A tale of migration, intransigence and a further Separation – September 09, 1871
The year was 1871, and the Colony of Queensland was eleven years old. Brisbane, in the south-east corner, was the capital of the sprawling concern. All 1.73 million square kilometres of it.
The City of Rockhampton nestled on the Tropic of Capricorn, had become the focus of calls for a further northern separation. They’d grown tired of being told what to do by bureaucrats 519 kilometres away (forgetting perhaps that they were previously told what to do by people 1166 kilometres away in Sydney). They had a good river passage to Keppel Bay port, abundant natural resources, and besides, the tropic was a good marking-off line for a new colony. Cities even further in the tropical north, such as Cairns and Townsville, wanted to be administered from the north. In their eyes, Rockhampton was as bad as Brisbane.
Into all this heightened feeling sailed the Lammershagen, a German immigrant ship with 323 immigrants, 250 tons of coal and the deeply stubborn Captain Jorgensen on board. Captain Jorgensen had been ordered to take the Lammershagen to Gladstone, and there to receive instructions as to whether to go to Bowen or Rockhampton (Keppel Bay).
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The Lammershagen with its prized cargo of hardworking German labourers duly arrived in Gladstone, the pilot duly boarded and the Lammershagen was taken to Keppel Bay. There the shipping agent, interpreter and doctor boarded her and saw that all was shipshape.
A muster of passengers was conducted, and 150 selected to go to Rockhampton. And the rest, the assured Captain Jorgensen, would be very welcome in Bowen, as per the Government request. Nein. Captain Jorgensen had his instructions and it was Rockhampton or Bowen, not and. But surely the Captain…. Nein. And furthermore, the Captain would take the immigrants no further.
The flustered officials had no choice but to disembark all of the passengers at Rockhampton. After waiting in port, and wondering what would happen, they were delighted to make land. The Rockhampton Bulletin found them to be a fine-looking group, lots of healthy young ‘uns, and respectable-looking too.
Captain Jorgensen, his instructions obeyed to the absolute letter, sailed the Lammershagen to Java to offload the coal.
The Immigration agents, in order to fulfil the Government’s wishes, hired the Blackbird schooner to take 150 Germans north to Bowen, and charged the Government for their trouble.
Surely everyone (apart from the Treasury) was happy now? No, the Rockhampton Bulletin was worried.
“At first sight this may seem a small matter, but it is not so. A feeling of dissatisfaction will be aroused in the North, and the mischief-makers there will find in it another proof that Rockhampton in the event of Separation would become a second Brisbane. There will be at least a lurking suspicion that the people of Rockhampton secretly influenced the authorities, in order to get the pick of the immigrants, or ‘lamb them down,’ or do something else equally improper. No doubt we shall get the pick of the immigrants, and only those who cannot get employment here will be sent northward. But that is not the fault of the Rockhampton people, and it is very unfortunate that official bungling should lend a colouring to the unreasonable imputations already cast upon this community by our jealous neighbours in the North.”
Tut-tut.
Postscript:
Having managed separation from New South Wales in 1859, and transition to Statehood in 1901 with Federation, Queensland is still debating the idea of further separation, 148 years later. The argument is usually revived when the southern States begin daylight savings in October, and the business centres in south-east Queensland start juggling time zones. Daylight saving is deeply unpopular in the tropical north and west, and not just because of confused cows and fading curtains. (Long, long story.)
Rockhampton Bulletin and Central Queensland Advertiser (Qld. : 1861 – 1871), Saturday 9 September 1871, page 2
Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld.: 1866 – 1939), Saturday 16 September 1871, page 10
Distances: 1.73 million square kilometres = 1.07 million square miles.
519 kilometres = 322 miles Rockhampton to Brisbane
1166 kilometres = 724 miles Rockhampton to Sydney
1389 kilometres = 863 miles Cairns to Brisbane
524 kilometres = 325 miles Rockhampton to Bowen
Photograph of the Fitzroy River from Wikipedia through the GNU Licensing.
Gold diggers picture: National Library of Australia
Moreton Bay and More 