Category Archives: Newspaper stories

The preoccupations of a particular day.

I had wanted to get an understanding of the stories occupying the news, and what made people tick at a certain point in time. I used the very scientific method of picking a date at random, and looking through all of the articles in Queensland’s newspapers for that day. The random day was 26 JanuaryContinue reading “The preoccupations of a particular day.”

The Cat Nuisance.

The Goat Nuisance was a long-standing torment to colonial Queenslanders. Goats provided milk, small-cart transport, and a free mowing service to their doting owners. To those who lived in the vicinity of a goat-owner, the manure, noise and destruction of innocent flowerbeds was intolerable. Cats were kept to keep the mice and rats down, andContinue reading “The Cat Nuisance.”

The News for 20 September (1851).

Page 1. Classified Advertising. James Swan, of the Courier Office, was selling off a small library of incredibly dull books. The works on offer included The Christian in Palestine, Brown’s Family Bible, Partington’s History and Views of London, D’Aubigne’s History of the Reformation, Fleming on the Papacy, Simpson’s Plea for Religion, Book for Mothers and,Continue reading “The News for 20 September (1851).”

Death at Twelve-Mile Reach.

Before railways and paved roads, the best way to travel between Ipswich and Brisbane was by river. Steamers plied the river, carrying passengers and cargo at what would be to modern eyes, a rather stately pace. Class divides were inescapable. Steamers offered saloons for the better-off, and steerage for the working class. Formal dinners andContinue reading “Death at Twelve-Mile Reach.”

All the News for 8 August (1846)

From the eighth ever issue of the Moreton Bay Courier. Page 1 – Classified Advertising. R Hampden and Henry Ralph Elkins were having a terrible barney over a failed business venture. Each man cautioned the public against giving credit to, or generally dealing with, the other. Hmmph. The indefatigable Thomas Dowse had a Library comprisedContinue reading “All the News for 8 August (1846)”

The Incredible Life of Anthony Best.

Convict at Moreton Bay 1827-1833. The Cordwainer’s stolen pillow-case. In Hull Packet of 24 October 1809, Messrs Croudace and Stork proudly announced the opening of the Hull Coffee-Roasting Office. No longer would the flavour of Hull’s coffee be injured by London Traders’ careless stowage, or by moisture damage through carriage by sea. It would beContinue reading “The Incredible Life of Anthony Best.”

An Eventful Year for Thargomindah – 1888.

Floods, Droughts, Captain Starlight and a Plague of Cats. Things were looking up in Thargomindah in 1888. Bores were being drilled, camels were being mooted, and telephones were impending. A legendary bushranger passed through. And so did thousands of cats. January: Terrific Heat. In January 1888, Thargomindah experienced an intense heatwave. Daytime temperatures were recordedContinue reading “An Eventful Year for Thargomindah – 1888.”

Modern Problems, Old Queensland.

The past might be a different country, but in some ways, they did things the same way there. The Housing Shortage. Building.-We are glad to perceive that the advice which we have so frequently tendered to the owners of town allotments is beginning, to be acted upon, namely, that of building small cottages to obviateContinue reading “Modern Problems, Old Queensland.”

Let’s Elope!

Reading the 1846 article, “Love in the Bush,” made me think of that grand old 19th century tradition – elopement. Was it common in Queensland? A survey of the papers revealed that elopement in that century was a portmanteau term – it could mean a flight to the altar against parental wishes, a cheating spouseContinue reading “Let’s Elope!”