The Patagonia, a British Brig of 323 tons was on a routine cargo run from Sydney to Manilla in what was then the Spanish East Indies. There was a small crew and a cargo of coal on board. On February 05 1851, the vessel struck Bond’s Reef just off New Caledonia and could not beContinue reading “February 15, 1851 – Patagonia survivors reach Brisbane”
Author Archives: Karen B
Amateur historian and writer.
February 14, 1848 – Ludwig Leichhardt’s final visit to Brisbane.
He’d been away, presumed missing before. This was going to be the big one – Dr Leichhardt would cross the continent, to arrive in Western Australia in early 1850. As that year dawned, people began to prepare for his arrival in Western Australia. And waited, hopefully. Perhaps he had been delayed. Months became years. Expeditions set outContinue reading “February 14, 1848 – Ludwig Leichhardt’s final visit to Brisbane.”
February 13, 1863 – Fearful gales and wild weather
As the Severe Weather warnings roll across Queensland, a timely reminder that this is not unusual. At all. Throughout the whole of yesterday the wind blew strongly in fitful squalls from the eastward and south-east, and the rain fell without intermission, occasionally pouring down in drenching showers. As it had also rained through the previousContinue reading “February 13, 1863 – Fearful gales and wild weather”
February 12, 1860 – first same-day coach service between Brisbane and Ipswich begins.
MAIL AND PASSENGER COACH FOR IPSWICH.—Mr. James Collins, contractor for the daily mail between this place and Ipswich, has purchased a suitable four-wheeled carriage for the conveyance of mails and passengers. The vehicle is light in construction, admirably adapted for the use for which it is intended, and fitted with seats, which are ornamented withContinue reading “February 12, 1860 – first same-day coach service between Brisbane and Ipswich begins.”
February 11, 1850 – Circuit Court proclaimed.
Moreton Bay had been open for free settlement for eight years, and had a Police Magistrate in the august person of Captain John Clements Wickham, RN. In the absence of a higher court sitting at Brisbane, and indeed a serviceable gaol, those charged with indictable offences were shipped to Sydney for District and Supreme CourtContinue reading “February 11, 1850 – Circuit Court proclaimed.”
February 10, 1862 – first land sales at Nanango
Although the first official Land Sale in Nanango took place on 10 February 1862, the area had a long history. Before white settlement, the area was an important stop on the ancient route taken by people from many far-flung indigenous nations to meet for the Bunya nut feasts, important in terms of diplomacy, trade andContinue reading “February 10, 1862 – first land sales at Nanango”
February 9, 1860 – Ipswich Courthouse
On 09 February 1860, the Circuit Court sat at Ipswich on a particularly hot sub-tropical summer’s day. Here’s how the Moreton Bay Courier recorded the day: THE court opened at 10 o’clock. There were seven prisoners for trial. The attendance of jurors was very good, two only of those summoned being absent, a good andContinue reading “February 9, 1860 – Ipswich Courthouse”
February 8, 1849 – The Death of Dick Ben.
On 18 October 1846, a settler named Andrew Gregor and his servant Mary Shannon were murdered by a group of indigenous men at Pine River. If the mass poisoning by the whites at Kilcoy in 1842 was the defining white outrage in the eyes of indigenous people, the Gregor-Shannon murders were the turning point forContinue reading “February 8, 1849 – The Death of Dick Ben.”
February 7, 1849 – the first Fortitude immigrants arrive.
The Fortitude was the first of Dr John Dunmore Lang’s immigrant ships to Moreton Bay, departing Gravesend on 14 September 1848 with 253 on board. After dropping anchor on January 21, the immigrants spent time in quarantine, getting some fresh air and testing out their land legs. The Schooner Susan brought the first group inContinue reading “February 7, 1849 – the first Fortitude immigrants arrive.”
February 6, 1872 – the Peri tragedy.
On February 6 1872, a schooner was noticed lying waterlogged off Rockingham Bay near Cardwell in North Queensland. Crew from the H.M.S. Basilisk boarded her and found a terrible scene. Three dead bodies, and fourteen starving Pacific Islanders with no food or fresh water. The Police Magistrate from Cardwell, alerted to the horror found inContinue reading “February 6, 1872 – the Peri tragedy.”
Moreton Bay and More 