It would make a pleasant change from their usual activities. Adelaide Express and Telegraph Saturday 11 December 1886. Alas, this striking sheet music cover is all that seems to remain of The Pioneer Schottische. Perhaps it is enough to have these fanciful dancing “alligators” forming the word “schottische” almost a century before Sir Elton cameContinue reading “If only crocodiles actually did this…”
Machine breakers, mutiny, and Moreton Bay: the voyages of the Eleanor, 1831.
The Eleanor was a trading ship, built at Calcutta in 1821 [i]. She worked trade routes from Asia to England before being contracted to transport an unusual group of convicts to Australia – hard-working, honest men who had taken part in industrial action. The Machine Breakers “The men per Eleanor were landed on Monday lastContinue reading “Machine breakers, mutiny, and Moreton Bay: the voyages of the Eleanor, 1831.”
The Young Ones.
Two teenaged criminals who went from Moreton Bay to Norfolk Island. [This is the second in an occasional series that examines the fates of the convicts who had “to Norfolk Island” written against their names in the Moreton Bay Register.] Two of the convicts who went to from Moreton Bay to Norfolk Island arrived inContinue reading “The Young Ones.”
One Hell after another.
Convicts who went from Moreton Bay to Norfolk Island. Edward Doolan’s short life was punctuated by a series of extremely bad decisions. It ended because of one of them. His story is part of a series of posts about the Moreton Bay men who went on to serve time at Norfolk Island. Only a fewContinue reading “One Hell after another.”
The A-Z of Old Brisbane: from Gaythorne to Gumdale.
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.”
Moreton Bay and More 