Sandgate
With all the activity in the vicinity of the Hornibrook Highway, as a new bridge is constructed across to the Redcliffe Peninsula, now is a good time to look at the history of the area. So we look at Sandgate today with a further blog entry on Brighton in the near future.
The suburb now known as Sandgate was originally known as Cabbage Tree Creek. Sandgate as a name is said to derive from the name of the town of Sandgate in Kent, England, which is also a seaside district. The Aboriginal name for the area was said to be Warra, believed to mean a stretch or expanse of water.
Sandgate beach and pier. Image No: 194855
Some of the early activity and some of the early settlers in the area includes:
- the first early lobbying for a settlement in the Cabbage Tree Creek area commenced from 1852.
- J.C. Burnett undertook an official land survey of the area (1852). The name Sandgate was first used as an official name in his published survey report.
- the site for the proposed village of Sandgate is gazetted (19 March 1853).
- the first official land sales in the area take place (9 November 1853).
- the first purchasers or settlers include Thomas Dowse and John Baxter (from 1853).
- the Slaughter, Davie and Loudin families settle from 1864/5. Mr. Slaughter became the first postmaster for the district.
Some businesses and industries in the Sandgate area have included:
- the first hotel, known as the Sandgate Hotel established by Charles Davie (1858).
- John Baxter’s café was established at Cabbage Tree Creek (1862).
- seaside cottages are listed in newspapers as being available for rent at £3 per week (late 1860s).
- there is growth in the number of accommodation houses including Villa Marina, Belair, Musgrave (from the 1870s).
- a horse drawn coach service was established by the Best family.
- soft drink manufacturing commenced from the 1880s.
- Hoffy’s Cycles established (1928).
- Jeay’s Hardware.
- Frank Watson’s Kreamo ice cream factory.
- clay quarries.
- Sandgate Aerated Water Company, later to be known as Ibis established in the 1920s.
- Pelaco shirt factory (post World War Two).
Bathers at Sandgate, ca. 1925. Image No: 60888
Some significant buildings and sites in Sandgate include:
- Shepherd Place – Signal Row (named after Hezekiah Shepherd).
- Murilla – Signal Row (1908).
- Wesleyan Church – Signal Row (approx 1908).
- Morven – this was the home of John McConnel, the owner of Durundur Station and dates from 1863. The house was eventually acquired by Archbishop Duhig for the Catholic Church. Morven is now located in the grounds of St. Patrick’s College.
Morven, ca. 1912. Image No: 122956
- Caversham – built by Robert Gray in 1882.
- Clutha – built by Dr. John Thomas in 1882.
- Saltwood – built by G. L. Hart in 1870.
- Moora Park Grandstand – dates from the 1890s.
Grandstand in Moora Park. Image No: 89952
- Musgrave House – originally a childrens’ convalescent home (1884).
Some of the area’s historic hotels include:
- the Sandgate Hotel, later to be known as the Belvedere Hotel, established by Charles Davie (1858).
- the Claredon Hotel (David Mitchell) (1861).
- 1862 – the Sandgate Hotel, built by William Loudin in 1862. This was a different hotel to the Sandgate Hotel mentioned above, which by this time was trading as the Belvedere Hotel.
- the London Hotel built in 1863 for Thomas Cahill. This hotel was abandoned in 1864.
- 1865 – Brighton Hotel built for William Rae and dating from 1865.
- Masons Hotel (George Mason).
- 1867 – the Osbourne Hotel built for Hiram Wakefield (1867).
Osbourne Hotel, 1882. Image No: 110667
- 1881 – the Seaview Hotel established by Robert Todd in 1881.
Some significant dates in Sandgate’s history and development include:
- 1861 – a bridge across Cabbage Tree Creek was constructed.
- 1865 – a company is formed with the aim of constructing the Sandgate Pier.
- 1868 – a regular coach service between Brisbane and Sandgate was established. In the initial phase this was not a daily service.
- 1873 – Sandgate State School was established with the original classes being held in the chapel of the Baptist Church. The first teacher was W.R. Barfoot.
- 1874 – the first permanent Sandgate State School building was constructed.
- 1876 – daily coach services from Brisbane to Sandgate, via Nundah commence.
- 1880 – Sandgate was proclaimed a Municipal Borough.
- 1880 – Sandgate was proclaimed a Town. The names of some of the first Town Councillors are honoured in the names of local streets including Townsend, Board, Bott, Kift and Deagon streets.
- 1881 – a railway construction contract was awarded for construction of a line to Sandgate.
- 1882 – (11 May) the railway line to Sandgate was opened.
Sandgate Railway Station, ca. 1920. Image No: 194780
- 1887 – the Sandgate Post Office was established.
- 1912 – the new Sandgate Town Hall was constructed to replace the original chambers which were destroyed by fire in 1910.
- 1915 – the Sandgate Drill Hall was opened, possibly replacing an earlier building. The Drill Hall was recently moved to the Chermside Historical Precinct.
- 1919 – the Shorncliffe State School was established.
- 1935 – the Hornibrook Highway was opened.
Find more photographs of Sandgate in the State Library’s collection.
Does anyone know how Cabbage Tree Creek, which enters Moreton Bay at Shorncliffe, got its name? There do not appear to be any “cabbage trees” (usually referring to Livistonia australis palms) in the area now. If indeed the palms were there originally, they may have been eliminated by harvesting for food or even cabbage tree hats.
Livistonia palms are listed in Qld Museum’s “Wild Plants of Greater Brisbane” but there are no specifics on their distribution in the region. We will have to “rehabilitate” a small grassed area of EPZ in Brighton soon, and I would dearly love to plant some cabbage trees.
Comment by Heather Wigham — 2 July, 2009 @ 4:30 pm
Dear Ms Wigham
We will look into the naming of Cabbage Tree Creek and get back to you soon.
Thanks for your interest and information.
Comment by JOL Admin — 9 July, 2009 @ 11:30 am
I was born in a house in Scott St Deagon in 1932. I have resided in Darwin for many years.
Can anyone tell me how Scott St got it’s name & any info on my family who were early residents of Sandgate area
Comment by Kevin M Webber — 17 July, 2009 @ 10:54 am
Dear Mr. Webber
We will look into this and get back to you.
John Oxley Library
Comment by JOL Admin — 28 July, 2009 @ 2:24 pm
Dear Ms Wigham
Thank you for your enquiry regarding the naming of Cabbage Tree Creek.
Unfortunately I have been unable to come up with a definitive answer. The Queensland Place Names Board online search (http://www.nrw.qld.gov.au/property/placenames/) was checked and although there is an entry for Cabbage Tree Creek they have no information regarding the naming. General information about Sandgate from the Qld Place Names Board Brisbane Suburbs and Localities includes the following references to Cabbage Tree Creek:
“Strange as it may seem it would appear that Sandgate had its origin in what happened after a shipwreck in Torres Strait. On April 7th, 1852 the barque, Thomas King, left Sydney for Manilla and was wrecked on Cato’s Bank in the Strait on April 17th. Captain Walker, the only passenger, Dr Hyslop, the second mate and three seamen, took the ship’s boat and set out for Moreton Bay. The party sailed as far south as Wide Bay and then decided to travel overland to Moreton Bay. After being attacked by aborigines only the captain and one seaman survived. They reached Brisbane on May 17th. According to Captain Walker, he and his seamen had been in the vicinity of Cabbage Tree Creek for some days and it was thought that if there had been a settlement there some of the others might have been rescued. An agitation for the establishment of a village on the coast in the vicinity of Cabbage Tree Creek got under way. A notice appeared in the New South Wales Government Gazette (22/3/1853) notifying that a site had been fixed for a village called Sandgate at Cabbage Tree Head”
John Oxley, in his survey of the Brisbane River, camped overnight at Cabbage Tree Head on December 1, 1823. The entry in his field book reads “After pulling out of the inlet, we landed at sun-set on a point ( present day Shorncliffe). Stony, good land, about three miles to the south-east of the entrance in to the inlet we had examined, and round which is a shoal inlet (Cabbage Tree Creek). Plenty of fresh water and grass”. (Steele, J.G. Explorers of the Moreton Bay District 1770-1830, St. Lucia: University of Qld Press, 1972 , p.107). Oxley does not appear to have named the creek.
I trust this information is of assistance to you. It seems probable that the creek was named for the vegetation in the area at the time.
John Oxley Library Librarian
Comment by JOL Admin — 6 August, 2009 @ 12:02 pm
dear sir ihave read all that you have passed on about sandgate and i found it to be realy great the origins andthe original history of sandgate iwas particurly intrested inyou remarks a bout sand gate and cabbage treecreek having looked at the the photos and the history iam most grateful to you for all that you have submited ithas given me a wonderful insight and the history of sangate. kind reguards Greg Litfin. ps ilived as asa boy in boondall and sandgate and shorncliffee were and still are my favoutite places to visit
Comment by greg litfin — 27 August, 2009 @ 7:28 am
I was a child of sandgate back in the 60s and 70s and I recently met a person who went to Sandgate primary when we were there. We cahtted over old times etc. One of the questions came up we both knew a child whose mother owned a hair dressing salon in the shopping centre in Hancock St. I was wondering if you could tell me the name or where I might look to find out. Thank you for your very interesting blog. I use to go to the Sandgate Baths when they were ther and often passed Musgrave House and looked at the children there in their blue uniforms and never knew what it wa about. Thank you for your asistance with my question. Regards Tony Densley
Comment by Tony Densley — 30 August, 2009 @ 8:16 am
Dear Mr Litfin
Thanks for your comment. So glad you enjoyed reading about the history of Sandgate and surrounds.
John Oxley Library
Comment by JOL Admin — 10 September, 2009 @ 2:50 pm
Dear Mr Densley
Thanks for your enquiry. We will look into this and get back to you.
John Oxley Library
Comment by JOL Admin — 10 September, 2009 @ 2:51 pm
Dear Mr Densley,
I have found what is the best match for the salon in question from the Brisbane Telephone Books of the time and other sources. I would like to send you the information found and will be contacting you shortly via email for your postal address.
JOL Librarian
Comment by John Oxley Library — 22 September, 2009 @ 12:41 pm
I know that the household “Morven” was owned at one time by the merchant D L Brown (1891) , his gardener was a young lad by the name of Thomas Nightingale and a house maid called Elizabeth Grant-Laidlaw both lived there.
I would love to know if you have any more information concerning those two staff or about the house at that time.
Comment by ron nightingale — 24 October, 2009 @ 11:03 am
We were having a family discussion about the Baxters Jetty and a couple of members of our family thought that there was a jetty or landing further up the creek which was near the site of the old Baxter’s Restaurant (sixties and seventies) on Sandgate Road which was used by the restaurant and they thought that it was also called Baxters Jetty. Can you confirm that the Jetty at the mouth of Cabbage Tree Creek has always been known as Baxters Jetty and if there was another jetty up further near Sandgate Road? It has been interesting finding out other information about the area from your blog.
Comment by Susan Otto — 26 October, 2009 @ 10:36 am