The A-Z of Old Brisbane – Camp Hill, Cannon Hill and Chelmer.

Camp Hill

Camp Hill gets its name from either the Four Mile Camp (a stopover on the road to bayside Cleveland), or from a place where bullock teams camped when loaded with supplies for Cleveland. At any rate, people camped there and there were hills.

1954. A view of residences at Camp Hill. So many familiar sights for older Queenslanders – there’s an incinerator by the fence at left, a thunder box at the right, and banana trees down the front. (Brisbane City Council – BCC).

1954 – A suburban service station with a mixed business next door. “Ask your attendant about Total Oil.” The attendant wasn’t just a cashier behind glass with a CCTV going on all the pumps – that was someone who came out to your car, took your order (“fill ‘er up mate, she’s running on her reputation,” or “just a couple of gallons mate”), checked the oil and water and cleaned your windscreen. Really. (BCC.)

Late 1960s – the 459 tram at Cleveland Road, Camp Hill, one of the last services in Brisbane. The tram service was abolished by a Lord Mayor who rejoiced in the name Clem Jones. He also replaced the city’s backyard thunderboxes with actual indoor plumbing. A lot of people mourned the loss of the quiet trams. No-one was sentimental about the outdoor lavatories. And nocturnal excursions to same.

Today, things are quite glamorous in Camp Hill- all those hills and views, and so close to the CBD. (Streamline property website).

Cannon Hill

Cannon Hill, also quite close to the city, came into being because it lay on the road to Wynnum, another bayside resort. In the 20th century, it was known for saleyards and meat processing factories. Both were good for the local economy, but were at best unsightly, and the suburb has now outgrown both.

Swift’s Australian Meatworks, c 1929, (BCC). I doubt that it did the river any favours.

By-product factories? Ew. (Centre for the Government of Qld.)

1915: Cannon Hill State School. The presence of a motor car outside a school in those days would have been unusual – children walked or rode ponies to school, especially in wartime. (BCC).

Exactly 100 years later. (Queensland Heritage Register).

Chelmer

Chelmer is a beautiful suburb, close to the Brisbane River. Approximately half of the suburb is prone to flooding in major cyclone events. These days, even the flood-prone parts are gorgeous.