The Logan river was named for the most famous, or notorious, Commandant of the Moreton Bay penal settlement, Patrick Logan. The area was developed around sugar cultivation, farming, and the Logan river. The beauty of the district, with its river traffic and German farm holdings, is astonishing. Some of these images were taken by theContinue reading “The early days of the Logan District, in colour.”
Category Archives: Historical Photos
The early days of Dalby, in colour.
The Dalby Races, 1859 Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser (Toowoomba, Qld.: 1858 – 1880), Thursday 11 August 1859, page 3 The Ipswich Observer and West Moreton Advocate (Qld.: 1870-1879), Saturday 10 June 1876, page 2. Festivities in Dalby. All images are from the digital collection of the State Library of Queensland and are outContinue reading “The early days of Dalby, in colour.”
The early days of Cooktown, in colour.
In 1770, the Endeavour, captained by James Cook, spent time in a harbour on the northern east coast of New Holland, undergoing repairs. The vessel was moored to a tree at that place, and that tree was still in situ when a settlement arose a century later. In January 1874, Mr Macmillan, the Government SurveyorContinue reading “The early days of Cooktown, in colour.”
The early days of Roma, in colour.
In the early 1860s, a family sits on the verandah of a neat little timber hut – the sturdiness and workmanship of which are belied by the rough-looking bark roof. On a nearby station, weary station-hands gather outside similar shelters. A few years later, a neat outback town grows out of the red soil. ThereContinue reading “The early days of Roma, in colour.”
Mr Slade’s Colourful Life.
George Milner Slade pops up briefly in early editions of the Moreton Bay Courier, as the postmaster of Brisbane Town. He was known to grow superb pineapples in the little garden attached to the post office. Slade was in poor health, and sought a leave of absence. Then, quite suddenly, he died in early 1848.Continue reading “Mr Slade’s Colourful Life.”
Fifty years of the Brisbane Botanical Gardens, in colour.
The Botanical Gardens in the City of Brisbane began as part of the Government Gardens. Originally the garden was a mixture of crops and early acclimatisation planting, tended to by convict labour. When Thomas Dowse (Old Tom) arrived in the fledgling settlement in 1842, he saw the Government Gardens in their glory. A few yearsContinue reading “Fifty years of the Brisbane Botanical Gardens, in colour.”
Favourite old photos.
Over the years, photographers captured some evocative images of 19th century life and work. Here are some colourised versions of my particular favourites from the State Library of Queensland, the State Library of Victoria, and the National Library of Australia. Queenslanders at work in colour. Group portraits in colour. Leisure in colour. The bridal pathContinue reading “Favourite old photos.”
The A-Z of Old Brisbane in colour: Upper Kedron to Zillmere.
[Although there is a suburb in Brisbane called Upper Brookfield, the only images I’ve been able to find of it in the early days are included in the Brookfield post.] Upper Kedron Tucked alongside Keperra and Ferny Grove is a beautiful semi-rural, semi-residential suburb called Upper Kedron. It is, Wikipedia helpfully informs me, 13 kilometresContinue reading “The A-Z of Old Brisbane in colour: Upper Kedron to Zillmere.”
The A-Z of Old Brisbane in colour: Samford to Sunnybank.
And a few other “S” things besides. Samford Another place that’s a little outside of Brisbane, but has a lot of historical sites and connections to it. Here are a couple of early views. Sandgate Sandgate and Shorncliffe are a little bit interchangeable, being right next door to each other so to speak. But theyContinue reading “The A-Z of Old Brisbane in colour: Samford to Sunnybank.”
The A-Z of Old Brisbane in colour: Quarries to Rosalie.
Quarries We had them, of course. And alarmingly close to houses, by the looks of things. I was aware of the rock-breaking activities in the early days at Kangaroo Point, but hadn’t quite imagined this, and just a short walk from the centre of town. But it does explain why there’s a Quarry Street inContinue reading “The A-Z of Old Brisbane in colour: Quarries to Rosalie.”
Moreton Bay and More 