Chinese Temple Site
Croydon’s Chinese Temple and Settlement Site is a heritage-listed archaeological site of exceptional rarity and significance in Queensland. It is a remarkable reminder of the rich history of the Gulf Savannah Region and the role the area played in the development of Queensland as a state, and Australia as a Federation of States and later a Commonwealth. Extensive research has been undertaken to provide visitors with an understanding and appreciation of the Chinese settlement and their contribution to the development of the region.
In June 2025, the Croydon Chinese Temple and Settlement Site was officially opened during a major ceremony as part of the annual Croydon Heritage Festival. This milestone followed several years of meticulous revitalisation, undertaken to transform the site into a rich and engaging visitor experience. Works, guided by heritage specialists in collaboration with community partners, preserved the site’s archaeological integrity while enhancing accessibility and interpretive storytelling.
Visitors can now explore the site by following the Chinese Heritage Trail and by using an immersive audio trail, available through the VoiceMap app. The audio trail can be downloaded to a smartphone free of charge and listened to offline, allowing visitors to experience the site’s stories and interpretations even where mobile coverage is limited. Access the audio experience by clicking here.
Interpretive signage across the site combines archival imagery, translated inscriptions, archaeological context and wayfinding, enabling visitors to connect with the material culture, settlement layout and personal histories uncovered through research and conservation.
The redesigned entrance reflects the temple’s cultural and spiritual significance. A pair of traditional Fu Dog statues stand guard: the male (right) rests his paw on a globe, symbolising power, strength and protection; the female (left) cradles a cub, representing care and the safeguarding of family and community. Together, these guardians welcome all who enter – protecting the past while guiding the future. Visitors then pass beneath lotus-inspired shade structures — the lotus, a powerful emblem in Chinese culture, symbolises purity rising from adversity and here speaks to the survival of people, stories and place.
At the heart of the entrance stands a ceremonial incense censer, hand-crafted in China, as a symbol of ancestral respect and the continuing cultural connection between Croydon and the communities from which the original settlers came. A stroll around the heritage loop reveals the remains of the original temple foundation, house footings and artefact scatters, including what is believed to be the second-largest pig-roasting oven in the southern hemisphere — a rare survival of Chinese settlement activity in regional Queensland.
Entry is free and is open all year round.
Chinese Heritage
Research into the inscriptions on Chinese gravestone markers in 2007—undertaken with the assistance of Chinese student Wei Liao—revealed that the majority of Chinese who worked on the Croydon goldfields originated from Guangdong Province, China. This finding reflects a broader migration pattern, as most Chinese settlers in Australia during that period came from the same province.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Croydon, like many gold mining towns, was home to a significant Chinese community. Migrants from rural Guangdong often made up between 20–30% of the population in emerging towns across North Queensland. Every major centre—Cairns, Port Douglas, Innisfail, Cooktown, Atherton, Croydon, and Georgetown—had thriving Chinese quarters, each anchored by a temple adorned with religious objects imported from China.
Today, Croydon honours this heritage with a replica Chinese dwelling in the gardens of the True Blue Visitor Information Centre, mirroring the original structure displayed at the Croydon Mining Museum on the road to Normanton. The story of the Chinese settlers is not only preserved in buildings and artefacts—it lives on through their descendants, who remain part of the Croydon community and its surrounding region.
If you have information or photos of Chinese settlers in Croydon please contact the Visitor Information Centre on ph: 07 4748 7152 or email: info@visitcroydonqld.com.au