Cairns is a tropical city in Far North Queensland. It was thoughtfully named after Governor William Cairns, a man who deplored hot climates, particularly those with added humidity. I’m sure that the colonial authorities wanted to honour the Governor, not troll the poor man. The seafront and the Esplanade. The town. “Vampires have been spreadingContinue reading “The early years of Cairns, in colour.”
Tag Archives: Early Photographs
Toowoomba through the early years, in colour.
The A-Z of old Brisbane was fun to compile, but I am mindful that Queensland is not just its capital. This will be an “early years” occasional feature, highlighting towns and districts throughout old Queensland. The 1870s. “Leaving Toowoomba on the Highfields Road, the first object that particularly drew my attention was Harlaxton, a fineContinue reading “Toowoomba through the early years, 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. The British drink overContinue reading “Tea Time!”
The A-Z of Old Brisbane in colour: from Taringa to Toowong.
All of the suburbs here began as farming land, gradually evolving into suburbs in the early 20th century, as road and rail lines made them accessible to the city. This is a scenic tour of parts of Brisbane before they were urbanised. Taringa Teneriffe Tennyson The Gap Tingalpa Toombul Toowong All images are taken fromContinue reading “The A-Z of Old Brisbane in colour: from Taringa to Toowong.”
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.”
The A-Z of Old Brisbane – “L” places and people in colour.
Lamington, Baron The last Governor of the colony of Queensland, and decidedly the most photogenic Governor we’ve ever had, was Lord Lamington. Or, to be more accurate, Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, GCMB, GCIE, FRSGS (29 July 1860 – 16 September 1940). Despite the long-argued connection, or possible lack thereof, between His ExcellencyContinue reading “The A-Z of Old Brisbane – “L” places and people in colour.”
On this day: A scene in the Supreme Court.
6 March 1882. On 6 March 1882, a sensation occurred in the Queensland Supreme Court. It was reported on for weeks afterwards, debated and dissected endlessly. It was a conflict between two well-known – the Honourable Justice George Rogers Harding and the barrister, Mr. Frederick ffoulkes Swanwick. Justice Harding (1838-1895) was a distinguished jurist andContinue reading “On this day: A scene in the Supreme Court.”
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.”
Lantern slides of outback life.
The George Washington Wilson Company’s slides of the goldfields. Celebrated photographer George Washington Wilson didn’t make the journey to the goldfields of North Queensland in 1890. By then, he was in old age, and the journey would have been too taxing (besides, he was making enough money to have studios under his command). One ofContinue reading “Lantern slides of outback life.”
