On the afternoon and evening of Monday 7 January 1867, a group of Europeans, estimated to be between 200 and 500 in number, terrorised the Chinese population at the Crocodile Creek gold diggings. When the mob was finished, many were injured, and just about every Chinese person in the township had lost everything but theContinue reading “The Goldfields Riot – January 7, 1867”
Author Archives: Karen B
Amateur historian and writer.
The Prendergast Confession.
This is the published confession of William Prendergast, referred to in the previous blog post. “When I first saw Hartnett, he was between Mrs. McMann’s house and mine. I went on towards him and he was coming towards my house, I looked out at the upper side of the house towards Brunswick Street, to seeContinue reading “The Prendergast Confession.”
The New Farm Murder. January 3, 1870.
A quiet, early morning row down the river by two men intending to go to New Farm and look for lost keys was shockingly interrupted by the sighting of a dead body on the riverbank. They notified the ferryman, who called in the Kangaroo Point police. A young man was lying dead on the rocksContinue reading “The New Farm Murder. January 3, 1870.”
The Burning of the Fiery Star
THE BURNING OF THE FIERY STAR The logbook of Chief Officer William Sargent showed that the Fiery Star took twelve days to reach the south end of New Zealand, passing by on the 12th of April 1865. The journey had been proceeding as planned, although strong seas had destroyed two of the longboats on theContinue reading “The Burning of the Fiery Star”
The Fiery Star in Brisbane
On 31 March 1865, the clipper Fiery Star sailed from Moreton Bay, bound for London. She had brought over 500 immigrants to Queensland on 20 November 1864, but her return journey would be a rather less crowded affair – eight in Saloon, eight in Second Cabin, and twenty-one steerage passengers. She would also be takingContinue reading “The Fiery Star in Brisbane”
Christmas Cheer in Old Queensland
how we celebrated back in the day Following a string of particularly gloomy Christmas leaders, the Moreton Bay Courier was pleased to report a small outbreak of charity in 1860: CHRISTMAS DAY. – Tuesday and yesterday were generally observed as holidays, the town having quite a deserted appearance on the first mentioned day. Picnics andContinue reading “Christmas Cheer in Old Queensland”
A Murder. A Deathbed Confession Years Later. Sound Familiar?
It’s a different, but equally terrible, story. The Stranger In the early evening of 19 June 1865, several women were followed about the streets of Toowoomba by a strange man. Some were violently assaulted. At 6:00 pm, Ann Ward was going out of the front door of her cottage in Perth Street when she noticedContinue reading “A Murder. A Deathbed Confession Years Later. Sound Familiar?”
Not Quite as Dead as Reported
On Saturday 19 December 1846, the Moreton Bay Courier published news of a terrible occurrence on the Darling Downs: FATAL OCCURRENCE.—A short time ago, a Robert Tomlinson, a farm servant in the employ of Mr. Neill Ross, of Darling Downs, was reaping in the wheat paddock, a green snake bit him on the hand. OnContinue reading “Not Quite as Dead as Reported”
A Survey of Court Cases Involving Public Enemy No, 1
Hostile takeover of verandah, 1846 BREACH OF THE POLICE ACT. — At the Police-office, on Tuesday, three of the inhabitants of South Brisbane were summoned to answer informations for suffering goats to stray about the public streets. They were fined 5s. each and costs. The informations had been laid at the instance of Mr. Orr,Continue reading “A Survey of Court Cases Involving Public Enemy No, 1”
Public Enemy No. 1 in Colonial Queensland
A menace. Larcenous. Infernal. A nuisance. Horrid. Abominable. Laws were passed against it but had little effect. Newspaper letter-writers railed for decades. Vigilantism broke out. Fights ensued. Blood was shed. Men went armed. The sleep of innocent families was murdered. Jonquils were destroyed. Even orchids. What was this scourge, this menace to peaceful society? TheContinue reading “Public Enemy No. 1 in Colonial Queensland”
Moreton Bay and More 