Gaythorne. Gaythorne, on Brisbane’s north side, nestles between Enoggera and Mitchelton. Over the years, it grew from homestead farms to modern suburbia. The Pickering family established their homestead and farm, “Rosehill” there, and grew a family of five, some rather fine grapes, and wine from those grapes (the quality of the wine is lost toContinue reading “The A-Z of Old Brisbane: from Gaythorne to Gumdale.”
How did we see in the New Year in the past?
Noise was made. Sleep was murdered. Drunken fools could not be kept off racecourses. But, by the end of the 19th century, the celebration had developed into a family-friendly fireworks display. 1849 – the town’s 1000 or so inhabitants huzzaed. A bit. For a while. HOW 1849 CAME TO BRISBANE. (From our Windmill Reporter.) WhenContinue reading “How did we see in the New Year in the past?”
On this day: 29 December 1849.
The Moreton Bay Courier’s news of the day. Page 1. The Classifieds on page 1 offered the usual array of lost livestock, Holloway’s Pills advertisements, and confusing ads for drapery (strong linen duck?). A large advertisement for an Art Union explained the use of the term “Art Union” by actually offering works of art asContinue reading “On this day: 29 December 1849.”
Through the Artist’s Eyes.
Art in Queensland before Separation. How does an artist render a completely unfamiliar world – landscapes, animals and people unlike anything the artist has seen before? A European individual, trained in the various schools and traditions of recording the world around them, would interpret northern Australia with a somewhat Euro-centric lens. An artist accompanying aContinue reading “Through the Artist’s Eyes.”
Christmas Recipes in Old Queensland.
Or, how to cook your own goose. Want to cook like a colonial? These Christmas recipes have been taken from the Capricornian and the Evening Observer. Some of the recipes sound quite edible, others are best viewed in the context of the era. Garnishing the turkey with fried sausages? Mmm. Nothing like stuffing a turkeyContinue reading “Christmas Recipes in Old Queensland.”
This Abominable Woman.
In the late 1840s, readers of the Moreton Bay Courier, were appalled and fascinated by reports of the antics of the town’s less proper womenfolk. Some were former convicts, others were wives of labourers, all were heavy drinkers. For nearly a decade, the rowdiest woman in town was Mary Ann Williams. The Brisbane Bench cautionedContinue reading “This Abominable Woman.”
The Bay Fisherman.
Timothy Duffy was an Irish convict, who had been transported for highway robbery in 1822, and who became a familiar and well-liked figure in early Brisbane as the Bay Fisherman. His progress towards reform and respectability was slow, and some would say, incomplete. He liked a drink, hated a bailiff, and could curse with legendaryContinue reading “The Bay Fisherman.”
The preoccupations of a particular day.
I had wanted to get an understanding of the stories occupying the news, and what made people tick at a certain point in time. I used the very scientific method of picking a date at random, and looking through all of the articles in Queensland’s newspapers for that day. The random day was 26 JanuaryContinue reading “The preoccupations of a particular day.”
On this day – October 17.
October 17, 1830 – the Death of Captain Logan. In another age, when news travelled very slowly, a newspaper editor in Sydney was vigorously libeling a man he looked forward to meeting in Court shortly. It was October 1830, and Edward Smith Hall of the Monitor was busily publishing articles on the cruelty of CaptainContinue reading “On this day – October 17.”
Lantern slides of outback life.
The George Washington Wilson Company’s slides of the goldfields. Celebrated photographer George Washington Wilson didn’t make the journey to the goldfields of North Queensland in 1890. By then, he was in old age, and the journey would have been too taxing (besides, he was making enough money to have studios under his command). One ofContinue reading “Lantern slides of outback life.”
Moreton Bay and More 