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Queensland Place Histories – Oxley, Brisbane

Posted on 05 Oct 2012| by JOL Admin |

The suburb of Oxley is situated to the west of Oxley and Blunder Creeks and is bounded on the north by the Brisbane River. It is named after Oxley Creek which was first marked by John Oxley during his explorations of 1823. Oxley originally named the watercourse Canoe Creek but soon after this, Edmund Lockyer, during his survey of the Brisbane River, named it Oxley Creek in honour of his predecessor.

Field naturalists excursion on Oxley Creek, 1890

A significant portion of the area now encompassing Oxley was originally leased by Thomas Boyland, in the early 1850s, with the area being known as Boyland’s Pocket. This land was later subdivided for small farms, approximately from the 1860s. By the late 1860s the area had grown sufficiently to support a hotel, racecourse, post office and churches. In 1869, a floating sugar mill and cane crushing plant, named the Walrus, was operating in Oxley Creek as well as other places.

Travelling sugar mill, Walrus, on the Albert River, ca. 1870

In the 1870s, small scale farming progressively diversified into dairying and other agricultural pursuits, for instance bacon processing.

The Brisbane/Ipswich railway line passed through the area in 1876. Further demonstrating the area’s growth and importance, the “Duporth” Ladies School moved here from Brisbane in 1888, with the site of this school later becoming the location for an Ursuline Convent (1924-57) and the Canossa Hospital (1965).

Teachers and students of Duporth Private School, Oxley, ca. 1902

Oxley Railway Station on the S&W Railway, Queensland

Other developments include a sailing club (1902), the Oxley Progress Association (1917) and its hall (1924), the Oxley Golf Club (1929), the Oxley Fire Station (1955), an Ambulance Station (1961) and the Oxley Bowls Club (1967). The southern section of the Oxley Golf Club became the site selected for the development of the Oxley Police Academy.

A significant historical site in the suburb is the Oxley War Memorial, dating from 1920 and moved in 1980. The firm of stone masons which constructed this memorial was F. Williams & Co of Toowoomba, with the original cost being approximately 110 pounds. It is constructed of sandstone and marble and was built in honour of those from the district who fell in the First World War. This memorial is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.

Brian Randall – Queensland Places Coordinator, State Library of Queensland

Queensland Place Histories – Eimeo, Mackay

Posted on 28 Aug 2012| by JOL Admin |

Eimeo is an outer suburb of Mackay, located approximately 11 kilometres north of the city. The area covered by the suburb extends from the Mackay-Bucasia Road to the high land at the entrance to Eimeo Creek. Adjacent to the headland is a small sandy beach.

Day out at Eimeo Beach, Mackay. Image courtesy of Mackay Regional Council Libraries

The suburb’s name is said to derive from the birthplace of Eimeo pioneer, Jeremiah Downs Armitage, Eimeo Island in Tahiti. Jeremiah Armitage came to Mackay in the early 1870s and soon took up land, initially operating as a timber merchant but later moving into fruit growing. In addition to the growing of fruit, Armitage developed the area to cater for tourists in the Mackay area. He opened a boarding house on Eimeo Hill, which also intermittedly traded as a hotel.

Armitage’s lasting legacy to the area is the avenue of mango trees he planted, probably in the 1880s, to delineate the track leading from the main Mackay access road, through his property, to his boarding house/hotel. These trees survive to the present day and are listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. Palm Avenue is also a significant and well known feature of the suburb.

Palm Avenue, Eimeo, Mackay, Qld. Image courtesy of Mackay Regional Council Libraries

The present day Pacific Hotel, often still referred to as the Eimeo Pub, is the successor to Armitage’s earlier boarding house/hotel. During the Second World War, the Eimeo Hotel was used as a place of rest and recreation by American servicemen, many of whom had fought in various locations in the Pacific campaign. The present Pacific Hotel on the site dates from 1954.

Pacific Hotel, Eimeo, Mackay. Image courtesy of Mackay Regional Libraries

During the 1930s, as an added attraction for visitors and holiday makers, there was a skating ring adjacent to the Eimeo Hotel.

Eimeo skating rink, Queensland, 1939

The area has also been a popular residential and tourist location, with the first allotments specifically being marketed for the purposes of holiday homes, being sold from 1926. Boating and other water sports have always been popular pursuits.

Seven lads in a boat at Eimeo Creek, Mackay region. Courtesy of Mackay Regional Council Libraries

Brian Randall – Queensland Places Coordinator, State Library of Queensland

Queensland Place Histories : Pinkenba, Brisbane

Posted on 02 Aug 2012| by JOL Admin |

Estate map of the Town of Pinkenba, Brisbane, Queensland, 1892

The Brisbane suburb of Pinkenba is located approximately eleven kilometres north-east of the city. Its name is said to be derived from an Aboriginal word meaning “place of tortoises”. The name came into common usage from an early time and was formally given to the railway station when it was opened in 1897.

Pinkenba Railway Station, Brisbane, ca. 1935

The area was originally settled for farming and extended over the site now covered by the Brisbane Airport as well as further afield to Nudgee and Cribb Island. A school, initially called the Boggy Creek School, was opened in 1875, later named Myrtle School and eventually Pinkenba. A Hotel, the Myrtle, was opened in 1896 to cater for local workers and residents.

A wharf was constucted in 1898 to assist with the flow of goods in and out of Brisbane as well as becoming the point of disembarkation for troops moving overseas during wartime. For instance, the Boer War Contingent left from here in 1899 as well as the 2nd AIF in 1939.

Pinkenba wharf, ca. 1912. State Library of Queensland. Negative number: 38823

Pinkenba wharf, ca. 1912Crowds watch as troops leave for South Africa from Pinkenba, Queensland, 1899

In 1902, a spur line from Pinkenba to the wharf was built to facilitate the movement of goods and later, in 1909, a separate railway wharf was constructed. During World War Two, a Royal Australian Navy Defence Station was established, with the remains of this facility listed on the current Queensland Heritage Register. Also listed on the Queensland Heritage Register is the Pinkenba War Memorial, located in Eagle Farm Road.

Pinkenba War Memorial, Queensland, 1925

Over the years there has been a diverse range of businesses and industries set up in the area, including meatworks, boarding houses, an explosives magazine and more recently, oil refineries.

Pinkenba remains an important centre of trade and industry in Brisbane.

Brian Randall – Queensland Places Coordinator, State Library of Queensland

Queensland Place Histories: Westbrook, Toowoomba

Posted on 23 Jul 2012| by JOL Admin |

Open carriage outside the Westbrook Station homestead, ca. 1877

Westbrook was once a small rural town, but is now an outlying suburb of Toowoomba, having been overtaken by the progressive growth of the city and the increased need for residential land. Westbrook is located on the Toowoomba-Pittsworth Road, approximately six kilometres south-west of the city.

The original Westbrook pastoral run was taken up by John (Tinker) Cambell in 1841, with this nickname referring to his previous trade as a Sydney street vendor. The surviving stone residence, Westbrook Homestead, was built by later owners, in 1867, and is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. The Westbrook pastoral run originally comprised some 44,500 hectares of land, but was progressively reduced in size as the pressures for closer settlement of the land increased. Cambell leased the property only for a relatively short period, experiencing poor seasons soon after he first arrived, followed by the failure of a number of his commercial ventures. One of these was the establishment of a “boiling down works” in Brisbane, which operated in Kangaroo Point. Cambell eventually sold Westbrook to John Stevens in 1843 with the property being progressively on-sold to various owners, including John Donald McLean. It was McLean who built the existing substantial stone residence using stone quarried on the property as well as at Toowoomba.

Also listed on The Queensland Heritage Register is the Westbrook War Memorial, which was built at some stage prior to 1922. The memorial was designed by Bruce Brothers of Toowoomba and erected by the town’s residents to commemorate those who served and fell during the First World War. The memorial is located adjacent to the Westbrook Public Hall.

Westbrook War Memorial on the Toowoomba Millmerran Road, Westbrook

Reflecting the growth of the area, Bunkers Hill School opened in 1899 and the Westbrook State School operated from 1910, but closed in 1969.

: Westbrook State School, 1930

More recently Westbrook became known as the location of the Westbrook Training Centre, originally opened in 1900. This became known as a notorious youth detention centre with allegations being made about the mistreatment of inmates and was the subject of various inquiries during the 1960s as well as more recently. It was eventually closed in 1994.

Westbrook is one of Toowoomba’s earliest sites of settlement and is an important part of the city’s heritage.

Brian Randall – Queensland Places Coordinator, State Library of Queensland

Holland Park, Brisbane – Second World War Military Hospital

Posted on 09 Jul 2012| by JOL Admin |

A largely forgotten aspect of the Brisbane suburb of Holland Park’s history relates to the American presence in Brisbane during World War Two. The United States Army established the 3,000 bed Holland Park Military Hospital in early 1943, selecting the Glindemann family property as its location. The hospital was known as the US 42nd General Hospital.

Entrance to the Holland Park Military Hospital, Brisbane, ca. 1945

View towards Logan Road, Brisbane, through grounds of the Holland Park Military Hospital

View of the Holland Park Military Hospital, ca. 1945

Unidentified woman standing near the Holland Park Military Hospital on Logan Road, 1945

World War II hospital at Holland Park, Brisbane ca. 1944

Within the context of the present day Holland Park streetscape, the hospital was situated within the area bounded by Nursery Road and Gorban Street and approximately between Seville Park and Logan Road. More than three hundred workers were involved in the hospital’s construction and it received its first patients in June 1943. The Holland Park Military Hospital eventually passed into the control of Australian authorities following the departure of the Americans at the end of the war at which time the hospital was taken over by the 102nd Australian General Hospital. This Australian hospital had previously been located at Ekibin.

The site was eventually developed to provide land for residential purposes. Through this process, and with the relative shortage of materials following the Second World War, many of the huts were moved and used for other purposes in the local community. For example, it is believed that the Mount Gravatt Scout Group Hall was one of the huts which was moved and re-used from the hospital site after the war, with this possibly being the Administration building from either Unit No. 1 or Unit No. 2 of the hospital. It has also been reported that other hospital huts were moved elsewhere including to the St. Agnes Catholic Church grounds and Clontarf on the Redcliffe Peninsula, for use as shops.

Given the large number of huts within the hospital complex, we can speculate that other various old huts around Brisbane may have their genesis within the US 42nd General Hospital at Holland Park.

Brian Randall – Queensland Places Coordinator, State Library of Queensland

Queensland Place Histories : Queen Street, Brisbane

Posted on 05 Jul 2012| by JOL Admin |

Early view of Queen Street, Brisbane, ca. 1859

Queen Street, Brisbane, as the city’s main street, is at the centre of the network of streets that make up the central business district as well as the streets of South Brisbane, both in the street’s name as well as its alignment and width.

Queen Street began as little more than a track leading from the main part of the early Moreton Bay Penal Colony, running northward, crossing the watercourse then known as Wheat Creek, with a deviation leading up to the Windmill.

With the opening up of the area to free settlement in 1842 and the consequential growth of Brisbane Town, there was a need to develop a more formal and usable system of streets. Surveyor Dixon had undertaken a survey of the streets of the town in early 1840, which essentially comprised a grid pattern of square blocks, ten chains (approximately 200 metres), with streets 66 feet (approximately 20 metres) wide. The position and direction of these streets were based upon the position and alignment of the existing Prisoners’ Barracks and cut across the various tracks that had developed over the life of the settlement.

Queen Street, Brisbane, Queensland, ca. 1928

Subsequently, some changes were made to this initial layout. The square blocks were flattened into a rectangular grid with the streets being widened up to 1.4 chains (approximately 27 metres). However, Governor Gipps, when visiting in March 1842, was not greatly impressed with the settlement, seeing Brisbane Town as “simply an ordinary provincial settlement”, which would have no need for grand avenues. So Gipps ordered the planned width of the streets back to 66 feet (approximately 20 metres), arguing that this would ensure that the buildings of each side of the streets could be kept out of the sun.

There was some later compromise with the main street, later to become Queen Street, having its western boundary moved to accommodate a width of 1.2 chains (approximately 24 metres), however, the other streets were to remain at the initially planned width of 66 feet (approximately 20 metres).

The names of the streets were also to follow a pattern. Those running in a north-easterly direction were named after queens – Ann, Adelaide, Elizabeth, Queen, Charlotte, Mary and Margaret. Those that ran in a north-westerly direction were named after kings, including William, George, Albert and Edward.

Across the river, in South Brisbane, the newly laid out streets were given names that would fit with or complement those in Brisbane Town’s centre. To achieve this, the names of British government members or civil servants were used, with some examples as follows:

Herman Merivale - Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, 1847-57

George Hope – Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for War and Colonies under Lord Stanley

Lord Stanley – Secretary of State for War and Colonies in the Peel Government, subsequently Prime Minister.

Lord Melbourne – Prime Minister, 1837

Henry George Grey – Secretary of State for War and Colonies, 1846-53 in the Russell Government

Lord John Russell - Secretary of State for War and Colonies, Prime Minister as well as Foreign Secretary

Sir Robert Peel - Prime Minister

The main street of Brisbane, Queen Street has been extensively documented, particularly by the camera, since Brisbane’s earliest times.

In this series of images, from the John Oxley Library’s photograph collection, we see the street develop from an unsealed and rough track to a modern city street, with the Queen Street mall as its central feature.

Queen Street, Brisbane, ca. 1868 - looking south from the corner of Edward Street

Looking south along Queen Street in Brisbane, ca. 1879

Queen Street, from the corner of Edward Street looking south, Brisbane, 1883

Queen Street Brisbane flooded in the 1893

Christmas postcard featuring a coloured view of Queen Street, Brisbane, c.1908

Peace Day procession in Queen Street, Brisbane, 1919. State Library of Queensland. Negative number: 60941

Peace Day procession in Queen Street, Brisbane, 1919Returned World War Two soldiers march in Queen Street, Brisbane, 1944

Queen Street, Brisbane, with decorations for the royal visit in 1954 - between George and Albert Streets

Queen Street Mall looking south, ca. 1980

Queen Street Mall, Brisbane, 1997

Brian Randall – Queensland Places Coordinator, State Library of Queensland

Queensland Place Histories: The Strand, Townsville

Posted on 25 Jun 2012| by JOL Admin |

The thoroughfare now known as Townsville’s Strand developed from as early as the mid 1860s. From this time, Townsville’s more wealthy residents, taking advantage of the cooling sea breezes, were building residences along the beachfront. By the early 1870s, reflecting this development and growth, at least three hotels had been built in the vicinity. At this early stage of development The Strand remained unformed and unsealed and there had been no formal planting of shade trees.

In 1881, the Townsville Council planted a series of cedar trees, following up with cocoa and betel nut trees, as a way of beautifying the beachfront area and to provide shade for those using the area for recreation. In 1883, the Council developed a roadway along the beachfront leading to Kissing Point. There are a range of impressive and important sites and buildings along The Strand that remind us of the area’s history and development.

Anzac Memorial Park began as The Strand Park in the 1910s as an place for the residents of Townsville to visit and enjoy. The park was progressively expanded and developed and from the 1920s became a focus for the city’s ANZAC Day activities. Reflective of this important use, the park was formally renamed the ANZAC Memorial Park in 1934.

The Telecasters North Queensland Building was previously the Queens Hotel. This building was built in stages between 1902 and the 1920s by publican John Tyack, to the design of prominent architectural firm Eaton, Bates and Polin. the hotel soon acquired a reputation as being one of the finest hotels in North Queensland.

The Tobruk Memorial Baths were built between 1941 and 1950, with early construction slowed as a result of the Second World War. The Baths were designed and built by the Townsville City Council’s engineering and works department and named the Tobruk Memorial Baths in honour of the Australian servicemen who had taken part in the Siege of Tobruk.

Townsville’s Strand today still lives out the theme of its early development, being a place for rest and recreation for the residents of Townsville as well as visitors to the area.

Brian Randall – Queensland Places Coordinator, State Library of Queensland

Queensland Place Histories – Jindalee, Brisbane

Posted on 18 Jun 2012| by JOL Admin |

The Brisbane suburb of Jindalee was predominantly developed from land originally owned by the Sinnamon family, who were early settlers and pioneers. Subsequently, with the spread of Brisbane’s suburbs and the need for residential land, this area became part of the large Centenary Estates Development from which six new suburbs were developed. In addition to Jindalee, these new suburbs were Jamboree Heights, Mount Ommaney, Westlake, River Hills and Middle Park and together they were known as the Centenary suburbs. The actual name Jindalee is said to be based on an Aboriginal word meaning “Bare Hills”, with the suburb being formally named Jindalee in 1964.

The adjacent suburb Jamboree Heights gained its name as a consequence of the 8th Australian Pan-Pacific Scout Jamboree being held in the vicinity from December 1967 to January 1968. As with other locations in the general area, it was originally used for agriculture with farming and dairying prominent.

The first school in the vicinity was the Seventeen Mile Rocks Provisional School, opened in 1870. A high school opened at Indooroopilly in 1954 followed by the Jindalee State School in 1966. A high school, the Centenary State High School, opened in 1999, is located in the suburb.

The building of the Centenary Bridge, opened in 1964, dramatically improved access through and around the suburb, with the bridge being duplicated in 1980. The Jindalee Golf Club and the Jindall Bowls Club both opened in 1967.

The suburb, due to its close proximity to the Brisbane River, has received substantial damage during Brisbane’s major recent floods, as well as during past floods. In spite of this, Jindalee is one of Brisbane’s most popular residential locations.

Brian Randall – Queensland Places Coordinator, State Library of Queensland

Queensland Place Histories: Agnes Water

Posted on 14 May 2012| by JOL Admin |

Agnes Water is a growing coastal town, located around eighty kilometres to the south-east of Gladstone. Agnes Water’s beach is the most northern surf beach in Queensland, running northward to Round Head and further to Bustard Head.

The town is said to have been so named in honour of a coastal schooner, the Agnes, which was lost at sea in 1873, somewhere, it is believed, out to sea from the surf beach. The area was used for sheep and cattle grazing from the 1850s especially around Turkey Beach, some distance to the north. In acknowledgement of the dangers of the area for coastal shipping, a lighthouse was constructed at Bustard Head, becoming operational in June 1868.

The Clowes family were early settlers, with Daniel Clowes leasing land in the late 1870s and remaining in the area until his death in 1891. A permanent freshwater lagoon provided a particular attraction with the Clowes establishing a homestead and large stockyards, close to the Agnes Water Beach. Sawmilling was also an important industry in the area, especially in the period leading up to 1900.

Round Hill was a popular location, with land keenly sought after for residential and other development. Its growth led to the location developing its own identity, being formally named Town of Seventeen Seventy in 1936. Located around five kilometres to the north of Agnes Water, Town of Seventeen Seventy is named so to commemorate the first Queensland landfall for Lieutenant James Cook, in May 1770. It was originally named Round Head by Matthew Flinders during his voyage along the Queensland coast. The names of the localities, Bustard Head and Turkey Beach derive from Cook and the shooting of a scrub turkey during the expedition’s brief landfall.

Over time, the area became increasingly popular with holiday homes and weekenders being built, in particular from the 1970s, although the first residential subdivisions date from the 1930s.

Reflecting this growth and development, the Agnes Water Surf Life Saving Club was established in 1989, the State Primary School in 1990 and the Agnes Tavern in 1993.

Much of the area’s natural beauty has been preserved through the establishment of Eurimbula National Park, covering more than 23,000 hectares and the nearby Joseph Banks Environmental Park, located on the headland originally known as Round Head.

Brian Randall – Queensland Places Coordinator, State Library of Queensland

Queensland Place Histories – South Brisbane Railway Station

Posted on 12 Apr 2012| by JOL Admin |

The first South Brisbane railway station was constructed in 1884 on the corner of Melbourne and Grey Streets and was originally known as the Melbourne Street Station. This station became the terminus for rail services on the south side of the Brisbane River, remaining so until 1978.

Melbourne Street Railway Station, South Brisbane. State Library of Queensland. Negative number 148791

The existing railway station was reconstructed on higher ground in 1891, with the new facility being opened on 21 December of that year. It was at the time of this re-opening that the station was given the name, the South Brisbane Railway Station. In 1930, South Brisbane also became the site of the South Brisbane Interstate Station, as it was the terminus of the standard gauge railway line from Sydney to Brisbane.

Entrance to the Melbourne Street Railway Station in South Brisbane. State Library of Queensland. Image number APE-062-0001-0004

The interstate station occupied the land that is now the site of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. On 18 November 1978, the interstate rail line was extended, via the Merivale Bridge, from South Brisbane into the Roma Street Station. The old interstate station was demolished in 1986 to make way for the World Expo 88 site.

Railway Station in Melbourne Street at South Brisbane, Queensland, 1902. State Library of Queensland. Negative number 37415

The South Brisbane Railway Station building was entered on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992, with the register noting that it is a substantially intact masonry railway station complete with early platform furniture. It has recently undergone a significant refurbishment.

Pedestrians crossing Grey Street from South Brisbane Railway Station, 1961. State Library of Queensland. Negative number: 33681

Brian Randall – Queensland Places Coordinator, State Library of Queensland