Karen B

Crime, Wanted Notices and Missing Friends.

The Queensland Police Gazette from 1864 onwards, can be found on the Queensland State Library website. It is a fascinating reflection of the early days of Queensland, its characters, crimes, and concerns. Here’s a selection from 1864-1867. The appearance of a confirmed drunkard. Keep an eye out for Awkward Tom. How to spot an escapee.Continue reading “Crime, Wanted Notices and Missing Friends.”

The most famous murder trial you’ve never heard of.

The Indooroopilly Murder. Elizabeth Lansfield was 25, and life had been hard. She’d come out to Queensland with her husband William and their two little ones in 1875. William junior had died on the voyage. While still on board, she gave birth to Winefred, named after the ship the family travelled in. Her new babyContinue reading “The most famous murder trial you’ve never heard of.”

On this day: 1864 – a distant echo of Cyclone Alfred.

On this day in March 1864, a violent weather event hit Brisbane and south-east Queensland. It may have been a tropical cyclone, or ex-tropical cyclone – the vocabulary of extreme weather events had not developed. But the account of the storm and its aftermath, as reported in the Courier, bears a striking resemblance to TropicalContinue reading “On this day: 1864 – a distant echo of Cyclone Alfred.”

The Fatal Race.

The beginning of 1850 was a time of much excitement in Brisbane Town. The Commissariat Office was seeking tenders for purchase of the “Old Windmill,” a venerable structure of some twenty-two years’ standing, and if no-one bought it, the Government was inclined to knock it down. The post office had received a small supply ofContinue reading “The Fatal Race.”

Brisbane’s Tiny Hell-Raiser.

Agnes Conner Chilton Ferguson (and, unofficially and occasionally, Walmsley) stood only 5 feet 1 ¼ inches, but she was more than capable of intimidating husbands, neighbours and two generations of the Brisbane constabulary. Her criminal activities, fuelled by a liquor intake that would have felled a lesser being, ranged from assault to trickery to publicContinue reading “Brisbane’s Tiny Hell-Raiser.”

Other “E” stories from old Brisbane – from Electric Light to Elections.

The Visit of the Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness paid a visit to the Colony of Queensland. We fed him, feted him and sang at him. With varying levels of success, although HRH was unfailingly polite. At least no-one tried to assassinate him… Original post here: https://moretonbayandmore.com/2022/02/26/the-grub-train-and-the-emu-hunt-that-never-was/ George Edmondstone. George Edmondstone (1809-1883) was aContinue reading “Other “E” stories from old Brisbane – from Electric Light to Elections.”

The A-Z of Old Brisbane – from Eagle Farm to Enoggera.

Eagle Farm In 1829, several hundred convicts were set to work clearing bushland to create an agricultural establishment. According to legend, the presence of some eagles about the area led to the name “Eagle Farm.” Maize and potatoes were grown there for a few years before the place was set up as the Eagle FarmContinue reading “The A-Z of Old Brisbane – from Eagle Farm to Enoggera.”

The Man who was Restored to the World.

Guns were a dodgy prospect in the 1840s – they seemed to go off accidentally in all sorts of situations. James McClelland was cleaning a pistol loaded with ball when it went off and injured him in the thigh. Pierre Louis Raul was walking through long grass carrying a gun loaded with buckshot when theContinue reading “The Man who was Restored to the World.”

Other “D” stories – Dundalli, Davis and Dowse.

James Davis “Duramboi.” James Davis (1808-1889) was a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside a forbidding, taciturn man. A blacksmith’s son from Glasgow, James Davis was convicted as a teenager of “theft, habit and repute” (a thief who associates with other thieves) in 1824 and transported to New South Wales on the Minstrel. He wasContinue reading “Other “D” stories – Dundalli, Davis and Dowse.”

The A-Z of Old Brisbane: the “D” suburbs.

[Quick disclaimer: A lot of “D” suburbs that are well-established today did not appear in photograph archives or articles until well after Federation.] Darra Darra came into being as part of Dr Stephen Simpson’s Estate (Wolston and Woogaroo) in the 1840s. After 1870, Darra became a stopping-place on the Ipswich-Brisbane Train line, being about 13Continue reading “The A-Z of Old Brisbane: the “D” suburbs.”