Category 'Art'

There’s something strange that happens as you drive over Bribie Island bridge to the smallest of Moreton Bay’s three major sand islands. As your eyes take in the endless water views, the pelicans perched on the light poles and the Glasshouse Mountains shimmering away in the distance you breathe a sigh of relief as you enter island time. Your concerns become limited to whether to laze the day away at Woorim’s Surf Beaches or take a soothing dip in the still waters of Pumicestone Passage. For the more adventurous there’s the option of visiting the island’s 55km of national park explorable only by 4WD or boating down the passage in search of dolphins or seagrass-grazing dugongs. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="5206,5205"]   This laidback lifestyle gets under your skin and has inspired generations of tourists to seek solace at Bribie Island. Even Bribie’s most prolific historians have been so touched by the surrounding beauty that they have a tendency to romanticise and embellish the island’s history. Documented history of Yarun (the name for Bribie Island in local dialect) began in 1799 when a fateful encounter took place between Matthew Flinders and the island’s native Joondoburri people. Flinders and his crew, including the Aboriginal explorer Bungaree, sailed into the area and came ashore where they met with the island’s inhabitants. Flinders offered a cap as a gesture of friendship but the cheeky natives were more interested in his cabbage tree hat which they tried to hook from his head with a stick. Feeling threatened, Flinders returned to the boat and began to row away when a spear whistled past them. In return Flinders fired back, wounding the spear thrower. Flinders appropriately named this spot, ‘Point Skirmish’. At this time it was estimated there were over 600 Joondoburri people on the island living off the plentiful sea life, having cleverly trained the dolphin population to herd fish toward them. Their next notable encounter took place in 1823 with the arrival of three castaways, Thomas Pamphlett, John Finnegan and Richard Parsons, who had set out from Parramatta searching for timber and were blown wildly off course to become wrecked on Moreton Island. Moreton’s Ngugi people guided the castaways to Bribie Island where they stayed with the Joondoburri. Seven months later John Oxley sailed by searching for an inland river when he spotted an excitable white man on the beach and learned the tale of the castaways. Pamphlett and Finnegan offered to guide Oxley to the Brisbane River and it’s this discovery which convinced Oxley to recommend Redcliffe as the location of a penal colony. Ironically Pamphlett later stole some flour which saw him sentenced to seven years at this same prison. After the closure of the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement in 1842 the area was opened to free settlement which saw the Aboriginal people become dispossessed and their numbers rapidly decline due to drink and disease. In 1877 a reserve for Aboriginal people was established at the Bribie Island suburb of White Patch, overseen by Tom Petrie. They were supplied with a boat, fishing nets and harpoons and those who worked, as well as the elderly, were given rations of sugar and flour. Two years later the reserve was deemed a failure and closed, much to the dismay of the Aboriginal women and elders who felt safe there from the drunken brawling of the younger tribesmen. By the 1890s oystering in Pumicestone Passage was Queensland’s largest industry supplying roughly 300 bags per week, but this ended abruptly in 1909 when black worm destroyed most of the oyster banks. In 1897, less than 100 years after the arrival of Europeans on Bribie Island, the last full blood member of Bribie’s native Joondoburri people, Kal-Ma-Kuta (also known as Alma Turner) passed away. One day, while gathering oysters she saved a drowning man, Fred Turner, who she later married and bore seven children. Her death was a great loss to the community and today a monument in her honour stands at Sandstone Point. Bribie Island’s reputation as a tourist destination began in 1883 when the SS Mavis commenced weekly ferry trips to Scarborough, Woody Point and Bribie Island. Early tourists were collected by Artie Bestmann in a punt and transferred to shore. As popularity grew the Brisbane Tug and Steamship Company built the SS Koopa (Aboriginal word for flying fish) which arrived from Scotland in 1911 licensed to carry 1153 passengers. The Koopa left Brisbane at 9am, stopping at Woody Point and Redcliffe, arriving at Bribie at noon and departing at 3pm. The trip was a lavish experience with guests entertained by an orchestra, casino, dances, gourmet food and bar. In 1912 the Brisbane Tug and Steamship Company built a jetty for passengers to disembark safely. They also established a camping ground and holiday huts nicknamed ‘The Twelve Apostles’ located in front of the present library. In 1915 the Government gazetted Bribie Island a township and in 1921 Hall & Bestmann opened the island’s first store. [caption id="attachment_5211" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Koopa. Image courtesy of Moreton Bay Regional Council, Image ID 001\001019. [Photograph taken ca. 1920][/caption]  [caption id="attachment_5212" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Waiting for the Koopa. Image courtesy of Moreton Bay Regional Council, Image ID P1307.[/caption]   To cater to the thousands of weekly tourists a second steamer, the SS Doomba, carried a further 1500 passengers, but offered a less grand experience. A dance hall was transported from Moreton Island to where the water tower now stands, becoming the hub of Bribie’s social life. Reportedly, boat days were always chaotic. Three short horn blasts announced the arrival of the ferries in the passage and locals would appear out of nowhere with boats, horses and carts to peddle their wares to tourists, that’s if they weren’t heading aboard to drink at the bar. In 1927 Caboolture Shire Council conducted a health inspection of the camping area and discovered over 1000 people residing in the 135 tents and huts. [caption id="attachment_5213" align="aligncenter" width="999"] Camping grounds. Image courtesy of Moreton Bay Regional Council, Image ID P0766.[/caption]   Shortly after the Great Depression hit killing off tourism and leaving the ferries virtually without passengers. In 1937 author and historian Thomas Welsby wrote a book called ‘Bribie the Basket Maker’ reportedly in an effort to re-invigorate tourism but with the added effect of bringing a legend to life. The book claims that Bribie Island was named after a convict whose basket weaving and fishing abilities won over Government officials allowing him to go where he pleased. While at Bribie he fell in love with an Aboriginal woman who he ran away with shortly before the end of his sentence. He later returned to Brisbane and was pardoned. It was said that whenever anyone went missing from Brisbane they were ‘Down with Bribie’ and hence the island got its name. You can read the story here. Historians have long pored over the facts of ‘Bribie the Basket Maker’ but have found little evidence to prove its credibility. Even Welsby himself admitted it was based on a couple of vague references to a man named ‘Bribie’ in ‘Tom Petrie’s Reminiscences’. However this has never stopped it from being widely reported as historical fact. Most historians prefer to believe it was named after an Aboriginal word for the koala, Boorabee (which is complicated because this was not the Joondoburri word for koala). In 1939 there was a brief resurgence in tourism but it was cut short by World War II in 1942 when the island was closed to non-essential civilians and taken over by US and Australian troops. Fortifications, some of which still stand today, were constructed as part of SE Queensland’s defence. It is said that Red Beach inherited its name from the military’s use of colours as code names. Both the Koopa and Doomba were put into service by the Royal Australian Navy. In 1946 the Koopa resumed its tourist run (featuring a family-friendly milk bar to replace the hotel) but by then Bribie Island no longer held its allure with holiday makers driving past in favour of other destinations and many of the residents failing to return after the war. The Koopa made her final run in 1953 and was scrapped in 1961. In the meantime a barge ferried cars onto the island until 1963 when the Bribie Island bridge opened and settlement of the island proceeded at a rapid rate. Bribie’s claim to fame arrived in 1953 in the form of famous artist Ian Fairweather. At 62 he came to live on Bribie in an isolated grass hut where he created his most renowned paintings until his death in 1974. The council banned camping from 1974 onwards. The National Park was declared in 1989. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="5217,5216"]   Today Bribie Island is a popular spot for retirees and family gatherings. It exudes a sleepy charm although a sunny summer day certainly draws the crowds. There are plenty of water sports to enjoy on Pumicestone Passage while landlubbers may prefer to visit the Bribie Island Seaside Museum, the Butterfly House, the Community Arts Centre, or the weekly Sunday markets. Enjoy a meal or concert at Sandstone Point Hotel or choose from one of the many beaches to set up your picnic spot. There’s also a choice of walking tracks and more bird species than Kakadu with Buckley’s Hole Conservation Park being the best place to spot some. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="5219,5218"]   With all this on offer, if you happen to disappear from everyday life, we’ll just assume you’re ‘Down with Bribie’.    

Inspiration for my Bribie Island image - from the 'Land and I' series

I invite you to share your own stories, photos and experiences of Bribie Island in the comments below so we can create a living history of this moving place for future generations.

Sweeney Reserve is a delightful park rich in cultural heritage tucked away behind Gympie and Dayboro Roads. Unless you’re a local you may not even know it was there. It’s an expansive reserve containing large shady trees and walking tracks that hug the North Pine River. This, along with the sizeable off leash dog-park, makes it a popular spot for dogs and their humans. But there’s something for all the family with electric BBQs and picnic tables, playgrounds, gym equipment, a basketball court, skate park, recreational lakes and plenty of river access for canoeing and fishing. The Petrie parkrun takes place here every Saturday from 7am with a 5km return course. The reserve also contains a koala habitat area maintained by Bushcare. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="4576,4577,4574,4578"]   The parkland was first protected from habitation around 1862 when it was preserved for Government purposes and today its calm, sleepy atmosphere gives little indication of all that has taken place here to qualify it as a protected space in the Queensland Heritage Register. The North Pine River which weaves through the park was ‘discovered’ by Lieutenant John Oxley in 1823 while assessing the area as a potential site for a convict settlement. He rowed up the river guided by the well-known convict castaways Thomas Pamphlett and John Finnegan who he’d rescued from Bribie Island the day before. Oxley reported that the area surrounding the river was occupied by a large number of Aboriginal people. These Aboriginal people were from the North Pine Clan of the Turrbal people who used the area as a fishing hole. Around the 1840s an elder and rainmaker of the Turrbal clan, Dalaipi, was the custodian of several significant Indigenous sites including the Petrie Bora Ring, which was roughly located near Petrie’s roundabout, the ‘Mandin’ fishing hole witnessed by Oxley, and a rain-making site where the end of the rainbow is said to go down into the North Pine River indicating the presence of a precious stone. It was Dalaipi who, knowing Thomas Petrie as a friend to Aboriginal people, suggested the renowned pioneer choose land in the North Pine area to establish a cattle run, knowing that Petrie would ensure the protection of the sacred Indigenous sites. Petrie established a ford which became an important route for prospectors after the discovery of gold in Gympie and later as a route for Cobb and Co who used Thomas Petrie’s Murrumba Homestead as a coach stop. It was shortly after that the land now known as Sweeney Reserve was obtained by the government for the purposes of being a road and water reserve. The North Pine River played a crucial role in the area’s timber history as a means to transport logs to market as well as providing valuable softwoods. [caption id="attachment_4583" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Bullock teams carting pine logs to the rafting ground on the North Pine River, ca. 1890, photographed by Henry Gold. Image courtesy of Moreton Bay Regional Council, Image ID LHP710.[/caption]   In 1875 Edgar Foreman built a small school on the site of Sweeney Reserve because the main school was across the river making it difficult to reach at high tide. The teacher travelled between the school buildings by horse or boat. In 1877 a bridge was constructed over the river (next to the ford) forming part of the main road from Brisbane to Gympie. The support posts for this bridge are still visible in the North Pine River at low tide. This allowed the two schools to amalgamate and the second school building was then used as a meeting place and later a courthouse. When the railway opened in 1888 Sweeney Reserve, being an easy walk from the station, became a popular picnic spot, known for good fishing, rowing and swimming. It was also used as a rest spot for travelling stock. By the 1920s it was so regularly frequented that over 1000 people were counted attending the area each Sunday during the Christmas holidays. It was used for annual company picnics, school break-ups and swimming lessons and races. Occasionally a band played on Sundays. By 1924 the Government gazetted the land as a recreational reserve controlled by the Pine Shire Council. [caption id="attachment_4584" align="aligncenter" width="513"] North Pine River Reserve, 1923. Image courtesy of Moreton Bay Regional Council, Image ID P0775.[/caption] In 1926 Patrick Sweeney, after whom the area became known, took over operations of the local kiosk, selling refreshments and hiring out boats. The Sweeney family added bathing sheds, toilets, a slippery slide and tyre and rope swings. They lived on the site in a house made from wooden car crates and were known to keep kangaroos and emus as pets. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="4579,4581"]   In 1927 Sweeney’s house was flooded and the kiosk swept away so both were moved to higher ground. Due to the ongoing cost of repairing the amenities destroyed by flood, Pine Rivers Council relinquished control and Sweeney was appointed caretaker of the reserve. The area was declared a sanctuary for the protection of birds and animals in 1929. With an increase of vehicle usage and improved roads, the destination declined in popularity by the 1950s with people preferring to visit the coast. The kiosk closed in 1960 when Sweeney was in his seventies but the Sweeney family continued to live in their house by the river until 1994 when the last family resident passed away and the house was demolished. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="4571,4573"]   If you’d like to know more about the area’s history it’s included as part of the North Pine River Heritage Trail available here.

Inspiration for my Sweeney Reserve image - from the 'Land and I' series

I invite you to share your stories, images and experiences of Sweeney Reserve in the comments below so we can create a living history of this natural haven for future generations.

This project is supported by the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) which is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Moreton Bay Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.

Cedar Creek is a haven of babbling brooks, towering trees and granite sentinels at the foot of the D’Aguilar Range near Samford, Queensland (not to be confused with Cedar Creek at Tamborine Mountain). With so much natural beauty on offer it’s hard to believe how closely it nudges suburbia being merely 40 minutes north-west of Brisbane's city centre. Speaking with born and bred Moreton Bay residents I was surprised to learn that everyone had a story from their youth of spending time at Cedar Creek; swimming at the waterfall, jumping off the cliffs, or swinging on the ropes. [gallery columns="2" size="large" link="none" ids="4544,4549"]   It’s believed land in the area was first inhabited at the start of the 1800s, became a cattle station in the mid-1850s, and was subdivided into saleable properties during the 1870s when a 200 acre block cost 200 pounds. Aborigines are known to have lived beside Cedar Creek in the early 1900s, but there is no documentation of its Indigenous history prior. Despite the name 'Cedar Creek', there’s not a single Cedar tree to be found. Throughout the early 1900s Cedar Creek was recognised for its excellent timber, particularly pine and red cedar, and logging became a significant industry that eventually died out due to oversupply. Cedar has now completely disappeared but a number of Brisbane’s churches were built using timber from the area so it’s nice to think they still live on in a place of worship. Also notable is that Macarthur Chambers in Brisbane City was built with pink granite mined from Cedar Creek. [gallery size="large" link="none" columns="2" ids="4556,4546"]   During the 1920s dairying and pig farming became popular and the fertility of the region saw all manner of crops being farmed with pineapples and bananas being particularly successful, although Bunchy Top disease killed off the banana industry ten years later. The area has become no less fertile over time with rich soil and plentiful water allowing market gardens to prosper. Farmer’s markets were held locally every Sunday from 1980 but were moved to North Pine Country Park (now Petrie Town) in 1987 due to swelling visitor numbers; a market still popular today. In the 1920s a school was built and named ‘Closeburn’ (‘burn’ being Scottish for ‘creek’) because a number of other schools in the state were already named Cedar Creek. In those days locals collected their mail from the train station and after complaints of their mail going astray, the train station and subsequently the area, were renamed Closeburn to avoid confusion. Residents wishing to travel by train to the city would leave their horses in a small paddock next to the local shop and if running late the shop-keep was kind enough to unsaddle their horse for the day. Much of my research on the area came from the series of books ‘Samford Reminiscences’, stories collated from local families by the Samford District Historical Society. A few of these stories really took my fancy and were used as inspiration for my Cedar Creek artwork:

• In the early 1900s local families would wash their clothes in the creek. Laundries were set up along the banks and kerosene tins were used to boil the clothes which were hung on lines further up the bank.

• In 1925 Cedar Creek/Closeburn Hall was built with timber donated by local residents. Every Saturday night bands performed and popular dances and ‘card parties’ were held with supper provided. Interestingly the area didn’t receive power until the mid-1950s after World War II. Another popular form of entertainment, particularly for the region's children was gathering wood to build a huge bonfire for Guy Fawkes night on November 5, held in Upper Cedar Creek.

• In June 1913 11 year old Ivy Mitchell of Cedar Creek Road was murdered on her walk home from visiting a friend. Her body was found beside the bag of lollies and flowers she was carrying. Her murderer was the last man to be executed in Queensland in 1913. Other sad stories include the death of 13 year old Hattie Hunter in 1999 who jumped into flood waters to save her dog Belle. There is a plaque in the area erected in her honour. A young boy was also accidentally shot in the back by his best friend while hunting parrots in the creek bed (once a popular hobby because of their threat to local crops.)

Inspiration for my Cedar Creek image - from 'The Land and I' series

“If rosy-cheeked children are an indication of a healthy district then Cedar Creek, in addition to being unusually picturesque, must possess a very congenial climate.”

I invite you to share your own stories, photos and experiences of Cedar Creek in the comments below so we can create a living history of this moving place for future generations.

A visit to Lake Samsonvale offers tranquillity not always found at the region’s busier destinations making it an ideal spot to soak up some nature away from the crowds. The area is accessible from sunrise to sunset with all the facilities you’ll need to celebrate a family occasion or merely enjoy an outdoor lunch. You’ll find BBQs, picnic tables and playgrounds at both McGavin View and Bullocky Rest (named as this was once a resting point for bullock teams travelling the Old North Road). [gallery size="large" ids="4424,4423,4430"]   Fishing in the lake is said to be world class provided you have the appropriate permit. Members of the Lake Samsonvale Water Sports Association are allowed to operate paddlecraft but there is strong talk that this will soon open up the public. Swimming is not permitted as Lake Samsonvale is the primary water supply for Moreton Bay and north Brisbane. For hikers there’s a 4.2km (one way) bushwalking trail that links Bullocky Rest to Forgan Cove. Bird watchers and photographers will delight at the range of water birds.   [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="4425,4421"]   Whatever activity you choose, as you gaze upon the calm waters of Lake Samsonvale, spare a thought for the once thriving community that called this land home.   Tukuwampa was originally home to the Garumngar people but was later given its official name, Samsonvale, by William Joyner who in 1845 leased approximately 400 square miles of land south of the North Pine River, extending from Moreton Bay to the D’Aguilar Range. Mr Joyner died two years later aboard the ‘Sovereign’ when it was wrecked near Stradbroke Island. His widow, Isabella, moved from Sydney to continue working the land. She later married John Griffin, owner of Whiteside, the adjoining run north of the river, and the two stations began to operate as one. Three generations of the Joyner family resided in Samsonvale for 104 years until 1945. [caption id="attachment_4432" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Home of the Joyner family at Samsonvale, photographed by Henry Gold. Image courtesy of Moreton Bay Regional Council, Image ID 375192.[/caption]   These large runs were soon subdivided into 160 acre plots selling for the price of 2 shilling 6 pence bringing an influx of settlers consisting mainly of English, Scottish, Irish and German immigrants to work the land. In 1870 Henry Gold established his property on the banks of Kobble Creek. Being centrally located he housed and operated the Samsonvale Post Office and the manual telephone exchange. He also provided land for the school, church and cemetery. The Gold family became one of the most prominent in the area occupying the region for 106 years. During World War II an army camp and three airfields were established in the area. The Winn family volunteered 250 acres to the Women’s Land Army, whose purpose was to train women in farm work so they could continue the work of the men who had joined the services. When Australian Paper Manufacturers selected Petrie as a proposed site for operations, their need for vast quantities of water, combined with population growth in the Redcliffe and Pine regions, inspired discussions about the region’s need for a dam. As a result Pine Rivers Shire Council dammed Sideling Creek to create Lake Kurwongbah and the Australian Paper Mill began operations in 1957. The mill eventually closed in 2013 and will soon become a university precinct.   It was quickly realised that Lake Kurwongbah would not meet the future demands of Brisbane’s water requirements and planners secretly undertook further surveying around the North Pine River with the view of creating a much larger dam. In 1957 one of Samsonvale’s property owners discovered a caveat on his land title warning that the property was marked as a site for a future water storage scheme. Word spread among other land owners who checked their titles and found the same caveat. A public meeting was called and residents were advised that 98 properties would be affected by the proposed dam with construction estimated for 15 years’ time. Due to the long lead time and concern about the project’s effect on property values the State Government offered to buy the affected farms and half of the region’s pioneering families departed.   The Government eventually decided that the project was too big for the Pine Rivers Shire Council and brought in Brisbane City Council to manage it. BCC failed to honour previous agreements by refusing to acquire any remaining properties until the project was due to begin. The families who chose to stay because their land was only going to be partially affected received their resumption notices in 1971 and found that their whole properties were to be resumed, in contradiction to what they were initially advised. Owners were offered inadequate pay outs (with the excuse that their land was not worth much since it was due to be resumed) which barely covered the costs of purchasing property elsewhere. Many families suffered through drawn out legal battles for some form of satisfactory resolution.   North Pine Dam (also known as Lake Samsonvale in memory of the community) opened in 1976 at a cost of $20 million. Sealed roads were built to provide easy access to the dam but an oversight caused Basin Road to cut in half a well preserved Aboriginal Bora Ring system. Later, Aboriginal groups lobbied to protect what remained but the water board rejected the proposal. Back in the 1870s when Henry Gold was first clearing his land he had the foresight to conserve three acres of original Hoop Pine which he fenced to prevent damage from cattle. The BCC agreed to preserve this area which is one of the only surviving Hoop Pine forests in South-East Queensland. It is now called ‘Gold’s Scrub’ and is located near the lovingly maintained Samsonvale Cemetery on the opposite bank to Bullocky Rest. A persistent climbing plant, Cat’s Claw, began to spread among the native Hoop Pines but after several complaints the Commonwealth Government allocated $75,000 (more than the Golds were offered for their entire farm) for volunteers to clear the pest. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="4420,4428"]   In the words of Ken Gold from his book A Boy from Samsonvale … “And so we can sum up this North Pine project as having a profound effect on a large area of land and the people who lived and worked on it. City people can bathe, wash clothes and cars, drink and cook, water their gardens and fill their swimming pools because a community profoundly disturbed made a significant sacrifice.” Inspiration for my Lake Samsonvale image - from the 'Land and I' series While North Pine Dam is a necessity for the region, I was deeply moved by the many stories I read of the people displaced by its creation. I’ve visited Lake Samsonvale a number of times without realising the history that lies beneath it and wanted to create an image to show people that there is much more to the lake than its calm surface. It’s a compelling thought that under the lake sits rusty remnants of generations of lives and that these treasures occasionally surface when water levels are low. I wanted to include the fisherman going about his pastime seemingly unfazed by the houses rising from the waters in front of him. The houses in the image are all preserved historical houses photographed at Old Petrie Town. Included are notable properties such as the Kriesch family’s slab barn which was an original Samsonvale property, and Yebri House from the Petrie family’s homestead.

I invite you to share your own stories, photos and experiences of North Pine Dam and the Samsonvale community in the comments below so we can create a living history of this serene place for future generations.

This project is supported by the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) which is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Moreton Bay Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.