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.”
Category Archives: Leisure and Recreation
The early days of the Sunshine Coast, in colour.
Bribie Island The origins of the name “Bribie” are lost in myth. It was either a convict basket weaver, one of the leaders of the indigenous people of the island, or a corruption of an indigenous word. (No convict of that name or anything even remotely like it appears in the records of Moreton Bay.)Continue reading “The early days of the Sunshine Coast, in colour.”
Tea Time!
There’s no doubt that the tea enjoyed in these old Queensland settings was made and consumed in the English manner. Anything else would cause social disgrace. Possibly the end of the world. Earnest research into the art of the English cuppa led to some startling discoveries. Afternoon Tea in the Garden. Taking tea on theContinue reading “Tea Time!”
The Star of the Stage.
Brisbane gradually developed a theatre scene in the 1860s. Population growth spurred a desire to see entertainments beyond improving lectures at the School of Arts, travelling circuses and magic lantern shows. 1860s Brisbane played a small, but vital, part in the growth of a theatrical dynasty that would be celebrated throughout Australia and “home” inContinue reading “The Star of the Stage.”
A Day at the Races.
Brisbane Race Days. The Moreton Bay Races, 1846. The first edition of the Moreton Bay Courier contains the first-ever account of the local race day. Four years after the Settlement was opened to people other than soldiers and convicts, the local ‘gentry’ raced their horses at New Farm. “Boasting more than an average of respectability!”Continue reading “A Day at the Races.”
Moreton Bay and More 