Compiled by Philippa Stanford – research by Philippa Stanford, Leigh Chamberlain, Nick Feros, Genean Wildeisen, Lee Bull and numerous contributions on our facebook page.
This is a list of people who played prominent roles in the establishment of Toowong with a brief description. This is by no means complete and will continue to be updated. In some cases there are links to longer and more detailed articles.
Alexander Archer (1828-1890), manager of the Bank of New South Wales in Brisbane and a member of the Queensland pioneering Archer family. His wife was Mary Louisa, a daughter of Sir Robert Ramsay Mackenzie, 10th Baronet (1811-1873), a Queensland Premier (1867-68). The Archer residence, ‘Arley’, sat on the river bank at Toowong high above the flood zone of the Brisbane River. The Archer brothers were explorers and pastoralists and were among the earliest European settlers in Queensland. see here
Joseph Stillman Badger (1851-1934) – an American who came to work for General Electric Company as its chief engineer to oversee the electrification of Brisbane’s outdated horse-drawn tram network for the Brisbane Tramways Company (BTC). Lived at Arlington/Endrim on Woodstock Rd, Toowong. See here
Elizabeth Bailey (1885-1965) was the first female real estate agent in Brisbane. After becoming widowed Mrs Bailey initially entered into a real estate partnership. The business was located in premises in an arcade situated in the front of the Jubilee Picture Theatre which fronted Jephson Street, Toowong. Later this site became the BP service station in Sherwood Road, Toowong. When her real estate partnership broke up, she decided to shift her business office out of the arcade and she transferred her business operations to her residence at 109 Sherwood Road, where she turned the front room into an office, and ran her business from here. She traded under her own name, ‘E. H. Bailey’, and she was the first local real estate agent in Toowong. See here
Dr Hugh Bell (d. 1897) was a noted physician and consultant at the Brisbane General Hospital. 1888 purchased Milton House at Milton. See here
Donald Bennett (1910-1986) was an aviator and founder of the RAF Pathfinders and author. Lived at Kingsford Dt, Auchenflower. See here
Mr E.J Bennett (1829-1920) was chief draughtsman in the Survey Office. Lived at a house at Bennett’s Bridge, Milton. See here
James Birrell (d. 2019) was one of Queensland’s preeminent architects who designed the Toowong Baths, the former Toowong Library, the J.D. Story Administration Building and the Union College Building at the University of Queensland amongst others. See here
Mrs FW Carr –Mr and Mrs Frederick Carr – purchased the Toowong Retreat Hotel property in 1868 and it became a residence. Mr Carr died May 1869 and Mrs Carr turned the hotel not a boarding house. Mrs FW Carr later became Mrs William Landsborough in 1873 and continued to live in the property Toowong Retreat Hotel until it was resumed by the railway lived in a house on the corner of the Indooroopilly or Long Pocket Road. Then the Landsboroughs moved to Curragh Bawn on the hill behind the Current Regatta Hotel
Dr. Henry Challinor (1814-1882) arrived on the SS Fortitude in 1849. He was a leader in medicine, civic affairs, and politician. He Lived at ‘Fairseat’ on Birdwood Terrace, the house Built by the late Augustus Charles Gregory for his brother Francis Gregory, around 1922. See here
Sir Alfred Cowley (1848-1926) and Lady Cowley (Charlotte nee Coppin) who was a cane farmer, industrialist and parliamentarian. They lived at Silky Oaks in Cross St, Toowong. See here
Robert Cribb is featured in TDHS’ logo
Mr. Robert Cribb (1805-1893) was born in England he emigrated to Brisbane 1849. In 1852 he purchased land in Auchenflower near current day Cribb St and called it Lang Farm in honour of John Dunmore Lang. He built Dunmore House on the corner of Coronation Drive and Lang Parade as his residence. He was a baker and land agent. He was a key figure in business and politics in Queensland. He was the leader of Brisbane’s ‘merchant group’ a founder of the Queensland Liberal Association. He was elected to the first Queensland Parliament and an alderman in the Brisbane City Council. See here
John Cribb (b. 1830) was the eldest son of Robert Cribb and one time accountant in the Bank of New South Wales. Lived at ‘Fairholme’, Milton . See here
Samuel Dart and his wife Eliza Anne Dart were the parents of Raymond Dart lived in Toowong in the late 19th Century. Samuel Dart was a member of Toowong Shore Council in 1896. See here
Raymond Dart (1893-1985) was a world-renowned anatomist and anthropologist, was born in Toowong in 1893. Discovered Australopithecus africanus in 1925 Johannesburg. See here
William Davies esq, a Welsh gold mining magnate. Dryswllyn later Raymond Lodge – 47 Cadell St, Auchenflower was constructed for him. He owned an extensive part of land between Milton Road, Dixon Street and Toowong Park. He later (1927) donated a portion of this estate to the Auchenflower Scouts and it is currently the HQ of the Scout Association of Australia. See here
Depper – Johan Michael and Elizabeth– after unsuccessfully searching for gold in Gympie they and their five children returned to Brisbane settling in Auchenflower c. 1879 behind what is now the Wesley Hospital. Mr Depper grew grapes in Germany and he continued this in Auchenflower.
Dr Graham Patrick Dixon CBE VD FRACS (1873-1947) was a surgeon doctor-soldier. Lived in the Dixon Family home, Clayton, with frontage on River Rd. See here
John Douglas (1828-1904) was a pastoralist and landowner who owned much of the land around Torwood (present day Auchenflower/Milton. Was Premier of Queensland 1877-1879 and Administrator and Government resident at Thursday Island (1885-1904). See here
R.L. Drew (August 1862) in 1862 bought and subdivided land on the outskirts of Brisbane, setting up a signboard: ‘This is the village of Toowong’. Drew donated land for the first Church of St Thomas the Apostle, and was one of its original trustees. subdivided his land and called the collection of land subdivisions, Toowong. See here
Mrs RL Drew (Ann Drew c.1822 – 1907) was a welfare worker and wife, then widow, of the ‘father of Toowong’. She was secretary (1870-79) of the committee of the Lady Bowen Hospital and founder of the Infant Home and Women’s Refuge in 1871. The Drews’ friend J. B. Fewings described R. L. Drew as ‘timid, modest, and retiring’, yet unobtrusively successful in realizing his plans; by comparison, Ann Drew’s talents were much more evident and varied; he emphasized particularly her ‘great practicable ability’. Ann Drew died at Sandgate, near Brisbane, on 5 August 1907. The Drews are buried in Toowong cemetery.
George Edmonstone (1809-1883) a butcher and businessman who originally until mid 1850s owned Moorlands Estate. He was a member of the first Town Council of Brisbane (1859-1866) and its Mayor (1863-1864). His daughter married John Markwell which is how Markwell came to own the Moorlands Estate. See here
Ambrose Eldridge (c.1815-1860) was a retired Queen St chemist who died in 1860. In 1853 he had Milton House constructed for his residence. In retirement he grew cotton on Milton Farm in the vicinity of the house. Milton Cotton became the local fabric of the day. See here
Sir Arthur Fadden (1894-1973) – former Prime Minister of Australia. Lived at ‘Esk Mount’, Aston St, Toowong. See here
John Fenwick (1823-1900) came to Brisbane in 1864 setting up business as a hide and skin dealer and then a stock and station agent. He lived on Milton Rd near the Brewery. See here
Mr JB Fewings (d. 1910) and family lived at Carslake behind Mr Miskin’s house on Sherwood Road. JB Fewings was a schoolteacher who taught at the normal school and was headmaster at the Petrie Terrace School. See here
Eliza Fewings (1857-1940) established Somerville House and lived at Glen Olive, Toowong. See here
Richard Gailey (1834-1924) was a prominent architect who designed and built Glen Olive near Jack Cook Park. See here
Sir Augustus Charles Gregory (1819-1905) was a note explorer in Western Australia and Queensland and in 1859 he conducted an expedition in search of the lost explorer, Leichardt. He was the Surveyor-General in Queensland from 1859-1875. He was Mayor of Toowong for many years. See here
Francis (Frank) Thomas Gregory (1821-1888) – An explorer and politican. Brother of explorer Augustus Charles Gregory. Francis Gregory was appointed as a Commissioner of Crown Lands. He married Marion Hume in 1865, the sister of his surveying friend and protégé, Walter C. Hume.[1] From 1874, he was elected and served as a member of the Queensland Legislative Council. For a short period during 1883, he served as the appointed Postmaster-General of Queensland. His brother, Augustus Charles Gregory, built ‘Fairseat’ on Birdwood Terrace, for him in 1922. See here
Leititia Jephson (c.1827 – 1908) Born in Ireland around 1827 as Letita Arabin she emigrated to Australia in 1853 marrying Thomas Jephson a year later. after being widowed in her early forties became a successful businesswoman managing boarding houses in the city, Kangaroo Point and most notably the Longreach Private Boarding house. She purchased Cadbury on Kensington Terrace (on the current site of BBC boarding houses) around 1879 and renamed it Mallow after her birthplace in Ireland. She was a land agent and council member of the Women’s Franchise League which petitioned Parliament for votes for women. She travelled widely and was involved in a shipwreck in 1900.She sold the house to Sir Robert Philp in 1899. She died in January 1908 leaving a considerable estate. Church Street was renamed Jephson Street after her. See here
Mr. William Kellett (1839-1916) – a member of the State Legislative Assembly representing the Stanley electorate. Was a member of the firm Fenwick and Kellett, stock and station agents. Purchased an area of around 11 acres including Dryswllyn and the nearby Bowling green between Milton Road and what was Toowong Park now the Toowong Memorial Park. Kellett St is named after him.
William Land (1864-1933) was a master butcher and mayor of Toowong. He was born at Somerset, England and arrived in Brisbane as a youth. He first established his butchering business in High Street, Toowong, and during the next 40 years built up an extensive Wholesale and retail trade. He had a butcher’s shop on Sylvan Rd with paddocks extending from Sylvan Rd to Patrick Lane. He also added an ice manufacturing plant. Mr. Land took a prominent part in local authority affairs and was a councillor of the Toowong Town Council for many years, and mayor of the town on several occasions. He died in 1933 aged 68.
See here for a photo of the butcher shop
William Landsborough (1825-1866) was an explorer. He was born in Scotland and migrated to Australia in 1841. He explored and named Mount Nebo in 1856. In 1861 Landsborough was chosen by the Victorian and Queensland governments to lead a search for Robert O’Hara Burke and William Wills from the Gulf of Carpentaria southwards. After an arduous journey they learned that Burke and Wills had perished. He was fêted as the first explorer to cross the continent from north to south. After the death of his first wife from tuberculosis moved with his three daughters and made a home at Toowong. He was married to Maria Theresa Carr, née Carter, at Brisbane on 8 March 1873. They moved to Curragh Bawn on the hill behind the Current Regatta Hotel. See here
Reverend John Dunmore Lang (1799-1878) was an active worker in bringing immigrants to the Brisbane. He brought out immigrants on the Fortitude, Chaseley and Lima Ships. An early landowner in the are names his estate ‘Lang Farm in honour of Reverend Lang. See here
Vida Lahey (1882-1968) a well-known painter born in Brisbane who trained overseas. Vida Lahey also lived with her family in Toowong at Sidney House (later became a boarding house in the 1940s-mid- 50s) before moving to Indooroopilly. Sidney House was acquired by the ABC in the mid-1950s and demolished to make way for its studios to be built. See here
Ada Mary Laugher a talented amateur photographer who won prizes for her photographs and she worked as a clerk for the Brisbane Courier. Photographs taken by her have the initials AML. The Laugher sisters, Janie, Rosie and Ada Mary, of Benson St, Toowong, had initially moved to the district with their parents in 1890. Their father, Charles Henry Laugher, had operated pharmacies from the mid-1860s till around 1891, firstly in Rockhampton, then Ipswich, and later Beenleigh, and then in Taringa. She lived on Benson St. See here
Mr John Markwell was a resident at Moorlands, a wooden bungalow prior to the 1870s. In 1854 he acquired 52 acres of land later to be ‘Auchenflower’ (1880). This included land gifted from George Edmonstone when Markwell married his daughter and was 30 acres heading westwards and up to the higher ground of Milton Road. He was a businessman – involved in ironmongery, glassware and china retail. Mr John Markwell (jnr) in 1880 was appointed a foundation member of the new Toowong Shire Council. See here
Mayne family including Patrick Payne – butcher and grazier. Mrs Mary Mayne purchased and moved into Moorlands Villa in 1879 with her five children. The youngest was James O’Neill Mayne, the 17 yo. Upon her death in 1889 her second youngest child Mary Emelia Mayne (1858-1940) became custodian along with her brother, James. See here
Randall MacDonnell (1830-1877) was a school inspector. One time owner of Rathdonnell House which was named after him. See here
Thomas McIlraith (1835 – 1900) was three time Premier of Queensland. He and his wife Lady Harriette lived at Auchenflower House. Lady Harriette McIlwraith was the sister of Sir Arthur Palmer’s wife. Along with Sir Arthur Palmer he was involved in the scandal of the bankruptcy of the Queensland National Bank. See here
EJ Melville – Photographer Ernest, the photographer went on to run the State Govt. Insurance business in Toowoomba but died young at 45 years in 1935. His father, John was the sexton of Toowong Cemetery. Melville family were first residents on Musgrave St, Toowong. See here
Mr. WH Miskin was an amateur entomologist who had a fine collection of butterflies He lived next to Sherwood House on Sherwood Road. He was also the foundation chairman of the new Toowong Shire Council. He became the Governments Official Assignee and later the Colony’s first Official Trustee in Insolvency. See here
Sir Arthur Palmer (1819 – 1898) was born in Ireland and arrived in Sydney in 1838. He was a pastoralist and Premier of Queensland (1870-1874). Along with Thomas McIlwraith he was involved in the scandal of the bankruptcy of the Queensland National Bank. He died on 20 March 1898 at his home, Easton Gray, Toowong, Brisbane. See here
Lady Palmer was the wife of Sir Arthur Palmer and formerly Cecilia Jessie Mosman. She was also the sister of North Queensland identity Hugh Mosman for whom the town of Mossman is named. Note the extra S is a mistake
Charles Patterson (1843- 1926) was a Scottish immigrant who lived at Kinellar on Sherwood Rd. Emigrated to Brisbane in 1871. He originally worked as a gardener in the Botanic Gardens with Walter Taylor who later built the Walter Taylor Bridge at Indooroopilly. Charles Patterson started his sawmill business, Bon Accord at Indooroopilly in 1873. He was the founding member and president of the Toowong Horticultural Society. He was very active in local government, serving as a divisional councillor on both the Indooroopilly and Taringa Shire Councils, the Toowong Shire Council and later as Mayor of Toowong for three terms. As well as his political interests, Charles Patterson was chairman of the first Toowong State School committee and was always a great supporter of the school. He died on 4th January, 1926, aged 81. See here
Mr Henry Pears (1833-1903) purchased the site of current day Peerless Dry Cleaners on High St, Toowong in 1876. The property purchased from Heannah Ward and the present building was constructed on the site in the mid 1880s. In 1885-6 the building as occupied by Carver and Co who were drapers and fitters. He was a contractor and builder who was the contractor for St Thomas Church which was opened in 1877. The building was constructed for about £850. See here
The Petrie’s of Petrie’s Monumental Masons, Milton Road
Several generations of Petrie’s worked in Brisbane as stonemasons and builders. The first Andrew Petrie (1798 – 1872) was one of the Scottish mechanics brought to Sydney in 1831 by John Dunmore Lang as the nucleus of a new force of free workers. His work was so well regarded that in 1837 he was sent to Moreton Bay as the Superintendent of Works to oversee building works and he is known as The Father of Brisbane. In 1840 he started the family business which passed to his son, John (1822-1892), who was a builder, architect and stonemason in 1848. He was elected first Mayor of Brisbane. In 1882 his eldest son, Andrew Lang Petrie (1854-1928), took over his father’s reconstructed firm, John Petrie & Son. By then the business focused on cabinet making and joinery, brick and tile making and monumental masonry.
He was also a trained architect, builder and stonemason and served in the Queensland Parliament as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for 33 years. The firm went bankrupt in the depression of 1894 but was later revived as monumental masons only. The Monumental Works was located opposite the main Toowong Cemetery gates. Andrew was a member of the Brisbane General Cemetery Board.
In the 1920s the business passed to John George Petrie, an architect and sportman, then to John Robert Petrie then to John Ronald Petrie who took over the business in the 1970s. He was a well regarded architect, stonemason and builder, and was responsible for the restoration of many of Queensland’s most iconic buildings – many of which the Petrie’s had originally built. The Petrie business continues to offer design and building services.
For more information see here and here
Sir Robert Philp (1851-1922) was a businessman and two time premier of Queensland. He was born in Scotland arrived in Australia in 1862. He lived at ‘Mallow’/’Cadbury’ on Kensington Terrace, Toowong. See here
Mrs Rogers d. 1875 – in 1865 purchased 2.4 hectares of land at Toowong on an elevated spot on the river, later the site of the ABC in Toowong. James Cowlishaw constructed a house for her in 1865 on this site called Middenbury which still stands today. The house is an example of mid 19th Century architecture. Upon her death she left the house and land to her four children and it eventually was purchased by the O’Shea family in 1891 who lived in the house for 59 years making a number of renovations in this time. 1860s home on ABC Toowong site heritage listed (brisbanetimes.com.au)
Thomas Joseph Ryan (1876-1921) was one of the first Australian born politicians to be State Premier. He married Lily Virginia Cook and was a barrister and member of the Labor party. He lived at Auchenflower house from around 1910 until his death. See here
David Thompson Seymour, Queensland’s first Commissioner of Police, in 1864-1895. One time owner of Milton House, Milton around 1887. See here
Charles Siemon (1871-19410) Mayor of Town of Toowong and his family. The Siemon family were pioneers of present day Auchenflower and Milton. Councillor Siemon member of Toowong Shire Council 1896. The family – William Siemon, a grain merchant bought Milton House in 1904. Ernest Siemon built ‘Ravensfield’ on River Road in 1911. Later known as the Siemon Dairy Farm or Siemon’s Jersey Dairy (C. 1932-1940). See here
Francis Drummond FDG Stanley (1839 – 1897) was a government architect born in Scotland and migrated to Queensland in the early 1860s. He designed the former State Library at 159 William Street, the old government morgue on Queen’s Wharf Road as well as numerous other buildings. He was appointed colonial architect in 1871 and remained in this role until 1881 when he went into private practise. He owned a large property off Stanley Terrace and built his home there. He sold the property to Sir Arthur Palmer who named it Easton Grey and relocated to a house he built in Jephson St called Ardencraig – Church St now Jephson St, Toowong
Mr John Warde the property known as Auchenflower was purchased by Mr John Warde who built the original Auchenflower House. He went to Sydney and started a periodical called the Pacific Monthly
Henry Charles Stanley (1840–1921) was the chief engineer of the railways in Queensland, Australia. On arrival in Queensland in 1863 , Stanley was employed by the railway department of the Queensland Government and in 1891, he was formally appointed the Chief Engineer for the entire Queensland network. In this role he designed the second Albert Bridge from Indooroopilly to Chelmer and this is considered his major work. Henry Charles Stanley purchased Ascog in Ascog Terrace and later moved to Tighnabruaich, designed by his brother, in Indooroopilly in the early 1890s. See here
William (1834-1919) and Margaret Winterford (b. 1844-?) William purchased the original Regatta Hotel in 1882 on the Brisbane River at Sylvan Road in Toowong. He commissioned architect Richard Gailey to design a much larger building which was opened in 1887. See here
The Streets of Toowong Part 1
Places, Streets, Streetscapes and PlacesThis is the first part in a series about street names in the Toowong District. This list shows the original estate featuring the state, alternative names for the street and where possible ideas about the origin of the street name. Researched and compiled by Philippa Stanford with many references to books published by TDHS committee members Leigh Chamberlain and Lee Bull.
Ada St, Toowong – The New Guinea Estate –
Adsett St, Taringa – possible connection with Mr Adsett, a 70 year old man who left Lang Farm and became lost in the bush for two days. He was finally found, exhausted, on the beach at Sandgate.
Agnes St, Auchenflower – Named after the children of the former owner of Torwood, John Douglas – Annie, John, Agnes
Aldridge St, Auchenflower – Dunmore Estate (Cribb’s Paddock 1899) – Named after one of the original holders of a deed of grant in the area
Alpha St, Taringa – South Toowong, 1884 – Shown as Government Road on South Toowong Estate Map
Archer St, Toowong – Arley Estate Toowong – Shown on Arley Estate Map as New Road. Named after Alexander Archer (1828-1890), manager of the Bank of New South Wales in Brisbane and a member of the Queensland pioneering Archer family.
Annie St, Auchenflower – Torwood Estate – Named after the children of the former owner of Torwood, John Douglas – Annie, John, Agnes
Ascog Tce, Toowong – part of Ascog Estate
Aston St, Toowong – Eskmount Estate – Possibly named after George Peter Aston (1847- 1898) was a surveyor who worked briefly for Richard Gailey in 1877
Auchenflower Tce – Auchenflower Estate
Augustus St, Toowong – Moore’s Estate, 1889 – Named after the explorer and surveyor Sir Charles Augustus Gregory
Bangalla St – Rathdonnell Estate – Formerly Irving St c1911
Baroona Rd, Milton – Bayswater Estate – Shows as Government Road on Baywater Estate map
Bayliss St, Auchenflower – Formerly Isaac St. Was extended in 1938 past Croydon St and Bowling Lane. After the Sharp and Musgrave 1936 subdivision of the former Drysllwyn Estate the extended Isaac St was renamed Bayliss St
Bayswater St – Bayswater Estate
Beard St, Auchenflower – Formerly Mary St – Initially surveyed in 1911
Bennett St, Toowong – Curragh Bawn Estate, 1922 – Named after EJ Bennett, chief draughtsman in the Survey Office of Poplar House near current day Hale St.
Benson St, Toowong – Arley Estate Toowong – Previously known as Roberts Street as shown on Arley Estate map. The name was changed in 1940 probably after Dr John Robinson Benson (about 1836- 1885) a prominent medical officer with no connection to Toowong.
Bent St, Toowong – Ivy Estate, Toowong, 1884 –
Birdwood Terrace, Auchenflower – Chermside Park, Auchenflower, 1921 Birdwood Park Estate, Upper Auchenflower 1926 Birdwood Park – Upper Auchenflower Estate – Was originally part of Heussler Terrace – Named after William Riddell Birdwood, General Birdwood
Boomerang St, Milton – named after the paddlesteamer SS Boomerang
Bowling Lane, Auchenflower/Toowong – Named in 1920 at the time of the foundation of the Auchenflower Bowling Club. Was the path from Drsllwyn to the bowling green
Brisbane St, Toowong/St. Lucia – named as the road to town c. 1877
Burns Rd, Toowong – Eskmount Estate, Toowong, 1936 – Previously the Indooroopilly Pocket Rd or Pocket Rd – possibly named after James Burns who purchased land in Lang Farm estate
Burt St, Auchenflower – Sharp and Musgrave subdivision 1936 – Named after the Burt family who lived at the junction of McIlwraith st and Burt St – This street was the only rear entrance for grand houses with frontage on Milton Rd including the Groom residence
Bywong St, Toowong – Used to be known as Grosvenor St which may have been named for Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, KG, PC, JP (1825-1899) , the first Duke of Westminster. Changed in the 1950s. Bywong means Big Hill
Cadell St, Auchenflower/Toowong – Earlier John St until 1938. Initially only from Croydon St to Bowling Lane
Camford St, Milton – Named after the Camford Milk Company then Factory between Camford St and the Railway line from 1949
Camp St, Toowong – An old time resident claimed that Camp Street was used in earlier times as a camp by drovers taking cattle across the district
Carr St, St. Lucia – possibly named after a member of the Carr family
Challinor St, Auchenflower – Dunmore Estate (Cribb’s Paddock 1899 – Named after Dr Henry Challinor 1814-1882 a leader in medicine, civic affairs, the church and politics.
Chaseley St, Auchenflower – Dunmore Estate (Cribb’s Paddock 1899) – The Chaseley was one of three immigrant ships of Reverend Dunmore Lang’s emigration program of 1849
Clarence Rd, Taringa – Named after Ralph Fry Clarence who lived at Holmlee and Clarencewood
Coronation Drive – Fairholme Estate, Milton, 1913 & Arley Estate Toowong – Formerly Moggill Road, then River Road. It was renamed Coronation Drive in 1937 to commemorate the coronation of King George VI
Cribb St – Fairholme Estate, Milton, 1913 -named after JG Cribb who lived at Fairholme House which was high on the hill overlooking Brisbane River above the entrance via Little Cribb
Cue St, Auchenflower – 1899 Maclean subdivision of the Dunmore Estate formerly Cribb’s Paddock – Originally Railway Lane
Historical Display – Toowong Library
Uncategorized5 April to 15 May 2024
Come and see the Toowong and District Historical Society’s display of historic household items at the Toowong Library. Do you know what a slide rule is? Have you ever seen an Avometer or a glove stretcher? Did you read the Abbey Girls mystery series? Do you know how ornate or cheeky old postcards can be? All of these items plus many more are on display. Take a walk down memory lane or show your kids and grandkids things you grew up with that will be a mystery to them. All item are on loan from members of our society.
Old Postcards
Early Houses in Toowong Shire A-C
Houses, Local History, PlacesCompiled by Philippa Stanford. Research by Leigh Chamberlain, Nick Feros and Genean Wildestein.
This is an ongoing piece of research and will be updated as we get more information and photos.
Abbotsbury Toowong (Cnr Milton road and Croydon street).
Airdrie on the corner of Coronation Drive and Landsborough Terrace (previously Paradise Ave) near the Regatta Hotel.
Courtesy Helen Benson whose great grandparents AS Barr and Family lived here
Family photo courtesy of Helen Benson
Mr Alexander Samson Barr and Mrs Annie Brown Barr lived at Airdrie, River Road, Toowong with their children in 1916.
Ardencraig Church St now Jephson St, Toowong.
“Ardencraig” was the residence of FDG Stanley (1838-1897), acclaimed 19th century Queensland architect, and was situated on Church (now Jephson) Street, Toowong. Fashionable Stanley followed the fashion of those who were notable in Brisbane Society by installing a telescope, in common with Toowong resident and architect Richard Gailey who had done likewise at “Glenolive” in Brisbane Street, Toowong. There were two “Ardencraigs”, actually, as the house Stanley had built burnt down, and was replaced by a second residence.
Ardencraig was the original home of Churchie (Anglican Church Grammar School) in 1912 before it moved to East Brisbane. It was placed for sale in 1924 as part of the Ardencraig House and Grounds Estate. The home was later owned by the MacDonnell family. Franic MacDonnell was a bookseller in Queen St. Their youngest son John Edward died in France in April 1918 and his name is on the Toowong memorial. Madeleine O’Hagan nee MacDonnell lived at Ardencraig until she married in 1919.
Later owned by Charles Elliott and Family. There was a fire in the mid 1960s which destroyed part of the house. The then owners sold the property and a unit block was built in its place. The damaged house was removed and restored to its former glory in its new location outside of Brisbane.
Arley the Archer family residence in the 1880s.
Horse and carriage outside the Archer family residence, Arley, Toowong, ca. 1882. Image courtesy SLQ
Alexander and Minnie Archer lived in Toowong and gave their name to Archer Street. Alexander Archer (1828-1890), was the manager of the Bank of New South Wales in Brisbane and a member of the Queensland pioneering Archer family. Sadly the Archer family of Arley, in Archer Street, Toowong died on the RMS Quetta. On February 28th in 1890, the RMS Quetta hit an uncharted granite rock in the Adolphus Channel in Torres Strait at 9.14 pm on a clear night travelling towards Thursday Island from Cooktown. The damage to the hull was a gash 6ft wide by 175 ft. long from the bow to the engine room amidships. She plunged to the bottom in less than three minutes and of the 292 persons on board, 152 were lost and 139 saved.
Arlington/Endrim – c. 1905/1906. 28 Woodstock Rd, Toowong. Home of Badger
Arlington, 1906. Photographed by Frederick Munro Hull and courtesy of Genevieve Kennett
Courtesy real estate image
Real Estate image
Joseph Stillman Badger, General Manager of the Brisbane Tramways Company (BTC) moved to Arlington (as it was then known) around 1904. This was when work commenced upon the extension of the tramline from the gates of Brisbane General Cemetery, down Dean Street, and into Woodstock Road to terminate at the (Toowong) Tram Terminus situated just near his front gate.
For more information about Arlington see here
Auchenflower House – built in 1876 for the ironmonger John Ward. situated on the crest of a hill between the railway line and Milton Road, and Ridley and Dixon Streets.
Auchenflower House, 1969, courtesy TROVE
built in 1876 for the ironmonger John Ward. situated on the crest of a hill between the railway line and Milton Road, and Ridley and Dixon Streets. The property known as Auchenflower was purchased by Mr John Warde who built the original Auchenflower House. The property was then purchased by Sir Thomas McIlwraith in 1880 who extended it and christened it Auchenflower giving the suburb its name. For the ten years between 1880-1980 Auchenflower was a centre of social life for the political leaders and those who aspired to politics. After McIlwraith’s death in 1900 it was sold to the family of Sir Arthur Palmer. Later purchased by Mrs. TJ Ryan widow of a Queensland premier. Became a Carmelite Monastery in 1927. When the site was cleared for a church in 1967 auchenflower House’s ballroom and billiard room were rebuilt at Norman Park as the centrepiece of ‘Early Street Historical Village’. The rooms today can be found at Tamborine Estate Winery, in the Beaudesert Shire south-west of Brisbane, where they were moved in the 1990s.
For more information see here
Braelands at Bellevue Parade and Ellerslie Crescent, Taringa (previously South Toowong)
Braelands, 1949
The residence of Helen and James Forsythe and later their niece Miss Helen ‘Ivy’ Philp, daughter of Sir Robert Philp. Braelands was commandeered from Miss Helen ‘Ivy’ Bannister Philip for the use General George H Brett during WWII. Miss Philp went to stay with her sister at Mallow in Toowong. Later Miss Ivy Philp sold the land to a group of men who bought it for Albert Street Methodist Church and it was used as a residential hostel for students at UQ.
For more information about Braelands during the war see here
Clayton House – standing on the back of the hill at the end of Patrick Lane
Image courtesy Nick Feros
Standing on the back of the hill at the end of Patrick Lane, Toowong was Clayton House which was built in 1863. It was previously owned by A. M. G. Patrick who was an officer in the Police Force, but he sold and became the family home of the Dixons ca. 1865. It was the home of Dr Graham Patrick Dixon (1873-1947) who had a distinguished career as a medical officer in WW1 (Gallipoli and middle east) and, in peace time, as a Brisbane surgeon. It was also the home of Dr Dixon’s mother, Louisa Jane Dixon, who died in October 1938 aged 91. The Dixons also operated a boarding house out of Clayton. JB Fewings boarded here at Clayton before he purchased his property Karslake.
Chatswood on 7 Augustus Street, Toowong.
Chatswood, nd
Three Weatherlale sisters doing needlework on the verandah of their Toowong home, ca. 1918. SLQ image
Chatswood was the home of the Wetherlakes family, George and Elsie Weatherslake and their daughters, Mavis, Ruth, Marion and Joyce. Marion married the 2nd son of Mr & Mrs Biggs of Dunmore Tce. Biggs was a former councillor for Toowong. The Weatherlakes were the maternal grandparents of Dr Bruce Bigge who had the Fiveways Surgery. The house later became the home of one of the Patterson family.
Curragh Bawn – home of William Landsborough? Curragh Bawn on the hill behind the Current Regatta Hotel
Curragh Bawn, nd
How did Elizabeth St, Toowong get its name?
Local History, StreetsA to Z of Toowong founders and pioneers
Local History, PeopleCompiled by Philippa Stanford – research by Philippa Stanford, Leigh Chamberlain, Nick Feros, Genean Wildeisen, Lee Bull and numerous contributions on our facebook page.
This is a list of people who played prominent roles in the establishment of Toowong with a brief description. This is by no means complete and will continue to be updated. In some cases there are links to longer and more detailed articles.
Alexander Archer (1828-1890), manager of the Bank of New South Wales in Brisbane and a member of the Queensland pioneering Archer family. His wife was Mary Louisa, a daughter of Sir Robert Ramsay Mackenzie, 10th Baronet (1811-1873), a Queensland Premier (1867-68). The Archer residence, ‘Arley’, sat on the river bank at Toowong high above the flood zone of the Brisbane River. The Archer brothers were explorers and pastoralists and were among the earliest European settlers in Queensland. see here
Dr Hugh Bell (d. 1897) was a noted physician and consultant at the Brisbane General Hospital. 1888 purchased Milton House at Milton. See here
Donald Bennett (1910-1986) was an aviator and founder of the RAF Pathfinders and author. Lived at Kingsford Dt, Auchenflower. See here
Mr E.J Bennett (1829-1920) was chief draughtsman in the Survey Office. Lived at a house at Bennett’s Bridge, Milton. See here
Mrs FW Carr –Mr and Mrs Frederick Carr – purchased the Toowong Retreat Hotel property in 1868 and it became a residence. Mr Carr died May 1869 and Mrs Carr turned the hotel not a boarding house. Mrs FW Carr later became Mrs William Landsborough in 1873 and continued to live in the property Toowong Retreat Hotel until it was resumed by the railway lived in a house on the corner of the Indooroopilly or Long Pocket Road. Then the Landsboroughs moved to Curragh Bawn on the hill behind the Current Regatta Hotel
Dr. Henry Challinor (1814-1882) arrived on the SS Fortitude in 1849. He was a leader in medicine, civic affairs, and politician. He Lived at ‘Fairseat’ on Birdwood Terrace, the house Built by the late Augustus Charles Gregory for his brother Francis Gregory, around 1922. See here
Sir Alfred Cowley (1848-1926) and Lady Cowley (Charlotte nee Coppin) who was a cane farmer, industrialist and parliamentarian. They lived at Silky Oaks in Cross St, Toowong. See here
Robert Cribb is featured in TDHS’ logo
Mr. Robert Cribb (1805-1893) was born in England he emigrated to Brisbane 1849. In 1852 he purchased land in Auchenflower near current day Cribb St and called it Lang Farm in honour of John Dunmore Lang. He built Dunmore House on the corner of Coronation Drive and Lang Parade as his residence. He was a baker and land agent. He was a key figure in business and politics in Queensland. He was the leader of Brisbane’s ‘merchant group’ a founder of the Queensland Liberal Association. He was elected to the first Queensland Parliament and an alderman in the Brisbane City Council. See here
John Cribb (b. 1830) was the eldest son of Robert Cribb and one time accountant in the Bank of New South Wales. Lived at ‘Fairholme’, Milton . See here
Samuel Dart and his wife Eliza Anne Dart were the parents of Raymond Dart lived in Toowong in the late 19th Century. Samuel Dart was a member of Toowong Shore Council in 1896. See here
William Davies esq, a Welsh gold mining magnate. Dryswllyn later Raymond Lodge – 47 Cadell St, Auchenflower was constructed for him. He owned an extensive part of land between Milton Road, Dixon Street and Toowong Park. He later (1927) donated a portion of this estate to the Auchenflower Scouts and it is currently the HQ of the Scout Association of Australia. See here
Dr Graham Patrick Dixon CBE VD FRACS (1873-1947) was a surgeon doctor-soldier. Lived in the Dixon Family home, Clayton, with frontage on River Rd. See here
John Douglas (1828-1904) was a pastoralist and landowner who owned much of the land around Torwood (present day Auchenflower/Milton. Was Premier of Queensland 1877-1879 and Administrator and Government resident at Thursday Island (1885-1904). See here
R.L. Drew (August 1862) in 1862 bought and subdivided land on the outskirts of Brisbane, setting up a signboard: ‘This is the village of Toowong’. Drew donated land for the first Church of St Thomas the Apostle, and was one of its original trustees. subdivided his land and called the collection of land subdivisions, Toowong. See here
Mrs RL Drew (Ann Drew c.1822 – 1907) was a welfare worker and wife, then widow, of the ‘father of Toowong’. She was secretary (1870-79) of the committee of the Lady Bowen Hospital and founder of the Infant Home and Women’s Refuge in 1871. The Drews’ friend J. B. Fewings described R. L. Drew as ‘timid, modest, and retiring’, yet unobtrusively successful in realizing his plans; by comparison, Ann Drew’s talents were much more evident and varied; he emphasized particularly her ‘great practicable ability’. Ann Drew died at Sandgate, near Brisbane, on 5 August 1907. The Drews are buried in Toowong cemetery.
George Edmonstone (1809-1883) a butcher and businessman who originally until mid 1850s owned Moorlands Estate. He was a member of the first Town Council of Brisbane (1859-1866) and its Mayor (1863-1864). His daughter married John Markwell which is how Markwell came to own the Moorlands Estate. See here
Ambrose Eldridge (c.1815-1860) was a retired Queen St chemist who died in 1860. In 1853 he had Milton House constructed for his residence. In retirement he grew cotton on Milton Farm in the vicinity of the house. Milton Cotton became the local fabric of the day. See here
John Fenwick (1823-1900) came to Brisbane in 1864 setting up business as a hide and skin dealer and then a stock and station agent. He lived on Milton Rd near the Brewery. See here
Mr JB Fewings (d. 1910) and family lived at Carslake behind Mr Miskin’s house on Sherwood Road. JB Fewings was a schoolteacher who taught at the normal school and was headmaster at the Petrie Terrace School. See here
Richard Gailey (1834-1924) was a prominent architect who designed and built Glen Olive near Jack Cook Park. See here
Francis (Frank) Thomas Gregory (1821-1888) – An explorer and politican. Brother of explorer Augustus Charles Gregory. Francis Gregory was appointed as a Commissioner of Crown Lands. He married Marion Hume in 1865, the sister of his surveying friend and protégé, Walter C. Hume.[1] From 1874, he was elected and served as a member of the Queensland Legislative Council. For a short period during 1883, he served as the appointed Postmaster-General of Queensland. His brother, Augustus Charles Gregory, built ‘Fairseat’ on Birdwood Terrace, for him in 1922. See here
Leititia Jephson (c.1827 – 1908) Born in Ireland around 1827 as Letita Arabin she emigrated to Australia in 1853 marrying Thomas Jephson a year later. after being widowed in her early forties became a successful businesswoman managing boarding houses in the city, Kangaroo Point and most notably the Longreach Private Boarding house. She purchased Cadbury on Kensington Terrace (on the current site of BBC boarding houses) around 1879 and renamed it Mallow after her birthplace in Ireland. She was a land agent and council member of the Women’s Franchise League which petitioned Parliament for votes for women. She travelled widely and was involved in a shipwreck in 1900.She sold the house to Sir Robert Philp in 1899. She died in January 1908 leaving a considerable estate. Church Street was renamed Jephson Street after her. See here
Mr. William Kellett (1839-1916) – a member of the State Legislative Assembly representing the Stanley electorate. Was a member of the firm Fenwick and Kellett, stock and station agents. Purchased an area of around 11 acres including Dryswllyn and the nearby Bowling green between Milton Road and what was Toowong Park now the Toowong Memorial Park. Kellett St is named after him.
William Land (1864-1933) was a master butcher and mayor of Toowong. He was born at Somerset, England and arrived in Brisbane as a youth. He first established his butchering business in High Street, Toowong, and during the next 40 years built up an extensive Wholesale and retail trade. He had a butcher’s shop on Sylvan Rd with paddocks extending from Sylvan Rd to Patrick Lane. He also added an ice manufacturing plant. Mr. Land took a prominent part in local authority affairs and was a councillor of the Toowong Town Council for many years, and mayor of the town on several occasions. He died in 1933 aged 68.
See here for a photo of the butcher shop
Ada Mary Laugher a talented amateur photographer who won prizes for her photographs and she worked as a clerk for the Brisbane Courier. Photographs taken by her have the initials AML. The Laugher sisters, Janie, Rosie and Ada Mary, of Benson St, Toowong, had initially moved to the district with their parents in 1890. Their father, Charles Henry Laugher, had operated pharmacies from the mid-1860s till around 1891, firstly in Rockhampton, then Ipswich, and later Beenleigh, and then in Taringa. She lived on Benson St. See here
Mr John Markwell was a resident at Moorlands, a wooden bungalow prior to the 1870s. In 1854 he acquired 52 acres of land later to be ‘Auchenflower’ (1880). This included land gifted from George Edmonstone when Markwell married his daughter and was 30 acres heading westwards and up to the higher ground of Milton Road. He was a businessman – involved in ironmongery, glassware and china retail. Mr John Markwell (jnr) in 1880 was appointed a foundation member of the new Toowong Shire Council. See here
Mayne family including Patrick Payne – butcher and grazier. Mrs Mary Mayne purchased and moved into Moorlands Villa in 1879 with her five children. The youngest was James O’Neill Mayne, the 17 yo. Upon her death in 1889 her second youngest child Mary Emelia Mayne (1858-1940) became custodian along with her brother, James. See here
Randall MacDonnell (1830-1877) was a school inspector. One time owner of Rathdonnell House which was named after him. See here
EJ Melville – Photographer Ernest, the photographer went on to run the State Govt. Insurance business in Toowoomba but died young at 45 years in 1935. His father, John was the sexton of Toowong Cemetery. Melville family were first residents on Musgrave St, Toowong. See here
Mr. WH Miskin was an amateur entomologist who had a fine collection of butterflies He lived next to Sherwood House on Sherwood Road. He was also the foundation chairman of the new Toowong Shire Council. He became the Governments Official Assignee and later the Colony’s first Official Trustee in Insolvency. See here
Lady Palmer was the wife of Sir Arthur Palmer and formerly Cecilia Jessie Mosman. She was also the sister of North Queensland identity Hugh Mosman for whom the town of Mossman is named. Note the extra S is a mistake
Mr Henry Pears (1833-1903) purchased the site of current day Peerless Dry Cleaners on High St, Toowong in 1876. The property purchased from Heannah Ward and the present building was constructed on the site in the mid 1880s. In 1885-6 the building as occupied by Carver and Co who were drapers and fitters. He was a contractor and builder who was the contractor for St Thomas Church which was opened in 1877. The building was constructed for about £850. See here
The Petrie’s of Petrie’s Monumental Masons, Milton Road
Several generations of Petrie’s worked in Brisbane as stonemasons and builders. The first Andrew Petrie (1798 – 1872) was one of the Scottish mechanics brought to Sydney in 1831 by John Dunmore Lang as the nucleus of a new force of free workers. His work was so well regarded that in 1837 he was sent to Moreton Bay as the Superintendent of Works to oversee building works and he is known as The Father of Brisbane. In 1840 he started the family business which passed to his son, John (1822-1892), who was a builder, architect and stonemason in 1848. He was elected first Mayor of Brisbane. In 1882 his eldest son, Andrew Lang Petrie (1854-1928), took over his father’s reconstructed firm, John Petrie & Son. By then the business focused on cabinet making and joinery, brick and tile making and monumental masonry.
He was also a trained architect, builder and stonemason and served in the Queensland Parliament as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for 33 years. The firm went bankrupt in the depression of 1894 but was later revived as monumental masons only. The Monumental Works was located opposite the main Toowong Cemetery gates. Andrew was a member of the Brisbane General Cemetery Board.
In the 1920s the business passed to John George Petrie, an architect and sportman, then to John Robert Petrie then to John Ronald Petrie who took over the business in the 1970s. He was a well regarded architect, stonemason and builder, and was responsible for the restoration of many of Queensland’s most iconic buildings – many of which the Petrie’s had originally built. The Petrie business continues to offer design and building services.
For more information see here and here
Mrs Rogers d. 1875 – in 1865 purchased 2.4 hectares of land at Toowong on an elevated spot on the river, later the site of the ABC in Toowong. James Cowlishaw constructed a house for her in 1865 on this site called Middenbury which still stands today. The house is an example of mid 19th Century architecture. Upon her death she left the house and land to her four children and it eventually was purchased by the O’Shea family in 1891 who lived in the house for 59 years making a number of renovations in this time. 1860s home on ABC Toowong site heritage listed (brisbanetimes.com.au)
Thomas Joseph Ryan (1876-1921) was one of the first Australian born politicians to be State Premier. He married Lily Virginia Cook and was a barrister and member of the Labor party. He lived at Auchenflower house from around 1910 until his death. See here
David Thompson Seymour, Queensland’s first Commissioner of Police, in 1864-1895. One time owner of Milton House, Milton around 1887. See here
Charles Siemon (1871-19410) Mayor of Town of Toowong and his family. The Siemon family were pioneers of present day Auchenflower and Milton. Councillor Siemon member of Toowong Shire Council 1896. The family – William Siemon, a grain merchant bought Milton House in 1904. Ernest Siemon built ‘Ravensfield’ on River Road in 1911. Later known as the Siemon Dairy Farm or Siemon’s Jersey Dairy (C. 1932-1940). See here
Mr John Warde the property known as Auchenflower was purchased by Mr John Warde who built the original Auchenflower House. He went to Sydney and started a periodical called the Pacific Monthly
Henry Charles Stanley (1840–1921) was the chief engineer of the railways in Queensland, Australia. On arrival in Queensland in 1863 , Stanley was employed by the railway department of the Queensland Government and in 1891, he was formally appointed the Chief Engineer for the entire Queensland network. In this role he designed the second Albert Bridge from Indooroopilly to Chelmer and this is considered his major work. Henry Charles Stanley purchased Ascog in Ascog Terrace and later moved to Tighnabruaich, designed by his brother, in Indooroopilly in the early 1890s. See here
Have Horse: Will Travel. The Necessity for Roads in 1850
Local History, PlacesEarly lease and landholders: dates and details
UncategorizedCribb later acquired neighbouring conjoining properties and established a farm here known as ‘Lang Farm’.
Drew subsequently subdivided these properties, setting up a signboard: ‘This is the village of Toowong’.
Drew donated land for the first Church of St Thomas the Apostle, built in Curlew Street, and was one of its original trustees.
When the church relocated and rebuilt on the corner of High and Jephson Streets, the church trustees returned the land to Drew’s widow Mrs Anne Drew. The title deeds had remained in Drew’s name.
Interesting Facts about Toowong Part 2
Local Historyby Leigh Chamberlain
Toowong through the eyes of a newspaper reporter in 1859.
Moggill and its neighbourhood: Random sketches by a traveller through the District of East Moreton (No. 3)
The following article was published on Saturday, 5 February 1859 on page 2 of ‘The Moreton Bay Courier’, the colony’s local newspaper from 1846 till 1861.
The author of this article is unknown as he (or she) wrote under the pseudonym ‘a traveller’. This article is the third in a series that appeared under the heading of ‘Random sketches’.
No doubt many of the readers of The Courier have thought, as they progressed up or down the river Brisbane, per steamer, or otherwise, and taken a partial survey of that primitive looking structure, known as the Moggill coal wharf, that little could be particularized about that locality, beyond the fact, that one John Williams, some eight or ten years since, discovered a seam of coal cropping out near the water’s edge in that neighbourhood; and after extracting some hundreds of tons of black diamond from this fortunate find, leaving a fair marginal profit upon his working capital, sold a company all his right, title, and freehold interest therein. Such however is not the sole fact; and as I did not proceed to Moggill for the special purpose of investigating and reporting upon those carboniferous formations, or with the view of drawing speculative attention to any such deposits, I perhaps may be pardoned, if I endeavour to amuse your readers with other attractive qualities of this pretty, and may I add valuable, village site. Before I do so, or commence my gossiping remarks about Moggill, permit me first to take your readers along the road leading from Brisbane in that direction. As I am not in any respect a fast man, let us jog on in that sociable manner one sometimes witnesses upon the meeting of two old ladies, after having been separated some eight-and-forty-hours, and have a world of gossip to impart to each other. Having, therefore, fixed upon this quiet way of getting along the road, let us, as an old tar would say, take our departure for some well-known spot; and none presents itself to the mind’s eye so peaceably as this old fence, enclosing the mortal remains of those who have died, and perchance have long since been forgotten by those they left in lands far away. Yes! within this limited pitch of mother earth, what relics of frail mortality lie therein buried, until the last trump summon them to the judgment seat of God? What a host of recollections rise up in memory as an old Traveller like me, through this changeful world, moralizes upon the varied characters that here mix their poor dust together. Side by side lies the gallant soldier, and the thrice convicted felon; the guard and the guarded unmindful of each other, and quietly resting until the last great day.
(1859). Plan of portions 203 to 257 in the environs of Brisbane, parish of Enoggera, County of Stanley, NSW. Surveyor General’s Office,
Here, perchance, the frail form of Innocence lies in peaceful security, and in close proximity to the housebreaker and man of blood. I give no fancy sketch here; the records of the past in this last sad resting place amply illustrates how Death levels all distinction when the spirit leaves its tenement of clay. Happily for this generation these records are all we at present possess, wherefrom to draw a moral, ‘or adorn a tale’. The presence of the felon and the debasing influence of a convict population has been spared us for many years past, and we trust our families may be long spared from those evils communications, that so rapidly corrupt the manners of a people. Yet, as we turn our horse’s head from the fence to proceed upon our journey a sadness comes o’er our spirits, as we contemplate that busy hive of human industry upon our right hand; because we know that at a cost of some £26,000 of the public money, they are there with building a Jail. Sad reflection to the philanthropist [sic][i], that the first public building erected in Moreton Bay should be a prison.
However, let us pass over this ridge and leave these sad moralising reflections behind us; at the foot of the ridge we cross the town boundary, and enter the suburbs, comprising the west, or aristocratic end of Moreton Bay’s embryo metropolitan city. At present, the western suburbs can boast but little of its architectural adornments, and unlike the eastern or down river suburbs, has not increased in a similar ratio the number of its inhabitants, yet it requires not the voice of prophecy to proclaim the future of this locality.
Passing to the side of the river we obtain a view of ‘Milton’, the town residence of J.F. McDougall, Esq., one of the Moreton Bay squattocracy, and who sets the laudable example of spending his income within the province wherein it is derived. The grounds about Milton, I may remark en passant, are being brought under judicious cultivation, and will very speedily form a very pleasant feature in our river scenery.
Crossing a small creek, by a very durable and creditable looking wooden bridge, we pass a quaint looking building in the course of erection, which might be very appropriately named ‘The House with the Three Gables,’ having a centre ornament overtopping all, looking for all the world like a miniature castle of Blue Beard’s, with a lookout turret for dear sister Anne. It is here that indefatigable old die-hard, Honest Bob Cribb, I understand, intends to pass the evening of his days; and from his look-out, take an occasional view of the progressive improvements of the land we live in.
Crossing a second bridge of similar construction as the first, we pass the modest cottage orneé of the Moreton Bay Stultz (Mr. John Markwell) and take a glance at the beautiful vista presented to view, up and down the three miles reach, the cleared lands on the south bank of the river showing at the present season to much advantage. A short distance beyond the second bridge, the road inclines to the right hand, skirting the back fences of a beautiful clearing known as ‘Lang Farm,’ and named after the worthy Doctor of that ilk. As my duties compel me to visit the various tenements and holding in my route to Moggill, let us have a gossip and a look round the nursery garden of friend Payne, the present occupier of the farm. To enable us to do so, we will let our horse nibble the grass in the outside paddock, and taking our course across the creek by the aid of the fallen tree, we enter the nursery through a magnificent grove of bananas, the pendant fruit issuing from which bespeak the richness of the soil from which their roots derive sustenance. In the open portion of the grounds some hundreds of orange grafts evidence the supply of those valuable and nutritious fruit trees, to be obtained here. The easy distance ‘Lang Farm’ is from the metropolis, places it in an excellent position for the inspection of visitors, should the Brisbane folk feel desirous of spending an idle hour in the inspection of this very pretty spot. As my duties impel me to proceed further along the river bank, I must leave a more detailed description of Payne’s nursery garden to some future visit; and take your readers with me through this bit of scrub—land bordering the Brisbane river; bearing in mind as you force your way through the pendant vines, or runners, interlacing and almost obstructing one’s progress in every direction, that great caution need be exercised to escape the tormenting fangs of the bush lawyer, a very formidable looking customer I assure you to come in contact with in passing through a piece of scrub land. To give your readers some faint idea of a scrub, let them conjure up in imagination a wood or forest in the old country, with the underwood left untouched; to which they may add any quantity of briers or thorns they may deem desirable to make the description perfect. I have often, in my young days, thought what a cunning old fox Robinson Crusoe was in planning the trees around his cave so thickly and impenetrably; but, I certainly think, the poor solitary would have gained a wrinkle, if he had dropped across a bush lawyer, to warn off trespassers; for I found out this much in passing through the same pilley, scrub, that this indigenous grab-all, like those gentlemen who in towns do congregate, have very little mercy upon those persons who foolishly place themselves within their clutches. In this respect, the passage of an Australian scrub strongly reminds me of the progress of a Chancery suit through the law courts. In either case the luckless wight that finally gets clear of the obstructions in the way, will find himself denuded of all superfluous toggery. What an immense variety of shrubs, creepers, and botanical specimens meet the eye in every direction; and the mind of the inquisitive is speedily filled with wonder and amazement at the bountiful productions of native wild. At last we reach a clearing; a spot of some half dozen acres from which the trees and brushwood have been but recently removed. In this patch we behold a splendid growth of early maize, the well cobbed stacks of which give the hard-working proprietor a sure token that his 30, or perhaps 50-acre farm, is amply worth all the labor he can bestow upon its clearing and cultivation. From 70 to 80 bushels to the acre may safely be set down as the produce of the crop, now almost ready for gathering. I found in this neighbourhood several other farms, recent purchases from the Crown, and like the one described, giving unmistakable evidence of what crops may be raised. From the scrub and forest lands bordering the rivers and creeks of this district, splendid potatoes, gigantic pumpkins, huge melons, and other vegetable productions, call up incessant observations for the uninitiated in these matters. However we will, for the present, leave our gossip upon the productiveness of East Moreton until a future paper, and in the meantime, resume our journey along the road to Moggill.
Like all the roads stretching away northerly from Brisbane, the one to Moggill is very hilly; and certainly but little adapted for wheeled vehicles, except the cumbrous bullock dray. But the river renders a ‘road’ in this direction at present almost unnecessary except for equestrians. About nine miles from town we reach ‘Pullen Pullen’ Creek, only navigable a short distance up for small boats. At the crossing place we arrive at the sheep station of Mr. John McGrath, who for some years past has done well, with a few sheep depasturing upon the country about the Pine Mountain Range. An immense quantity of fine pine timber has been procured from the scrubs, lying in dense masses at the foot of these picturesque mountains. Bullock teams convey the log to the ‘Creek’, from which place they are rafted and brought to Brisbane. The timber cut from this locality possess a harder and therefore more durable texture than the pine previously obtained in the low-lying scrubs on the riverbank. I am sorry to say, the paucity of building operations at present in progress in these districts have diminished the demand for all descriptions of building materials. The sawyers in this neighborhood, in common with other working hands, find some difficulty in clearing expect to see ‘a good time coming’.
Shortly after leaving McGrath’s the traveller begins to ascend a spur branching from the Pine Ranges towards the river; reaching the top of which, the admirer of the grand and beautiful will be amply repaid for his toilsome ascent. The view obtainable of the country lying to the eastward, and in the vicinity of these productive mountains, is very fine, whilst to the westward, their towering peaks, lifting their lofty heads in grand sublimity towards the clouds, mark the whereabouts of the splendid plains of Normandy, back up in the distance of the blue outline of the vast Australian Cordilleras; a couple of miles further brings us down upon Moggill Creek, and the cultivated farms of the residents in that quarter. The valley of the Brisbane in this direction does not embrace a very considerable tract of country, the land away from the river breaking off into rather poor ridgey forest upland; although the cultivators of the soil at Moggill have no reason, I understand, to complain of its fertility, very fair average crops of the usual Moreton Bay assortment of farm produce recompensing the exertions and outlay of the husbandmen. The Moggill districts have much to look forward to in the future reasonable progress of Moreton Bay. Its underlying stratum of Carboniferous formation, from which coal of a very excellent quality has been obtained in large quantities, and which, I believe, only re quires capital to develop their abundance and richness more fully, carries the mind of the speculator to that period when the steam traffic of this vast province will employ, and demand an enormous quantity of this description of fuel; for which the coal fields of Moggill and other localities will then reap a rich recompense. Moggill is further surrounded with mountains, clothed to their very summits with gigantic pine trees, thus possessing a mine of wealth below and above its surface. The removal of the 17 mile rocks, and other obstructions in the River Brisbane below Moggill, must necessarily add much to the importance of that locality; however, I will not pursue this interesting subject further, leaving the reader to make his own calculation in this ‘sketch,’ of what may be made out of the future as regards the progress of ‘Moggill.’
Before I finally quit this scene of rural industry let me make one observation, which I, for one, deem worthy of a passing remark. The first occupiers of the farms laid out by the Government Surveyor at Moggill, were immigrants brought out under the auspices of Dr. Lang; and, although only two or three families of that importation remain at present upon the original clearing, one memento yet stands upon the road side, that proves that the worthy Doctor’s selection of these people were not only creditable to himself, but reflect credit upon the land of their adoption. The memento I allude to is the erection, by these ‘Lima’ men, of a modest mansion, dedicated to the worship therein of the Almighty God. Yes! these travellers to distant lands felt, I have no doubt, when they sat down upon their several freeholds how much they were indebted to Him, for thus placing them in safety upon the seashores; and their first fitting acknowledgement of His goodness was, the voluntary erection of this house of prayer. Contrast this proceeding my dear readers, with that too often practised in other, and similar bush localities, instead of dedicating a house to the Father of all, we see them dedicating one to the father of evil, and therefrom supplying those liquid fires that burn out and obliterate all that is good here, and destroys every hope of the good promised hereafter.
A beautiful morning’s sunrise greeted the vision of those who, like myself, had to be up and doing in this battle of life early. How peacefully, how refreshed and refreshing, everything looked the eye rested upon. The dew drops flashed and sparkled as the gentle breeze waved the leaflets, and wafted up the aroma from the fragrant blossoms around. The cows as they quietly stood in the stock-yard, patiently waiting their turn to be released of their milky burthen[ii]; and for a few moments to be permitted to greet their young sucklings had, to my fancy, something of that mute eloquence poets often speak about, and which testifies a grateful heart.
A stroll down to the coal pit after breakfast, put me into possession of this fact, that the present supply of coal from the Moggill mine is not very extensive. The working seam (I found, upon making enquiry of a young lad who was using very striking efforts to induce an old horse to take his everlasting round at the mill crank, that put a force pump in motion) was at present nearly exhausted, only one man being then employed to get out coal for the steamers Hawk and Bremer. The entrance to the workings is by a cut made into the hill side. A shaft has I believe been sunk, but with what success as regard the finding of coal I did not hear; but lower down the Moggil Creek, I was informed a Mr. Lamsden had sunk a shaft to the depth of about 100 feet, and was very sanguine of dropping upon an extensive coal formation very speedily.
Quitting the farms and crossing the creek we came to a cluster of gunyahs occupied by the families of those men who are, and have been some time, employed in the timeless trade in this neighbourhood. I was pleased to find, that in several instances, these generally unprovided bush operators, had not knocked down all their hard won earnings at the grog shops in Brisbane; but wisely laid a portion of them out in the purchase of land, which I was further pleased to see was fenced in with good substantial three railed fences; and above all a comfortable looking house built upon each of these freeholds. May their example be followed by many of their fellow workmen, whenever their timber trade takes a turn for the better! Upon asking one of their numbers, who is amongst them known as Little Dick, how it was he had not, after so many years toiling, got a bit of land in his right, he made answer, ‘sure sir, if I haven’t bought any land, I have helped to build a good many houses.’ Very significant this, and certainly strengthens me in my previous opinion, that it will be the very opposite of a blessing should this neighbourhood reckon amongst its conveniences a Public House, or liquor store. A bush track made by the passing drays proceeding to and from the Pine Ranges, takes one through a very interesting region of hill and dale, the route being well marked by these dense scrubs fringing the steep acclivities of the mountains.
A ride of some five or six miles brought me to an extensive natural clearing, or opening in the hills, named by the timber-getters the paddock. A large quantity of valuable timber has within the last few years been cut from the scrub in that direction, and I found a number of men all busy falling and cross-cutting pine logs for market; the drays conveying them to Pullen Pullen Creek, and from thence they are rafted to Brisbane, where the steam saw-mills speedily convert them into boards and scantling for the home and foreign markets.
A large quantity of good agricultural land is to be found between the heads of the two creeks, (Pullen Pullen and Moggill), a portion in close proximity to the river, has been surveyed, and some portion purchased; but some excellent farms must someday be formed at the foot of these partially explored pine ranges.
My wanderings in the direction of Moggill being brought to a close at this point of my journey, in consequence of the service I had to perform being completed in that quarter, I must wind up my present ‘Sketch’ with again hoping, that in the perusal of my sketches of East Moreton, some pleasing information may be obtained by those who reside therein, and some profitable hints gathered by those who dwell in the land beyond the sea; and who feel the wants of a young and increasing family bear too heavily upon their resources, and look with great anxiety to the future provision of their households. To them I would conscientiously say, emigrate, and whilst you make the necessary inquiries that may rule your future movements, don’t forget to learn every particular about Moreton Bay—now speedily about to be made a separate colony, and ruled and governed by laws of its own construction.
[i]The spelling should be ‘philanthropist’, and is obviously a typographical error which slipped through the newspaper’s editing process.
[ii]According to Encarta Dictionary English (U.K.), ‘burthen’ is both a noun and a transitive verb. Its meaning is the same as the word ‘burden’.
Interesting Facts about Toowong part 1
Local History, PeopleRobert Cribb is featured in TDHS’ logo
Ardencraig and the Stanley Family
Houses, Local History