Karen B

Only in Brisbane.

The Free Settlement Edition. The Brisbane Riot. Kind of. On the night of the 2nd October 1849, a riot took place in Queen Street in Brisbane. At least, it was kind of a riot. A group of a dozen rather drunk men assembled noisily in Queen Street at about 11 pm. The Chief Constable, withContinue reading “Only in Brisbane.”

The Great Utility of Bathing

The great utility of bathing, as regards the establishment and preservation of sound bodily health, is sufficiently acknowledged all over the world to render any comments of ours on the subject necessary. Our immediate object is to suggest the erection of a few bathing houses on the bank of our beautiful river; for we feelContinue reading “The Great Utility of Bathing”

Please, Governor, may we also have a Gaol?

For a place with a lot of prisoners about, and a population fond of indulging in ardent spirits, Moreton Bay was sorely lacking in a place to house criminals. There was a small lock-up in the Police Station, which occupied a part of the former Convict Barracks. It was only suitable for very short stays,Continue reading “Please, Governor, may we also have a Gaol?”

Please, Governor, may we have a hospital?

In January 1848, Captain Wickham, Government Resident for Moreton Bay, received a letter from the Colonial Secretary’s Office in Sydney, ordering the closure of the Convict Hospital at Brisbane. The result was that everyone and everything had to go – patients, paupers, medicines, furniture – the lot. What couldn’t be sold was to be shippedContinue reading “Please, Governor, may we have a hospital?”

A Disgrace to her Sex

A correspondent in calling our attention to a desperate fight which took place in North Brisbane on Tuesday last, between a soldier and a sawyer, says:- “I counted no less than eight women who were present, looking on with great interest; and one disgrace to her sex was actually cheering and goading the men onContinue reading “A Disgrace to her Sex”

Policing the Colony

Policing in the early days at Moreton Bay had its challenges. There were hundreds of convicted criminals about – former convicts on tickets of leave and in indentured service. The free men and women of the town tried to foster a sort of civic pride and dignity, but their efforts were undermined by an itinerantContinue reading “Policing the Colony”

The Various Identities of the Flying Pieman

In 1848, the Brisbane and Ipswich newspapers were fascinated by the presence of The Flying Pieman, William King, who arrived in this part of the colony and proceeded to perform a lot of highly popular feats of pedestrian endurance and speed. We were rather starved of entertainment in those days, so seeing a ribbon-bedecked chapContinue reading “The Various Identities of the Flying Pieman”

“What? Beer makes you drunk?”

A surprising discovery in Brisbane in the late 1840s. The great Australian tradition of drinking one’s wages arrived at Moreton Bay with the Europeans in 1824. Soldiers and public servants at the settlement had cellars, and enterprising convicts could sometimes lay their hands on some of their contents. Free settlement meant liquor licenses, public drinkingContinue reading ““What? Beer makes you drunk?””

Artists and Early Queensland

After a lot of exhausting research, there’s nothing quite like a browse through the past as artists viewed it. Here are views from 1840-1870 by artists who include a Royal Navy man, a visiting Aristocrat and an artist and explorer. Graham Gore (1808-1847) was a third generation naval officer, who experienced the kind of colourfulContinue reading “Artists and Early Queensland”

Who Lives in a Place Like This? Part 3.

The Sketch Map of Brisbane Town in 1844, and the stories behind it. 31. Taylor Shappart There was no Taylor Shappart in Brisbane in 1844. There was a tailor, John Sheppard, who lived and worked at Brisbane at the time, and later moved to Ipswich. I suspect that between the Gerler’s understanding of English namesContinue reading “Who Lives in a Place Like This? Part 3.”