Paragon Theatre

Cradle Country & The West


This 1930s behemoth is the town's major landmark and in its heyday it was the epicentre of a thriving social scene. Lovingly restored to a semblance of its original grandeur by a local doctor and cinephile, it is now open for self-guided tours. There are plans underway to turn it into an events venue and pop-up restaurant.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cradle Country & The West attractions

1. LARQ Studio

0.12 MILES

Well-known printmaker and painter Raymond Arnold and his artist partner Helena Demczuk are two of a small community of visual artists living and working…

2. Q Bank Gallery

0.13 MILES

Run by a group of friends who fell in love with the town and its handsome but faded bank building, this gallery is home to the Queenstown Artists in…

3. Eric Thomas Galley Museum

0.17 MILES

This museum started life as the Imperial Hotel in 1897 and now houses an extensive and idiosyncratically captioned photographic collection documenting the…

4. Spion Kop Lookout

0.27 MILES

The panoramic views of town from this lookout, which was named by soldiers after a battle in the Boer War, are excellent. Try to arrive at sunset, when…

5. Pioneer Cemetery

0.45 MILES

Queenstown's story is told in this intriguing cemetery with more than 500 graves and some fascinating inscriptions on the crumbling headstones.

6. Iron Blow Lookout

1.95 MILES

On top of Gormanston Hill on the Lyell Hwy, just before the final descent along hairpin bends west into Queenstown, is a sealed side road leading 900m to…

7. Hogarth Falls

11.86 MILES

A pleasant 50-minute return walk through the rainforest to these falls follows platypus-inhabited Botanical Creek. The track starts at People’s Park, off…

8. Water Tower Hill

12.23 MILES

There’s a lookout over the town here, accessed by following Esk St, beside the Strahan Village booking office. It’s less than 1km from the Esplanade.