The brief reign of an adventuress in Brisbane Town. Brisbane Town in 1847 was a rough and ready place. Free settlement had been permitted since 1842, but settlers faced an almost complete lack of amenities and commerce. Prior to the skilled immigration movement of Dr Lang, women fell into several distinct categories: wives of GovernmentContinue reading “The Scandalous Mrs Bailey.”
Convict Insolence and Insubordination at Moreton Bay
By the end of the 1830s, the penal settlement of Moreton Bay was winding down operations, and those serving there knew this only too well. There was little chance of being sent to Norfolk Island – even notorious characters were finding themselves fairly respectable work. Constable George Brown, formerly the most flagrant of the Bay’s absconders,Continue reading “Convict Insolence and Insubordination at Moreton Bay”
Mr Higgins and his menagerie.
Charles Higgins had an eventful life in the Colony of Queensland. He kept pet tigers at Toombul, when it was then in the country. He ran a menagerie of exotic wild animals in George Street in the heart of Brisbane Town, suffered a severe mauling at same, donated iguanas to the Museum, and featured in a numberContinue reading “Mr Higgins and his menagerie.”
February 20, 1872 – the death of Andrew Petrie.
DEATH OF MR. ANDREW PETRIE, SEN. The death of the oldest free resident in our community and colony, is an event not to be allowed to happen without notice; and the aged, revered, and useful citizen who has just left our world for a better was no ordinary man. The name of ANDREW PETRIE isContinue reading “February 20, 1872 – the death of Andrew Petrie.”
February 18, 1867 – Mr Perry was found sane.
How did Courts deal with mental illness in the Moreton Bay era? Today, expert evidence would be sought prior to a trial as to the fitness of the defendant to stand trial. Psychiatrists and psychologists could be called for the defence at trial. The jury would be asked to decide on the balance of allContinue reading “February 18, 1867 – Mr Perry was found sane.”
February 17 1873 – Mayors at ten paces.
Today the town of Drayton has more or less been absorbed by the city of Toowoomba on the Darling Downs of Queensland. It was a town in its own right in the 19th century, a lovely little hamlet established in 1842, and was one of the oldest settlements in Queensland. Some of the charming oldContinue reading “February 17 1873 – Mayors at ten paces.”
February 15, 1851 – Patagonia survivors reach Brisbane
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”
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.”
Moreton Bay and More 