up to £18 per acre and grazing blocks up to £7 per acre, realising a total of £46,000 from the sale overall. Other settlers arrived in 1891 originally intending to grow small crops. There was a ready market at the goldfields in
Gympie but after the floods of 1893, 1895 and 1898 had wiped out their crops, most ventured into dairying and pig breeding. In 1901, the Kenilworth Farmers' Association was formed and, in 1907, they built the Kenilworth Farmers Assembly Hall. This later housed a library and hosted dances. In 1905, the Association was responsible for establishing a co-operative butter factory which opened in Caboolture in 1907. Kenilworth Post Office opened by 1926 (a
receiving office had been open from 1896). The first store was opened in Kenilworth on 2 January 1924 as well as the new hall opening and the first butcher's shop appeared in 1925. Kenilworth Provisional School was built by the community and opened on 22 January 1900. On 1 January 1909, it became Kenilworth State School. On 19 September 1928, it was renamed Kenilworth Lower State School. It closed on 3 July 1959. This school was on the western side of Eumundi Kenilworth Road (approx ), now within
Gheerulla. Kenilworth Township Provisional School opened 21 October 1924. On 1 October 1926, it became Kenilworth Township State School. On 15 May 1939, it was renamed Kenilworth State School. On 6 March 2003, it became Kenilworth State Community College. On 31 December 2008, the school ceased to provide secondary schooling (previously up to Year 10). Kenilworth Hall opened in the Kenilworth Township on 21 October 1924. In 1926, the hall was equipped to show
silent movies. The site for a public recreation ground was purchased in 1927 and, in 1933, the hall was moved to this new location. Kenilworth Baptist Church was built from timber in 1937. It was officially opened on Sunday 1 August 1937. It is no longer operating and the church building is no longer extant. It was at 31 Elizabeth Street (). St John Bosco Roman Catholic Church was built from timber in 1938. It was opened by
Archbishop James Duhig on Sunday 10 April 1938 on a piece of land donated by Mr C. Sharry on the top of a hill overlooking the town. It was dedicated to Saint
John Bosco. The Kenilworth Cheese Factory was originally opened in 1952 by the
Kraft Foods Inc. It was purchased from the Kraft Corporation in 1990 by a group of former employees. Today it has retitled its name to Kenilworth Dairies. St Luke's Anglican Church was built from timber in 1954. The foundation stone was laid on Saturday 19 June 1954. It opened in 1955. The Kenilworth Library opened in 1986 with a major refurbishment in 2000. == Demographics ==