On this day – 10 February 1850 – Proclamation of the Circuit Court. From the introduction of free settlement in 1842 until the Gaol and Circuit Court opened for business in 1850, Moreton Bay had no place to hold trials or accommodate prisoners. There was only a Court of Petty Sessions, which was empowered toContinue reading “The First Circuit Court of Moreton Bay.”
Tag Archives: On This Day
The Flood – 1893.
On this Day – Floodwaters rise to 6 feet over Edward Street. There have been so many catastrophic floods in Queensland – whether caused by tropical cyclones, low pressure systems or, in the elegant parlance of today’s news reports, “rain bombs.” The 1893 flood was the first natural disaster to be thoroughly recorded by photographers.Continue reading “The Flood – 1893.”
Tapping the Clouds, or Professor Pepper’s Very Bad Day.
On this day, 4 February 1882. Brisbane had been drought-stricken for months. A gentleman named Professor Pepper had a scientific idea – “tapping” the clouds that had hung low over the town, but which had failed to produce a drop of rain. The idea involved an iron-framed kite, cannons and rockets. A donkey was present.Continue reading “Tapping the Clouds, or Professor Pepper’s Very Bad Day.”
The English Cricket Team bowls over Queensland, February 1883.
Ah, Summer! Time to go to the cricket. Something rather unseemly had happened in the cricketing world in August 1882. An Australian side had won the test series against the English, on English soil! A mock obituary was printed in the Sporting Times: “In Affectionate Remembrance of ENGLISH CRICKET, which died at the Oval onContinue reading “The English Cricket Team bowls over Queensland, February 1883.”
”I do not know how to describe to you the beauty of this place.”
On this day – January 27, 1842. Word reaches Moreton Bay that it is to be thrown open for free settlement. On this day in 1842, the inhabitants of Moreton Bay found out that the area was to become a free settlement. The convict settlement had been gradually dismantled with this end in mind. OnlyContinue reading “”I do not know how to describe to you the beauty of this place.””
Robbery Under Arms – 6 January 1869.
Mr W Selwyn King had received orders to return to Sydney from his posting at Kilkivan, near Gympie. It’s hard to imagine that he would be particularly reluctant to leave the remote town, but he had made good friends during his stay, and they toasted him at a farewell dinner at the Northumberland Hotel. TheContinue reading “Robbery Under Arms – 6 January 1869.”
January 12, 1872: The Attorney-General Causes a Scene.
On January 12, 1872, Attorney-General Ratcliffe Pring attended Queensland’s Parliament in a rather excitable condition. His behaviour in the House led to his expulsion, then his arrest in Dalby while carrying out Circuit Court duties. (This is a repost of the Ratcliffe Pring story.) A Detective hits town On Monday 22 January 1872, a plainclothesContinue reading “January 12, 1872: The Attorney-General Causes a Scene.”
The Prendergast Confession.
This is the published confession of William Prendergast, referred to in the previous blog post. “When I first saw Hartnett, he was between Mrs. McMann’s house and mine. I went on towards him and he was coming towards my house, I looked out at the upper side of the house towards Brunswick Street, to seeContinue reading “The Prendergast Confession.”
The New Farm Murder. January 3, 1870.
A quiet, early morning row down the river by two men intending to go to New Farm and look for lost keys was shockingly interrupted by the sighting of a dead body on the riverbank. They notified the ferryman, who called in the Kangaroo Point police. A young man was lying dead on the rocksContinue reading “The New Farm Murder. January 3, 1870.”
On this day, 8 November 1885: the Death of Old Tom
The Late Mr. Dowse. BY AN OLD FRIEND “Yesterday, in early morning, at his residence, Milton, there quietly passed away from amongst us, at the ripe age of 76, Mr. Thomas Dowse. When the present Queensland was Moreton Bay, he was always in the front of every political movement, and indefatigable in co-operating to achieveContinue reading “On this day, 8 November 1885: the Death of Old Tom”
Moreton Bay and More 