[1] The arrival of the Kilkivan branch railway to the "56 mile peg" in 1904 was the impetus for the establishment of the township of Kingaroy, as a rapid expansion of closer agricultural settlement occurred in the surrounding region.

By the time the railway extended to Nanango in 1911, the township was replacing its older counterparts as the dominant service centre for the South Burnett.

[1] Initially, timber was the main product transported from Kingaroy railway station, with loggers capitalising on the abundant stands of hoop and bunya pine that existed in the softwood-vine forests of the region.

Kingaroy Shire was the centre for Queensland's burgeoning peanut industry, boasting over 550 growers and 11,500 acres (4,700 ha) under cultivation by 1928, with the town's first timber silos built in that year.

The four officers employed by the Shire were located in the chamber's small board room, and were forced to relocate to a shared counter during council meetings.

This period saw the construction of numerous council chambers, town and shire halls, and other public buildings in settlements throughout the state.

In the South Burnett, examples of this pattern included the Nanango Council Chambers (1934–35), (demolished), Murgon Civic Centre (1938) and the Wondai Shire Hall and Library (1938-39).

The Queensland Government played an important role in facilitating many of these projects, by offering low interest loans and subsidised labour costs, as a way of generating employment.

Established in 1910, Kell & Rigby's work in Queensland during the 1930s included Toowoomba's Empire Theatre, Stanthorpe Hospital and the Masel residence.

[1] The building of the Kingaroy Council Chambers coincided with a number of major projects in the Shire that collectively reflected the progress and confidence of the district.

During 1938, the South Burnett's first radio station 4SB, opened its studio in the township and construction began on a new Kingaroy Hospital, regarded at the time as Queensland's most "modern".

[2] Conducting both of these ceremonies on the same day symbolically expressed the Shire's confidence and its progress since formation, while acknowledging its dependence on agriculture to deliver its future prosperity.

Silky oak timber was used extensively throughout the interior for the fittings, doors and furniture, the work of RV Rogerson's local joinery firm.

Ornate plaster work adorned the ceilings while leadlight windows incorporating the Shire's logo were included in the main elevation.

The front central space, featuring a crows ash and ironbark timber floor, contained the public office for business and other transactions, incorporating the strong room.

In 1979, new administrative offices for the council were built alongside the Kingaroy Civic Centre, as envisioned in architect Karl Langer's original plan of the complex.

In December 1983, the former chambers were officially reopened by local state member and Queensland Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, as the Kingaroy District Development Board Tourist Information Centre.

Its decorative Art Deco styling with vertical banding, geometric motifs and stepped parapet gives the building a strong streetscape presence.

The entrance way is sheltered by a horizontal, concrete awning with a moulded profile and supported on tapered masonry columns with a decorative vertical banding pattern.

Lettering "KINGAROY SHIRE COUNCIL CHAMBERS" is above the entrance and is framed with a simple decorative moulding and flanked by two stylised classical columns with fluting protruding from the facade.

[1] The front central space, formerly the public office, features a crows ash and ironbark timber floor forming a striped pattern.

[1] The meeting room at the rear of the building features walls panelled in silky oak and floors finished with tulip and rose gum parquetry.

[1] Entry into the adjacent museum is via a recent covered area accessed through a new opening formed in the eastern wall of the chambers building.

It illustrates the pattern that occurred in Queensland after towns on branch railways developed as service centres for regions transformed by the interconnected processes of government-initiated closer settlement and increased primary production.

Built and opened in 1938, the Shire Chambers are a tangible expression of a pronounced period of prosperity in the township, resulting from the rapid expansion of dairying, peanut production and other agricultural activities in the surrounding region.

Many of these buildings, including the Kingaroy Shire Chambers, are important in demonstrating the influence and spread of modern architectural styles in Queensland townscapes during the interwar period, illustrated by its use of decorative vertical banding and geometrical motifs.

Finely crafted interior joinery remains intact including the meeting room's table and chairs, dais, public seating and map cabinet.

[1] Externally, the building's vertical banding and geometric motifs on its main elevation demonstrates the use of such architectural elements in Queensland shire chambers and town halls of the 1930s.