CONTENTS
PIONEERS OF REDCLIFFE
3
CURRICULUM LINKS
4
HISTORY
4
ENGLISH
6
ACTIVITIES
8
LESSON 1: HERE COME THE EUROPEANS
9
LESSON 2: PIONEERING LIFE
12
LESSON 3: A GRAVE AFFAIR
14
LESSON 4: GETTING READY TO RESEARCH
17
LESSON 5: PREPARING THE REPORT
21
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
23
BEFORE THE EUROPEANS
23
THE END OF TRADITIONAL LIFE
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ABORIGINAL IDENTITIES
28
SETTLEMENT OF MORETON BAY
33
THREE STAGES OF EARLY SETTLEMENT
37
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
39
PIONEERS 1860-1900
40
LIFE FOR EARLY PIONEERS
43
EARLY SURVEYING OF THE REGION
47
A GRAVE AFFAIR
48
GLOSSARY
50
SUPPORTING MATERIAL AND REFERENCES
53
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PIONEERS OF REDCLIFFE
A site on the Redcliffe Peninsula was first settled as a British penal colony in September 1824.
By May 1825, this settlement had moved from the peninsula to a site on the Brisbane River.
Once this move was made, there was very little activity in the way of settlement on the
peninsula until the 1860s although German missionaries visited in the 1840s hoping to convert
the native people to Christianity.
Redcliffe Peninsula was defined as an Agricultural Reserve with the name of 'Redcliff' by
government proclamation in March 1861, and this was followed by a proclamation for the sale
of land on the Redcliff Agricultural Reserve in May 1862. When the Divisions were first
established in Queensland, Redcliffe (now with an ‘e’ added) and surrounding areas became
part of the Caboolture Division until 1888 when the Redcliffe Divisional Board was established.
The Local Authorities Act of 1902 changed Divisional Boards to Shire Councils and the
Redcliffe Divisional Board became the Redcliffe Shire Council at that time. The town of
Redcliffe was constituted on May 27 1921, and the City of Redcliffe proclaimed in 1959.
The name Red Cliff Point was first mentioned by Matthew Flinders on his voyage of exploration
along the east coast in 1799. John Oxley also referred to Red Cliff Point in 1823 when he
recommended Red Cliff Point as a possible settlement site. In March 2008 the Redcliffe City
Council was amalgamated with the adjoining councils of Caboolture and Pine Rivers to create
the Moreton Bay Regional Council.
The Cliffs Redcliffe, Redcliffe Snapshot 000248
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CURRICULUM LINKS
YEAR 5 – THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES
The Year 5 curriculum provides a study of colonial Australia in the 1800s. Students look at the
founding of British colonies and the development of a colony. They learn about what life was
like for different groups of people in the colonial period. They examine significant events and
people, political and economic developments, social structures, and settlement patterns. This
resource combined with a tour to the local library, strongly supports the study of History and
English in year 5. As a result curriculum links to these subjects have been included.
HISTORY
TOPIC
The Australian Colonies
KEY INQUIRY QUESTIONS
1. What do we know about the lives of people in
Australia’s colonial past?
2. What were the significant events and who were the
significant people that shaped Australian colonies?
3. How did colonial settlement change the environment?
HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
1. Reasons (economic, political and social) for the establishment of British colonies in
Australia after 1800.
2. The nature of convict or colonial presence, including the factors that influenced
patterns of development, aspects of the daily life of the inhabitants (including
Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islander Peoples) and how the environment
changed.
3. The impact of a significant development or event on a colony; for example, frontier
conflict, the gold rushes, the Eureka Stockade, internal exploration, the advent of rail,
the expansion of farming, drought.
4. The reasons people migrated to Australia from Europe and Asia, and the
experiences and contributions of a particular migrant group within a colony.
5. The role that a significant individual or group played in shaping a colony; for example,
explorers, farmers, entrepreneurs, artists, writers, humanitarians, religious and
political leaders, and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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HISTORICAL SKILLS
Chronology, terms and concepts:
1. Sequence historical people and events
2. Use historical terms and concepts
Historical questions and research:
1. Identify questions to inform an historical inquiry
2. Identify and locate a range of relevant sources
Analysis and use of sources:
1. Locate information related to inquiry questions in a range of sources
2. Compare information from a range of sources
Perspectives and interpretations:
1. Identify points of view in the past and present
Explanation and communication:
1. Develop texts, particularly narratives and descriptions, which incorporate source
materials
2. Use a range of communication forms (oral, graphic, written) and digital technologies.
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ENGLISH
Strands
The Australian Curriculum: English Foundation to Year 10 is organised into three stands:
•
Language: knowing about the English language
•
Literature: understanding, appreciating, responding to, analysing and creating literature
•
Literacy: expanding the repertoire of English usage
Strands and sub-strands
Content descriptions in each strand are grouped into sub-strands. The sub-strands are as
follows:
LANGUAGE
Language variation and
change
Language for interaction
Text structure and
organisation
LITERATURE
LITERACY
Literature and context
Texts in context
Responding to literature
Interacting with others
Examining literature
Interpreting, analysing and
evaluating
Creating literature
Creating texts
Expressing and developing
ideas
Sound and letter knowledge
This resource provides many opportunities for students to demonstrate all aspects of these
strands and sub-strands.
Text types
This resource provides opportunities for using or creating the following text types.
WRITTEN
SPOKEN
Reference books
Stories
Newspaper articles
Descriptions
MULTI-MODAL
Small film and computer
presentations
Maps
Diaries
Biographies
Letters
Research report
Recounts
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Modes
This resource provides opportunities for using the following English modes.
LISTENING
Students will be required to listen and comprehend
presentations given by teachers, library staff, their peers and
various multi-media formats.
SPEAKING
Students will be required to pose questions and discuss
findings.
READING
Through reading reference material students will be given
the opportunity to process words and symbols to derive
meaning. They will also be required to critically analyse and
reflect upon the meaning of written, visual, print and nonprint texts.
VIEWING AND
WRITING
Students will be given the opportunity to observe with
purpose, understanding and critical awareness, maps,
pictures and multimedia presentations.
Students will create a research report.
New vocabulary
Pioneers
Speculators
Indigenous
Primary Source
Secondary Source
Europeans
Ningy Ningy
New Holland
Settlements
Humpybong
Colony
Thunderbox
Penal Settlement
Queenslander
Memorials
Agricultural Reserve
Provisional School
Epitaph
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ACTIVITIES
FIRST THINGS FIRST!
At the very start of any new unit of study it is important to provide the students with a brief
outline of what a study of the unit involves. Explain to the students that they are about to begin
study on Redcliffe’s Pioneers. Their work for this unit will fall into three stages:
•
Activities to be completed at school which will introduce them to why pioneers settled in
the area, what life was like for these pioneers, pioneer graves and what they reveal.
•
Activities to complete during their visit to the library.
•
Activities to do back in the classroom after their library visit.
PRE-VISIT ACTIVITIES
Pre-visit activities orientate students to the topic. They should include background information
which students can build upon during their library visit. They should also prepare students for
any information gathering that needs to occur during their visit. This is achieved by introducing
research projects or by providing them with information about post-visit activities which are to
be based on experiences or evidence collected during their visit. Informing students early of
expected outcomes helps to narrow their field of research during on-site visits.
What your students need to know before their visit
In order for your students to gain as much from their visit to the library as possible, it is
important that they have knowledge of the following.
The history of settlement of Moreton Bay from 1824 –
1900.
Lesson 1
Here come the Europeans
The life of pioneers.
Lesson 2
Pioneering life
Pioneer memorials and their use as a primary source.
Lesson 3
A grave affair
Research and study expectations.
Lesson 4
Preparing to research
*Please note each lesson may need to extend over several class sessions. Lesson length will
be determined by time availability and the students existing knowledge base. Remember the
better the foundations the stronger the structure.
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LESSON 1: HERE COME THE EUROPEANS
LESSON
OVERVIEW
This lesson introduces students to the history of settlement of Moreton
Bay from 1824 – 1900.
WHEN TO USE
Pre-visit
YEAR 5
With modifications this activity could be adapted to suit all year levels.
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION
•
Before the Europeans
•
Settlement of Moreton Bay
Queensland timeline 1800s
http://www.qld.gov.au/about/about-queensland/history/timeline/1800s/
Redcliffe Historical Society
http://www.redcliffehistoricalsociety.com/index.html
REFERENCE
MATERIAL
Redcliffe Museum – Fact Sheets
http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/subsite.aspx?id=9561
Redcliffe Museum First Settlement Resources
http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/subsite.aspx?id=54183
Moreton Bay Regional Council
http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/discover.aspx?id=16473
National Library of Australia
http://www.nla.gov.au/australiana/australian-history-selected-websites
Classroom resources
•
Whiteboard/data projector or electronic whiteboard
Student resources
RESOURCES
•
Map of Australia
•
Map of Moreton Bay
•
Images of early explorers
Web links
• Map of Moreton Bay today
http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/discover.aspx?id=2302
•
Map of Moreton Bay, 1843-1846. National Library of Australia.
http://www.nla.gov.au/apps/cdview?pi=nla.map-raa8-s26sd&width=1200
•
Map of Flinders Voyage
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=211142644551132468
083.0004bbb87a5a6b127dcf3&msa=0
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INSTRUCTIONS
1. Introduce unit and assessment piece.
Tell your students that they are about to begin work on a unit called Redcliffe Pioneers.
Their assessment piece for this unit will be a research report on a pioneer of their choice.
Before they choose their pioneer to research it is important that they have some general
background information about Redcliffe’s pioneers. For this purpose the following topics
will be covered during this lesson.
•
Who was here first?
•
When and why Redcliffe was settled?
2. Orientate students to the area in question.
Show students maps of Moreton Bay and the Redcliffe area.
It might be interesting to show students historical and contemporary maps of the area. The
following resources include examples of both.
Student resources
Map of Australia
Map of Moreton Bay
Web links
Map of Moreton Bay today
http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/discover.aspx?id=2302
Map of Moreton Bay, 1843-1846. National Library of Australia.
http://www.nla.gov.au/apps/cdview?pi=nla.map-raa8-s26-sd&width=1200
3. Briefly discuss the Indigenous people of the Redcliffe region.
4. Briefly discuss early exploration.
Student resources
Images of early explorers
5. Discuss reasons for establishing a settlement at Redcliffe.
6. Discuss reasons for moving the settlement.
7. Discuss Humpybong Creek:
•
Importance to first settlement
•
Name – meaning and local area application
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8. Discuss settlement and use of the area between 1862 and 1900:
•
1862 Redcliffe Agricultural Reserve
•
1864 first farming blocks sold
Beach resort
•
9. Briefly discuss services which supported the expanding settlement.
10. Produce a timeline of significant events.
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LESSON 2: PIONEERING LIFE
LESSON
OVERVIEW
This lesson will provide a brief overview of what life was like for the
pioneers of the Redcliffe region.
WHEN TO USE
Pre-visit
YEAR 5
With modifications this activity could be adapted to suit all year levels.
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION
Pioneers
Early settlement
http://queenslandplaces.com.au/redcliffe-and-redcliffe-city
Early settlers homes and bush huts
http://home.iprimus.com.au/foo7/houses.html
Slab huts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slab_hut
Provisional schools
http://education.qld.gov.au/library/edhistory/state/provisional/.pdf
REFERENCE
MATERIAL
Queensland House
http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/Find+out+about/Histories+of+Queensland/Qu
eensland+families/Queensland+house
Australian Screen video clips relating to pioneer life
http://aso.gov.au/education/culture/pioneer-life/
My Place, ABC education resource
http://www.myplace.edu.au/themes/theme_landing.html?tabRank=1
Victorian Fashion
http://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/victorian-fashions/
Books
•
The Story of Nugget and Nellie (available from the Pine Rivers
Heritage Museum)
Classroom resources
•
Whiteboard/data projector or electronic whiteboard
Student resources
RESOURCES
•
Map of land portions (1860s)
Images of
•
Pioneer homes
•
Pioneer clothes
•
Pioneers
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INSTRUCTIONS
1. Define what a pioneer is.
2. Consider where pioneers to Redcliffe largely came from and why they left their homeland.
3. Consider reasons the first pioneers came to Redcliffe:
•
Redcliffe agricultural reserve – farming blocks sold
•
Estates opened up
•
Work in service industries
Student resources
Map of land portions (1860s)
4. Discuss what a pioneer’s life was like.
Read The Story of Nugget and Nellie. This small book is available from the Pine Rivers
Heritage Museum and introduces students to the life of two pioneering children.
•
Watch an episode of the ABC production My Place which focuses on the mid – late
1800s.
Consider the following topics:
•
Housing
•
Clothing
•
Work
•
Transport
•
Leisure
Student resources
Images of pioneer homes
Images of pioneer clothes
Images of pioneers
5. Consider the daily routine of a pioneer child. Students compare and contrast it with their
own.
•
Have students draw up two timetables. One timetable should represent either
Nugget or Nellie’s daily routine and the other should represent their own.
•
Have students identify similarities and differences between the two timetables.
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LESSON 3: A GRAVE AFFAIR
LESSON
OVERVIEW
This lesson will introduce students to the skills of gathering information
through studying memorials; in particular burial headstones. Using
these skills the students will investigate the headstones of Redcliffe
pioneers then discuss what insights into the pioneers life individual
gravestones provide.
WHEN TO USE
Pre-visit
YEAR 5
With modifications this activity could be adapted to suit all year levels.
BACKGROUND A Grave Affair
INFORMATION
REFERENCE
MATERIAL
Redcliffe Museum – Fact Sheets
http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/subsite.aspx?id=9561
Aboriginal mourning ceremonies
http://www.indigenousaustralia.info/culture/mourning-ceremonies.html
Classroom resources
•
Whiteboard/data projector or electronic whiteboard
Student resources
RESOURCES
•
Different burial practices
•
Example graves
•
Cameron memorial
•
Pioneer graves
•
Retrieval chart
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INSTRUCTIONS
1. Show students images of different memorials. Ask students to guess which countries the
memorials and graves are from.
A Dolmen, Ireland; Tombs, Turkey; Taj Mahal, India; War Cemetery, France; Aboriginal
burial cave, Australia; Pyramid, Egypt
Student resources
Images of different burial practices
2. Discuss why people bury their dead and why different practices exist.
Why – religious significance, disease prevention
Differences – religious beliefs, cultural differences, location i.e. death at sea results in a
water burial or frozen earth means the body can’t be buried so perhaps entombed or burnt
if wood is available.
Examples of different practices:
•
Egyptians - pyramids and tombs, embalmed the body and buried objects and
sometimes even living servants in the grave to assist the dead in the afterlife.
•
Hindus - burn their dead
•
Aboriginal burials - some Aboriginal people buried their dead, some cremated them;
some placed the bodies on platforms or in trees or caves to conceal them.
3. Ask students to identify burial practices common to our society:
•
Cremation
•
Internment
•
Church service followed by grave side service etc.
4. Discuss the concept of gravestones as memorials and primary sources of evidence when
conducting investigations into a person’s life.
5. Have students look at the example memorials- Write down what they see
•
Epitaphs, symbols, different grave designs, different materials i.e. sandstone,
wood, iron.
6. Have students discuss what information they extract or deduce from the example
memorials
Some ideas might include:
•
The bigger, more ornate the memorial the wealthier the person.
•
A simple wooden cross might mean the person was poor.
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• Different symbols mean different things i.e. a rose is usually located on a
woman’s grave, the dove is the symbol of peace, a cross would mean they are
Christian, a symbol of a slouch hat would represent a soldier etc.
Student resources
Example graves
7. Fill out retrieval chart with students using the Cameron memorial
Student resources
Retrieval chart
Cameron memorial
8. Have students look at images of the pioneer memorials.
•
Discuss and ask students to propose reasons for why Tubbs and Sutton are
missing headstones.
Possible explanations
•
Tubbs died away from home while seeking medical assistance. Due to the
distance at that time it is likely that family members did not attend the funeral
hence no gravestone to mark the spot.
•
Sutton – perhaps the graves have been destroyed by vandals or perhaps Henry
and Fanny only ever had wooden memorials which have either been destroyed
or deteriorated over time.
Student resources
Pioneer graves
9. Ask students what they think the memorials might tell them about the life of the pioneers
•
•
In particular discuss Cutts memorial.
Fill out the retrieval chart using information on the Cutts memorial
Student resources
Pioneer graves
Retrieval chart
10. Conclude lesson by having students summarise what they have learnt regarding the use of
headstones and memorials as primary sources
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LESSON 4: GETTING READY TO RESEARCH
In this lesson students prepare for their visit to the library by:
LESSON
OVERVIEW
•
Choosing a pioneer to research
•
Reviewing and discussing their Student Workbooks
•
Setting behaviour and work objectives
•
Reviewing a timetable of the day’s events.
WHEN TO USE
Pre-visit
YEAR 5
With modifications this activity could be adapted to suit all year levels.
Classroom resources
•
RESOURCES
Whiteboard/data projector or electronic whiteboard
Student resources
•
Student Workbook
•
Pioneer biographies
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INSTRUCTIONS
1. Review what students have learnt so far.
Discuss the following:
•
First settlement of Moreton Bay
•
The lives of early pioneers
•
Pioneer memorials as a primary source of evidence
2. Explain to the students that their next step is to visit the library to research a pioneer of their
choice.
3. Students must now pick their pioneer.
Provide students with a list of pioneers and their biographies. Students choose their pioneer
Student resources
Pioneer biographies
4. Hand students their Student Workbook and discuss its contents.
Ensure students know what a primary and secondary source is.
Student resources
Student workbook
5. Students complete What I Know and What I Want to Know (KW) chart found in workbook.
Use pioneer biographies and information obtained from gravestones to fill out the chart.
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LIBRARY VISIT PREPARATION
Timetabling activity
Students will feel more comfortable and gain greater benefit from their library visit, if they know
the timing of the excursion. If possible provide students with a timetable or outline of their visit
and discuss it with them. Include the following:
•
Who the other teachers/accompanying adults will be
•
How they will get to the library
•
What time they will leave school
•
What time they will arrive at the library
•
What time recess and/or lunch will be
•
How much time they will spend working on different research questions
•
What activities they will be expected to complete
•
What time they will leave the library to go home.
Setting behaviour standards for the day
Setting behaviour standards for the day will help to alleviate disruptive behaviour.
•
Remind students that they will be working in a public library. Their behaviour needs to
show respect for public library users, the library staff who will be working with them,
assisting parents and fellow students.
•
Discuss any safety issues that may be of concern.
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ON-SITE ACTIVITIES
On-site activities provide opportunities for research and information collection. They also
provide opportunities to see and experience items in situ.
On-site activities include:
•
Learning how to access the library databases then using selected databases for
researching their pioneers
•
Investigating the resources available in the local history collection and selecting
appropriate sources for research
•
Gathering information about their pioneer using modified and selected sources
•
Filling out their Student Workbook using the information obtained during their visit.
Group activities include:
MAPPING
Students use library maps to locate areas of land purchased by their
pioneers. They then transfer this information to the maps found in
their Student Workbook.
PHOTOGRAPHIC
DATABASE
Library staff will teach students how to search for photographs of
their pioneers by using the libraries photographic database.
Students then select photos they wish to use for their research
report.
BIOGRAPHIES
Using pioneer biographies prepared by library staff and their
Student Workbook, students research their pioneers. They take
notes and answer questions in their Student Workbooks.
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LESSON 5: PREPARING THE REPORT
LESSON
OVERVIEW
In this lesson students review the information they have gathered and
prepare their reports.
WHEN TO USE
Post-visit
YEAR 5
With modifications this activity could be adapted to suit all year levels.
Student resources
RESOURCES
•
Student Workbook
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Review Library visit and discuss information collected during the visit.
2. Review Student Workbook.
Consider where the students are up to and what they need to do next.
3. Prepare report by working through the different steps in the workbook.
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EXTRA ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS
Pioneer day
1. Hold a pioneer day at your school or in your classroom. Activities might include:
•
Cooking pioneer food
Presenting student pioneer reports
•
Playing pioneer games
•
Performing pioneer jobs such as washing using a washboard, making butter etc.
•
Narrative
2. Write their own narrative using Nugget and Nellie as the central characters. Topics might
be:
•
Nugget’s great dilemma
•
Nellie’s big adventure
Comparative essay
3. Children compare their own lives with those of children in the past.
•
Visit the local museum
Visit the Redcliffe Museum or one of the other council museums including:
•
The Pine Rivers Heritage Museum
•
Caboolture Historical Village
•
Samford Historical Museum
Make connections with a local history group
4. Contact the Redcliffe Historical Society and ask them to do a small oral presentation for
your students about the early pioneers.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
BEFORE THE EUROPEANS
While the following information is accurate
to the best of the author’s knowledge, it is
important to acknowledge that the area of
Indigenous history in Australia is one which
is subject to a number of factors which
sometimes affects what is generally
considered correct information. It is
therefore important to acknowledge that any
information presented is open to debate
and should be cross-checked by the reader.
Before the arrival of pioneers the Moreton
Bay Region with its abundant natural
resources and environs was heavily
populated by Indigenous people. It is
believed that there were about 4000 to
5000 Aboriginal people living in the Moreton
Bay Region when the Redcliffe Penal
Settlement was established in 1825.
These people were loosely organised into
large language groups. Each group in turn
consisted of a number of individual groups
or clans.
When Mathew Flinders, the first English
man to step ashore in the Moreton Bay
region, first encountered the local Aboriginal
people, it was the Ningy Ningy Clan of the
Redcliffe Peninsula that he met. The Ningy
Ningy used the red soil of the Red Cliffs
which were rich in iron, to decorate
themselves. Hence they were also known
as the red ochre people.
Aboriginal nations and their
countries
The three main groups of the Moreton Bay
Region are generally recognised as:
•
Turrbal
•
Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi)
•
Jinibara
MORETON BAY REGION LIBRARIES
The areas each group and their associated
clans occupied are referred to as ‘country’.
Individual groups are connected to their
countries spiritually and geographically.
According to Tom Petrie no clan would hunt
on or visit another clan’s country unless
invited. If they knew they would be
welcomed they would send special
messages to announce their arrival (Petrie
1904, p. 117). This suggests that inter-clan
relationships were governed by strict rules
regarding country use and boundaries and
mechanisms existed which allowed for the
acknowledgment of their neighbours
custodianship and use of these individual
areas.
Lifestyles
Early European observers often described
the rotational movement of Aboriginal
people through their countries as
representative of a nomadic lifestyle.
Today this movement of people is more
accurately referred to as seasonal
occupation or seasonal travel. Seasonal
travel was necessary in order not to
exhaust all the resources of one area.
Seasonal clues such as the flowering of
certain plants or the movement of animals
were the trigger for these movements. As
such, seasonal movement required an
intimate knowledge of the land. Research
suggests that some of the Aboriginal people
of the Moreton Bay Region lived this
lifestyle.
Alternatively there is evidence which
suggests that other Indigenous Australians
from within the region lived a more
sedentary lifestyle. Aboriginal groups that
had access to a regular supply of resources
or which had equipment such as large
fishing nets that were heavy and difficult to
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re-locate may have established more
permanent camps (Donovan 2002, p. 57).
That is not to say that they didn’t move
rather that their movements were less
dependent upon the need to source food
and more likely a response to other cultural
activities.
The Aboriginal people of the Moreton Bay
Region appear to have had a system of
land and resource management which
utilised the resources available to them.
Evidence suggest that they were adept at
harvesting fish through the erection of weirs
and fish traps with many European visitors
often noting the exceptional quality of the
fishing equipment found in the area.
Local Aboriginal groups also practiced a
method of land management known as firestick farming. Firing selected patches of
land helped to clear the undergrowth which
in turn improved access, helped with
hunting and regenerated plants which were
relied upon for the provision of food or to
attract game.
Like all Aboriginal groups and clans, those
of the Moreton Bay Region had their own
laws, religious beliefs and histories, all of
which were moulded and shaped by the
countries which they occupied. But also as
with all Aboriginal people there were
commonalities.
Ritual feastings and gatherings
All of the Moreton Bay Aboriginal people
travelled across country to participate in
cultural gatherings and ceremonies. These
ceremonies and gatherings dealt with
initiations, death, mourning, marriage and
the settling of disputes. They were also
important as events where material goods
and cultural knowledge could be traded
(Kerwin 2011, p. 18). While some of these
goods, technologies and stories were
adapted to suit their own environments,
their similarities contributed to the
commonalities found between the groups.
MORETON BAY REGION LIBRARIES
Many ceremonies and gatherings took
place within or near bora rings or kippa
(young man Turrbal language) rings as they
are also referred to. Often large numbers of
people from many clans gathered at these
rings for these important ceremonies. Out
of necessity ceremonies generally
coincided with the seasonal appearance of
flora or fauna in the vicinity of the bora ring.
This flora and fauna was then harvested to
feed the large numbers of people gathered.
Generally a Bora ring consisted of one large
circle and one smaller circle which were
connected via a well–defined pathway.
Petrie (1904, pp. 49-63) describes one of
these pathways as follows,
…all along both sides of the pathway were
placed peculiar images in clay or grass, two
or three feet high, of kangaroos, opossums,
native bears, emus, turtles, snakes, fish and
nearly all sorts of animals as well as of
men. Images were also cut in the bark of
trees which grew along the roadways.
Most of the Bora rings had the central area
scooped out and the removed dirt built up
around the circumference to create an
earthen boundary. Several of these sites
are found across the Moreton Bay Region.
The bora ring at Redcliffe was located at
Kippa-Ring.
Today all of the bora rings within the
Moreton Bay Region have been either
wholly or partly destroyed except for the
Samford Ring. Tom Petrie visited the
Samford bora ring and refers to it several
times in his 1904 Reminiscences. He gives
an insight into how far people travelled to
attend these ceremonies as he notes that
the Samford bora grounds were generally
used by Aboriginal people from Ipswich,
Cressbrook, Mount Brisbane and Brisbane.
People from Maroochy, Noosa, Kilcoy,
Durundur and Barambah used the
Humpybong bora ring while people from
Logan, North Stradbroke, North Pine,
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Moreton and Bribie Island frequented the
North Pine bora ring (Petrie 1904, p. 55).
Durundur was the name of the first pioneer
property established on the western side of
present day Woodford. In the 1840s it was
noted as a gathering point for surrounding
Aboriginal clans. It was on the path taken
by Aboriginal people as they travelled to the
triennial bunya festivals held in the Bunya
Mountains and was representative of the
many places people travelling to and from
important festivals met, feasted and shared
culture. Pioneers reported witnessing a
ceremony at Durundur, during the bunya
festival of 1864. Five hundred Aboriginal
people were reported to have attended
(Steele 1984, p. 256).
The bunya festivals were important cultural
gatherings for the Aboriginal people of the
Moreton Bay Region. For although they
were held just outside of the region many of
the local Aboriginal Nations attended along
with groups from further afield including the
Clarence region to the south, the Burnett
region to the north and the Moonie and
Maranoa regions to the west.
Not every member of every Aboriginal
group would attend. People whose
countries resided close to the Bunya
Mountains would attend in large numbers,
while those groups whose countries resided
further away were limited to sending
members who were fit and able to travel.
through the Moreton Bay Region with a
group of Aboriginal people to attend the
festival.
They travelled from Brisbane, a party of
about 100, and camped the first night at
what is now Enoggera. The second night
they camped at the Pine and the third night
they camped at Caboolture (a place of the
carpet snake). The next day they started
for the Glass-house Mountains. At about
4pm the party arrived at Mooloolah. The
party apparently arrived at the Blackall
Ranges on the fifth day. Another days
travelling took them to where the tribes
were all assembling from every part of the
country. (Petrie 1904, pp. 11-17)
The paths Indigenous people travelled
traversed the easiest routes across the land
and had been well trodden for generations.
The knowledge of the locations of these
paths was handed down from one
generation to the next through songlines,
song cycles and tangible objects (Kerwin
2011, p. 182), each of which acted like a
map. The location of key markers along the
Aboriginal pathways were entwined into
song cycles which in many ways enabled
people to ‘sing’ their way across country.
The fact that the traditional Aboriginal
pathways took the easiest routes across
land did not go unnoticed by the settlers of
the area and today many of our major roads
follow these traditional paths. Steele (1983,
p. 129) suggests that the Old Northern
Road from Brisbane via Cash’s Crossing
and Young’s Crossing was an Aboriginal
pathway which led to the traditional bunya
festivals.
Subsistence
Aboriginal pathways
In order to reach these ceremonies and
gatherings it was necessary for Aboriginal
people to travel across theirs and their
neighbour’s countries. In the early 1840s
Tom Petrie’s father travelled from Brisbane
MORETON BAY REGION LIBRARIES
The Aboriginal people of the Moreton Bay
Region had a veritable supply of food
available to them. The coastal people fed
on a seafood diet of mussels, dugong,
turtle, oysters and fish. If fish were present
in large numbers they were captured using
well-crafted fishing nets and hooks. If
TEACHER RESOURCE
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present only in small numbers, they were
speared.
The streams and swamps provided a range
of foods including freshwater fish, eels,
tortoises, yabbies and a variety of birds
such as ducks, swans, pelicans and
cormorants. Ducks were captured using
nets or they were grabbed from underneath
in swamps. Their eggs were also a
favourite food (Petrie 1904, p. 91).
Snakes, goannas, echidnas, kangaroos,
wallabies and other mammals were also
consumed. Kangaroos were caught using
nets similar to those used for capturing
dugongs. The nets were stretched between
trees and the kangaroos driven into them
then speared. Other kangaroos were
driven into waterholes by groups of
Aboriginal hunters and met the same fate
(Petrie 1904, p. 84). Most animals were
generally roasted whole but skins which
could be used for cloaks or rugs were
removed first. Possum skins were highly
prized.
Vegetable foods harvested across the
region included yams, waterlilies and the
shoots of cabbage tree and bangalow
palms. The roots of the bungwall fern were
a staple and when processed made a type
of bush bread which was eaten with fish or
meat. While other plants including the
cunjevoi, the Moreton Bay chestnuts and
zamia nuts, though poisonous in their raw
state, were rendered edible through a
process of roasting, crushing and washing.
Bunya nuts were another favourite and
were collected during feasts. They were
matured in baskets in lagoons and then
roasted when they began to shoot. Local
bees provided honey.
As a general rule it is believed the men
captured and hunted for food while women
took on more of a collection and processing
role.
MORETON BAY REGION LIBRARIES
Medicine and health
Many native plants were used for medicinal
purposes. Leaves from the Beach
Sunflower were crushed in the hands and
its fumes inhaled to ease headaches. Sore
wounds and ulcers were treated with a
number of remedies including the juice from
the Ajuga Australis, crushed leaves of the
Cunjevoi and Peanut Tree and pulped
leaves of the Milk Thistle.
There were equally as many remedies for
coughs and colds. Syrups and teas were
made from the Maidenhair Fern, Fishbone
Fern and Banksia flowers. Paperbark
leaves and Raspberry leaves were also
drunk.
The Ningy Ningy people used white clay
from Scarborough Beach or Banda Mardo
as they called it, as protection against
mosquitoes.
Material culture
Most of the cultural items used by the
Aboriginal people of the Moreton Bay
Region were made from organic materials
such as bark, wood, stones and fibres.
Bees wax and the sap of bunya pines were
regularly used as a form of glue to bind
things together.
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Items made from wood included
boomerangs, spears, ‘waddies’, digging
sticks, shields, coolamons and canoes.
Vessels made for holding honey or water
were also made from bark, wood and palm
fibres.
each clans ability to forge spiritual and
cultural links with their individual countries.
Thus began the destabilisation of traditional
lifestyles as customs were abandoned and
neighbours were required to join forces,
adapt or die.
Fishing nets were made from vine fibres,
wattle bark and kangaroo sinews woven
together and shaped wallaby bones were
used as fishing hooks. Other fibres which
were used for a variety of tasks such as
sewing included treated sinews and
tendons, kangaroo fur and human hair.
Echidna spines were often used as the
needle.
The pioneers’ impact was felt even before
they arrived. Small pox, which possibly
spread from the convict settlement in
Brisbane or even from the original
settlement in Port Jackson, had significantly
reduced the local populations of South East
Queensland before the area was settled.
Tom Petrie observed that after the pioneers
arrived, tuberculosis and other diseases did
the same.
Stone instruments included grindstones and
mullers and bevelled pounders used to
process plants such as the bungwall fern.
Sharp stone flakes were used for cutting,
removing bark or skinning animals. Sharp
mussel shells were used for activities such
as chopping fern roots.
AFTER EUROPEAN
SETTLEMENT
While the Aboriginal people of the Moreton
Bay Region had experienced contact with
Europeans before, it was the 1824 penal
settlement at Redcliffe which was the
beginning of the dispossession of their
lands and the fragmenting of their culture.
Settlement in the area had an adverse and
irreparable impact on the Aboriginal people
of the region. As pastoral properties
engulfed large pockets of land sacred and
cultural sites were destroyed and hunting
grounds lost.
Aboriginal groups were forced to the
margins of their countries and eventually
onto their neighbours in order to find
suitable shelter, food and other life-giving
resources.
The loss of sacred sites not only inhibited
the transfer of traditional knowledge from
one generation to the next but also inhibited
MORETON BAY REGION LIBRARIES
In the book Pioneering the Pine, local
historian, Leith Barter, states that traditional
Aboriginal ceremonial life in Pine Rivers
ceased to exist around 1880. That is only
56 years after the establishment of the
penal settlement at Redcliffe. He goes on
to state that evidence suggests that the
Samford bora ring was last used in 1874
and the Samsonvale ring in 1878. It is not
unrealistic to assume that the cessation of
traditional life at this time extended
throughout the rest of the Moreton Bay
Region.
While small groups were observed in the
region for some time after, no significant
concentrations of Aboriginal people resided
in the area after 1880 and many who
remained were rounded up and sent to
government Aboriginal settlements
including the Bribie Island Mission. First
reserved for this purpose in 1877, the Bribie
Island Mission formally operated for two
years from 1891 before the Aboriginal
people were moved to Stradbroke Island.
That is not to say that there are no
descendants of the original Aboriginal
people of this region residing within the
area now; rather, as a general rule, their
ancestors were forcibly removed from it.
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ABORIGINAL IDENTITIES
To commemorate the memory of Dalaipi
and his North Pine clan, the Dalaipi
rainforest nature trail was established near
the site of Tom Petrie’s Murrumba
homestead on land now part of Our Lady of
the Way School at Petrie.
Ker-Walli (Anglicisation: King
Sandy)
Male. Gubbi Gubbi Nation. Ningy Ningy
Clan.
The following Aboriginal people were just
some of the many who became well known
in the Moreton Bay Region.
Dundalli
Male. Jindoobarrie (Djindubari) Clan
Dundalli offered resistance to pioneer
settlement. Dundalli was hanged in 1855
for the murder of pastoralist Andrew
Gregor.
Dalaipai
Male. Turrbal Nation
Dalaipi was an elder and Rain-maker of the
North Pine Clan. He was well associated
with Tom Petrie who often refers to him in
his Reminiscences. It is believed that it
was Dalaipi who encouraged Petrie to
establish a cattle run in the North Pine area
during the late 1850s. Petrie named his
homestead Murrumba which means ‘good’
in the local dialect.
Dalaipi was the traditional custodian of
several known sacred sites: the Petrie bora
ground known as Nindur-ngineddo (literally
leech-sitting down and so associated with a
leech dreaming place), the Mandin (or
Mundin) fishing hole near the present North
Coast Railway Bridge and a rain increase
site on the north bank of the North Pine
River a short distance upstream from the
fishing site. Yebri Creek nearby was also a
popular camping area.
MORETON BAY REGION LIBRARIES
Ker-Walli was the leader of a group of
Aboriginal people who camped halfway
between Woody Point and Clontarf
sometime between 1880–1900. He was a
well-known figure in the Brisbane area who
moved around a lot. In his lifetime he
worked as a member of the native police
and as a cedar cutter for Tom Petrie. He
branded a ‘P’ on his arm to signify that he
belonged to the Petrie group of workers.
He carried other scars as well including
scars and wounds made by a boomerang,
spear, nulla-nulla and knife. King Sandy
died at Wynnum in May 1900.
Boama (Anglicisation: Sammy
Bell)
Male. Gubbi Gubbi Nation. Ningy Ningy
Clan
Sammy worked for Redcliffe pioneer Mrs
Harriet Bell. Mrs Bell allowed the local
Indigenous people to camp and hunt on her
land at Bell’s Paddock near her home,
Kalangur, at Clontarf.
Sammy died on 2nd February, 1913. His
death was recorded in the Brisbane Courier
on the 4th February. The report states that
Sammy had lived at Woody Point for about
30 years where it is believed he gathered
oysters for visitors and locals. It also states
that he danced for pennies thrown from
steamers travelling to and from Redcliffe
and entertained them with songs and
dances. He was a former Indigenous
trooper with the Native Police and was well
liked by many in the community.
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He is one of the few Aboriginal Australians
buried in the Redcliffe Cemetery. Members
of the local community raised funds for the
erection of a monument on his grave. It is a
cut-off butt of
a tree with
cut-off
branches. The
inscription
reads,
OTHER INTERESTING
IDENTITIES
Duramboi (James Davis)
Duramboi was a non-Indigenous male who
was an escapee from the Moreton Bay
penal settlement on the Brisbane River. He
lived with the Aboriginal people of the Wide
Bay and Burnett districts from 1829 – 1842.
Menvil Wanmuarn (Anglicisation:
Jackie Delaney, King of Stoney
Creek)
Male. Wamuran/Delaney’s Creek Region
Yilbung – (Anglicisation: Millbong
Jemmy)
Male. Turrbal Nation
A tribute from Woody Point friends to the
memory of Sammy Bell (Boama) who died
2 February, 1913. The last of his tribe.
MORETON BAY REGION LIBRARIES
TEACHER RESOURCE
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SOURCES
The following sources have been provided to help initiate the research process into Aboriginal
people of the Moreton Bay region. The sources are a small selection of what is available. No
one source should be used in isolation and as with all things attached to this area of study,
these sources and the information provided through them is open to debate and interrogation.
Subsistence
PETRIE
Page 70 provides an account of how dolphins were used to herd fish
into nets. Chapter 9, 10, 11 and 12 provide an insight into how key
animals were captured and used for food or other uses.
Material culture
PETRIE
Chapters 13 discusses some of the material culture of the people of the
Moreton Bay region including canoes, weapons, knives, digging sticks,
dilly bags, string
Shelters
PETRIE
Page 99
Games
PETRIE
Page 109
Aboriginal identities
DUNDALLI
A working paper written by Dr Dale Kerwin regarding Dundalli can be
found at this link:
http://nationalunitygovernment.org/pdf/GIER_WorkingPaper_1_Aug07.pdf
Australian Dictionary of Biography
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dundalli-12895
Queensland Historical Atlas
http://www.qhatlas.com.au/content/aboriginal-heroes-episodescolonial-landscape
BOAMA
Fairhall, Pat, Ningi Ningi: our first inhabitants
Gee, Patricia, 2004, The Redcliffe Cemetery, Redcliffe City Council,
Redcliffe Qld
DALAPAI
Petrie. Chapter 21
YILBUNG
Petrie. Page 166.
KER-WALLI
Petrie. Page 194
MORETON BAY REGION LIBRARIES
TEACHER RESOURCE
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DURAMBOI
Petrie. Page 137
Steele. Page 160
Australian Dictionary of Biography
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/davis-james-1965
Ceremonies and rituals
PETRIE
Chapters 5 to 7 describe bora rings, ‘kippa-making’ ceremonies and
associated activities.
STEELE
Pages 165 and 167 describe the Kippa Ring bora ring.
Other sources
FINNEGAN,
PAMPHLETT
AND PARSONS
Finnegan, Pamphlett and Parsons were timber getters who were
shipwrecked in Moreton Bay in April 1823. Finnegan and Pamphlett
were rescued by Oxley in late November 1823 and Parsons a year
later. All three were treated very well by Aboriginal people and there
are many accounts of their time spent with them. John Uniacke was
Superintendent of Distilleries in N.S.W and played a special role in
Oxley’s 1823 expedition. He interviewed the castaways and wrote
their story. It can be found at this web-site:
South East Queensland History
http://www.seqhistory.com/index.php/explorer-south-eastqueensland/pamphlet-parsons-finnegan/62-narrative-of-thomaspamphlet
Other sources which detail their story
Pearce, C. 1993. Through the Eyes of Thomas Pamphlet. Convict
and Castaway, Boolarong Publications, Brisbane.
Welsby, Thomas, The Collected Works of Thomas Welsby Volume 2,
Jacaranda Publishing Digitised 2010.
GERMAN
MISSIONARIES
FROM NUNDAH
German Missionaries from Nundah visited and worked with the Ningi
Ningi people from 1841 - 1843. They kept diaries of their visits which
provide an insight into the lives of these people.
Edited versions of some of their journals can be accessed on CDROM at the library.
MAPS
Horton's (1994)
http://www.abc.net.au/indigenous/map/
Tindale’s Aboriginal Tribal Boundaries Map
http://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/archives/collections/tribes
WEBSITES
South East Queensland History
http://www.seqhistory.com/
Gubbi Gubbi
http://www.gubbigubbi.com/
MORETON BAY REGION LIBRARIES
TEACHER RESOURCE
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Turrbal Aboriginal Nation
http://dakibudtcha.com.au/Turrbal/
Dept. of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs
http://www.datsima.qld.gov.au/atsis/aboriginal-torres-strait-islanderpeoples/indigenous-cultural-heritage
State Library of Queensland
http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/atsi/kuril-dhagun
MORETON BAY REGION LIBRARIES
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SETTLEMENT OF MORETON BAY
FIRST DISCOVERIES
Captain Cook
1770
Endeavour
Sailed up eastern seaboard of ‘New
Holland’.
Named the following:
•
Point Lookout
•
Glass House Mountains
•
Cape Moreton
In 1769, King George III of England sent Lieutenant James Cook, master of the Endeavour,
and his crew to find the east coast of the land then known as New Holland. Cook first mapped
the coastline of New Zealand then sailed west in search of New Holland. He reached the
south-eastern coastline in early April 1770. He sailed north, up the eastern coastline, mapping
it as he went.
On 17th May 1770, Cook came to a headland which he called Point Lookout on what is now
known as Stradbroke Island. From here he sighted a passage that he thought was a bay and
he named it Morton (not Moreton) Bay. The spelling error Moreton was made by John
Hawksworth in his record of Cook’s voyages, written in 1773. The error has stuck and
Hawksworth’s version is used today.
Cook then sailed further north to what is now called Moreton Island with the Endeavour passing
on the eastern side of the Island. He named the furthermost point on this island ‘Cape
Moreton’. From that position he could see peaks in the distance which he named ‘Glass
Houses’ because they reminded him of the huge glass furnaces in his home shire of Yorkshire.
From Cape Moreton he pushed further north. While sailing past he spotted the Redcliffe
peninsular on the western side of Moreton Bay but did not go ashore or give the peninsular a
name.
MORETON BAY REGION LIBRARIES
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Mathew Flinders
1799
First English man
to sail into Moreton
Bay.
Norfolk
Named the following:
• Red Cliff Point (Woody Point)
•
Port Skirmish (South Point, Bribie Island)
•
Pumice Stone River (Pumicestone Passage)
•
Moreton Island
In July, 1799, Governor Hunter sent Flinders in the Norfolk to explore north of Port Jackson
(Sydney) for areas suitable for future settlements. It was this voyage that would see Flinders
sail into Moreton Bay.
Travelling with him on this voyage was an Aboriginal man named Bongaree (or Bong-ree).
Bongaree was from the Broken Bay area near Sydney and was with Flinders when he landed
on Bribie Island. The suburb Bongaree is named in his honour.
One of the first encounters between the pioneers and Aboriginal people in the Moreton Bay
region occurred when Flinders briefly landed on the southern shore of Bribie Island in July,
1799. Here a misunderstanding took place over a cabbage tree hat and a spear was thrown by
one of the local Jindoobarrie Clan. The place where the incident occurred became known as
Skirmish Point. Today it is known as South Point.
On the 17th July 1799, Flinders landed at Woody Point which he named Red Cliff Point, after
the iron rich red soil cliffs.
On this voyage he spent two weeks exploring the Moreton Bay area and its inland environs.
During his time in the area he also visited Coochiemudlo Island and Donnybrook. He rowed up
Elimbah Creek then walked to the top of Beerburrum Mountain from where he had a clear view
of the Bay.
While he discovered many of the smaller islands in Moreton Bay, he did not name them;
instead he numbered them 1 – 6. Like Cook, Flinders believed a large river emptied into the
bay but also like Cook was unable to locate it due to shallow waters and tricky shoals. The
discovery of the Brisbane River would have to wait for Oxley.
From Moreton Bay he set sail north to Harvey Bay before turning south again for Port Jackson.
While little real short term benefit accrued to the colony from Flinder’s voyage north, his
discoveries on that voyage laid the groundwork for future settlements in the area.
MORETON BAY REGION LIBRARIES
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John Oxley
1823
Discovered the
Brisbane River
Named the Brisbane River in honour of Sir Thomas
Brisbane, then Governor of New South Wales.
Mermaid
In 1823, under order from Governor Brisbane, John Oxley was sent north in an attempt to
locate a place suited to the housing of convicts.
On the 29th November, 1823, Oxley anchored off what was then known as Skirmish Point but is
today known as South Point on Bribie Island. When the party went ashore they were
welcomed by the local Aboriginal people and two ex-convicts – Thomas Pamphlet and John
Finnegan.
In March 1823, Pamphlet and Finnegan with two other ticket-of-leave convicts named Richard
Parsons and John Thomson, had unknowingly been blown north of Sydney, during a storm
while endeavouring to reach Five Islands (Illawarra) to cut cedar. Thomson died during the
voyage and their small boat was wrecked on Moreton Island. In their efforts to get home they
discovered the Brisbane River.
Pamphlett and Finnegan showed Oxley the mouth of the Brisbane River. Oxley, under the
guidance of Finnegan, explored the river for about 20 kilometres.
On his return to Sydney, Oxley recommended Moreton Bay as the place for a convict
settlement. The penal settlement was established on the bay at Redcliffe in 1824. Later the
colony was moved south to a site on the Brisbane River at North Quay, where there was a
more reliable water supply. This area became the city of Brisbane.
MORETON BAY REGION LIBRARIES
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John Oxley and the discovery of the Brisbane and Pine River Rivers
The story of John Oxley’s discoveries in the Moreton Bay region begins on 15th April 1823
when three ticket-of-leave convicts, John Finnegan, Thomas Pamphlett and Richard Parsons,
were shipwrecked off the coast of Moreton Island. They had been sailing south from Sydney to
Illawarra to take on a cargo of timber when they encountered a severe storm which blew them
off course. Believing that they were still south of Sydney when wrecked, they survived with the
assistance of the local Aboriginal people and spent many weeks wandering around the shores
of Moreton Bay. During this period, they made an extensive foray up a large river (the
Brisbane) and whilst still heading north in the hope of reaching Sydney, they used Aboriginal
canoes to cross the mouth of the Pine River and Hays Inlet.
Lieutenant John Oxley, the Surveyor-General of New South Wales, was engaged on an
exploring expedition in H.M. Cutter Mermaid on 29th November 1823 when he rescued
Pamphlett close to Point Skirmish on Bribie Island. Finnegan was found the following day.
Oxley had been instructed by the Governor, Sir Thomas Brisbane, to assess Moreton Bay, Port
Curtis and Port Bowen as potential sites for convict settlements.
Whilst searching for Finnegan’s large river, Oxley, with Finnegan as a guide and one other
crew member, rowed up the Pine River on 1st December 1823. As Finnegan had mistaken the
mouth of the river as that for the Brisbane, Oxley later referred to it as the Deception River. The
party landed at Oxley’s Inlet and climbed a small hill two or three kilometres east of Petrie. On
the return journey Oxley observed a large number of Aboriginal people in the vicinity. He also
noted the presence of a great many very fine cypresses which he later correctly referred to as
pines. The site of Oxley’s landing has since been commemorated by the John Oxley Reserve in
Murrumba Downs.
The following day, Oxley’s party discovered and named the Brisbane River. As a result of
Oxley’s favourable report on his expedition to the Moreton Bay area, Governor Brisbane
decided to establish a convict settlement there.
Oxley returned to Moreton Bay nine months later to select and chart suitable sites for the
convict settlement. During this visit, on 30th September 1824, he also returned to the Pine River
to collect samples of logs of the Hoop Pines which he had sighted on his first trip to the area.
Allan Cunningham, the botanist and explorer, accompanied the party. As it was Cunningham
who identified the Hoop Pine as a species of Araucaria, it was subsequently named Araucaria
cunninghamii in recognition of his work. Although there is no record of Oxley naming the Pine
River anything other than the Deception River, the former name was in popular usage by the
early 1840s.
*Read the story of ticket-of-leave convict Pamphlett, at
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/pamphlett-thomas-2536
MORETON BAY REGION LIBRARIES
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THREE STAGES OF EARLY SETTLEMENT
Early settlement of the Redcliffe district occurred in three stages.
1. Penal settlement. 1824.
2. Pioneers who settled on land sold as part of the Redcliffe Agricultural Reserve in the
1860s. First permanent settlement.
3. Pioneers who settled on the residential blocks sold during the early 1880s.
1824 Moreton Bay penal settlement
Upon Oxley’s suggestion, the area then known as Red Cliff Point was approved for settlement
as a penal settlement. On 13th September 1824, the brig Amity arrived at Red Cliff point with a
view to establishing just that. On board were Oxley, Lieutenant Miller, soldiers, and the first
party of convicts to form the penal settlement. The site chosen for settlement is today on the
northern side of Anzac Avenue, from Redcliffe Parade to John Street. It was selected as it had
a permanent water supply nearby (Humbybong Creek) and good soil for agriculture on the
western side of the creek. Grazing pastures and plentiful timbers were also cited as reasons
for this choice.
The Redcliffe site was only ever intended as an interim site as Oxley’s report to the Governor of
Brisbane details below.
Oxley wrote:
Should it be deemed expedient to establish a Settlement in Moreton Bay, the Country in the
vicinity of Red Cliff Point offers the best Site for an Establishment in the first instance.
Oxley then goes on to say:
Red Cliff Point must however be viewed as being better adapted for a Military Post and Stores
than as the Site of a Principal Settlement, and that the Brisbane River presents so many
superior situations.
Therefore, as per Oxley’s recommendations, the settlement moved further upstream to the site
of current day Brisbane in May 1825.
1860s Agricultural reserve land sales
After settlement had been relocated upstream to the current site of Brisbane in 1825, the
Redcliffe area became virtually devoid of any further settlement until the 1860s.
In 1859 Queensland separated from New South Wales and in 1862 Redcliffe was declared an
agricultural reserve. This meant that areas of land between 20 and 120 acres in size could be
sold as farms. Many of the blocks along the foreshore were bought by speculators who had no
intention of either living on the block or working it. Rather they were holding onto their land with
a view to sub-dividing it into smaller residential blocks when the time was right.
The people who bought large, inland blocks became the first true settlers in the area. These
pioneers were largely poorer immigrants and used their blocks for agricultural purposes. On
their land they grazed cattle and grew crops such as sugarcane, wheat, cotton, cattle feed,
oranges and potatoes. They had to be totally self-sufficient.
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Because much of the land was locked up by speculators, the population did not increase
markedly between the 1860s and 1880s. This started to change when in 1882 some
speculators thought the time was right and started selling their land.
1880s Land boom
Redcliffe or Humpybong’ as it was then known had started to develop a reputation as a seaside
resort. Hotels and boarding houses appeared along the coast with holiday makers boarding
the ferry in Brisbane for the short trip north. The prime land along the coastline was first to go
while the interior land remained as larger agricultural blocks. By March 1884 much building
was in progress and houses were being erected ‘everywhere’. Still not all the land was
developed with some speculators holding onto their larger blocks until land values increased
further with improvements in local infrastructure and access.
1878
Bay View Hotel was built at Scarborough
1881
Redcliffe Hotel, now the Ambassador Hotel, was built
First Woody Point Jetty was built
1882
John Harrop Henzell erected his residence Seabrae
Henry Ibberson Tubbs built Orient House
1883
St Leonard’s Hotel, later called the Great Western Hotel was erected
at Woody Point on the site of the present day Palace Hotel
1885
First Redcliffe Jetty was built
Hurley House built for Rev. John Sutton (name changed to Sutton
House)
1886
Post and Telegraph Office, Courthouse and Police Station opened at
Redcliffe
1893
Mrs Harriett Bell’s home Klangur (built 1882) was destroyed by a
cyclone
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WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Humpybong
The name Humpybong is a derivative of the Aboriginal words oompie bong, humpy or oompie
meaning shelter and bong meaning vanished, together meaning deserted shelters. They refer
to the buildings left by the first settlers when they moved to the second settlement site on the
Brisbane River. While Redcliffe was always the official name of the Peninsular, Humpybong
was used by the settlers and locals right up until well into the 1930s.
Population figures
There were approximately 118 people living in the district in 1871.
By 1954 this figure had risen to approximately 13,857.
CENSUS FIGURES 1911
Dwellings
82
Males
198
Females
249
Persons
447
CENSUS FIGURES 1921
Dwellings
Private - 450
Other - 38
Males
1,061
Females
1,167
Persons
2,228
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PIONEERS 1860-1900
What is a pioneer?
A pioneer is someone who does something
for the first time. In relation to Australian
history it is often used to refer to the first
settlers in an area. When we talk about the
pioneers of the Redcliffe area we are talking
about the first people to settle the area. Of
course, they weren’t pioneers in the true
sense of the word because the area had
been settled by Aboriginal people for many
thousands of years before the arrival of the
first pioneers.
Where did the Redcliffe Pioneers
come from?
Following is a brief description of the
reasons behind the migration of the main
immigrant groups to the area.
Scottish Immigrants
During the 1800s three main factors led to
hundreds of thousands of Scottish people
emigrating to Australia or America. The
need to leave was a direct result of the
effects of the:
•
Highland clearances of the 17 and
1800s
•
Industrial revolution and
•
Potato famine of 1845 – 1856.
Before the highland clearances many
highlanders lived and farmed land that
belonged to their clan chief or landlord.
While the clan chief or landlord owned the
land, highlanders who lived on it paid them
a small rent.
During the1800s many landlords, looking
for a more profitable way to use their
properties, forced people off their lands so
that they could run large sheep farms.
Large numbers of the displaced highlanders
emigrated to Australia and America as they
had no other option.
At the same time many Scottish people who
lived in the lowlands were also being forced
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off their farms, but for a very different
reason. The industrial revolution had begun
and landowners used machines to do the
work that farm hands once did. As a result
people in the lowlands were forced off
farms into cities where large factories
offered them possible work. These cites
quickly became overcrowded, not everyone
was able to find work and those that could,
worked long hours for low wages often in
unsafe working conditions.
The potato famine of 1845 – 1856 also
impacted Scotland. Thanks to a home
grown relief effort, far fewer scots suffered
during the famine than their Irish
counterparts but nevertheless 200,000
people went hungry.
Thus the highland clearances, the industrial
revolution and the potato famine were the
three main factors that forced thousands of
Scottish people to emigrate to Australia and
America in search of a better life.
Irish Immigrants
The reasons why so many Irish emigrated
to Australia were very similar to those that
forced their Scottish neighbours to leave
their homelands. That is:
•
The industrial revolution
•
The potato famine
•
Evictions
•
Religious persecutions
Like Scotland, the industrial revolution was
forcing people off farms into cities to look
for work. The cities quickly became
overcrowded, disease and poverty were
rife, wages were low and working conditions
unsafe and demanding.
As Ireland was a poor country
approximately one third of its people relied
on the yearly potato crops to feed their
families. During the years 1845 – 1856 the
potato crops contracted a disease called
potato blight which ravaged the crops
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causing them to fail. Unlike the Scots, the
Irish did not receive any relief or assistance.
As a result over 3 million people were
affected.
Evictions were also taking place in Ireland
with some Protestant landlords, forcing their
native Irish tenants off land they had lived
on for centuries, as they wished to establish
pastoral properties which offered greater
financial rewards.
Religious persecution was well embedded
in Ireland. Irish Catholics had been
suffering for many centuries at the hands of
their English, Protestant rulers. Harsh
penal laws enacted by the the Crown
government from 1695, stripped Catholics
of their basic rights including the right to:
•
Vote
•
Practice law
•
Enter a profession
•
Hold public office
•
Receive an education
•
Practice their own religion outside of
the Protestant faith
•
Serve as officers in British armed
forces
•
teach in, or enrol in colleges
•
Defend themselves with weapons
•
Be employed or an employer in a
trade or in commerce
•
Build a church or live within 5 miles
of the civil parish church
•
Own a horse of greater value than
five pounds
•
Purchase nor lease land
•
Hold a life annuity
•
Buy or receive a gift of land from a
Protestant
•
Inherit land or moveables from a
Protestant
•
Rent any land that was worth more
than thirty shillings a year
•
Reap from his land any profit
exceeding a third of the rent
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•
Be a guardian to a child
•
Leave infant children under Catholic
guardianship
•
Accept a mortgage on land in
security for a loan
•
Attend Catholic worship
•
Choose between attendance in a
Catholic, or a Protestant place of
worship
•
Educate his child
•
Be instructed by a local Catholic
teacher nor be educated abroad
As a result the Protestant English
immigrants and rulers prospered in Ireland,
while the native Irish Catholics endured
great suffering for hundreds of years with
no hope of a better life for themselves or
their offspring.
As a result of famine and emigration the
population of Ireland dropped from 8.5
million in the mid-1840s to 6.5 million in
1851. Today the population sits at around
4.6 million.
English and Welsh immigrants
English and Welsh immigrants largely came
to Australia looking for a better life than that
which existed for them at home. Few were
wealthy. The industrial revolution began in
England and its effects were far reaching
and quickly felt.
The revolution coincided with a time when
there were very few people in Australia. It
was during this time that the Australian
government enlisted the help of agents.
Agents were men, paid by the government
to travel to England for the sole purpose of
encouraging people to emigrate. The
agents would tell the people what a great
country Australia was and how their lives
would be much better if they moved.
To encourage people to come, some
applicants were offered grants of land. If
they were poor, they may even have been
given a free passage to travel to Australia.
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Of all the states, Queensland received the
most immigrants during this time.
German immigrants
The German immigrants comprised the
largest immigrant group outside of the
British and Irish immigrants. There were
three main motivations for Germans wishing
to emigrate. They were:
•
To avoid conscription of young men
into an army which was actively
engaged in war
•
Lutherans looking for religious
freedom
•
Poor economic conditions in
Germany
During the 18th and 19th Centuries Germany
looked very different to what it does today.
In fact it wasn’t even known as Germany
but rather it was a series of states known as
the German Empire. Its borders were
constantly changing thanks to a series of
wars with neighbouring countries. Many
men had died during the on-going battles.
In an effort to avoid the loss of further menfolk through conscription, some families
saw emigration to countries such as
America and Australia as a viable
alternative.
Many also fled the German states to find
religious freedom. When the German
Empire was formed in 1971, Prussia was
the dominant state and its king, King
Friedrich Wilhelm III tried to flex his
religious muscle. Wilhelm followed the
teachings of the Calvinist Church. This was
a form of reformed Lutheranism. Wilhelm
wanted all Protestants in the Prussian
territories to belong to the same church and
attempted to unite the reformed church with
the traditional. He bought in a new order for
church services and forbid the practice of
traditional forms of worship. People who
did not agree were keen to find a country
where they were free to practise their
religion through traditional methods.
Australia offered this freedom.
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The German Empire during the 18th and
19th Centuries was largely a farming
economy. Traditionally sons worked on
small farms which they inherited from their
fathers. However this all changed in the
1800s as improvements in health saw a rise
in child mortality. This meant that while in
the past it was likely that only one or two
children could inherit the family farm, now a
farmer might find he had several sons to
pass it on to. This ‘surplus’ of descendants
were thus forced to look for work
elsewhere.
The excess supply of farm labourers in the
German Empire coincided with a need for
farm labourers in Queensland. In
Queensland the Crown Lands Alienation
Act of 1868 was the start of closer
settlement. Closer settlement meant the
release of smaller blocks of land generally
between 40 to 80 acres for farming
purposes. Many ‘surplus’ German farmers
intent on making a living from these land
releases were attracted to these blocks.
The German workers quickly developed a
reputation as hard working, reliable with an
eye for detail. Most followed the Protestant
religion of Lutheranism which many other
non-Irish, Protestant immigrants found more
favourable than the Catholic religion
favoured by the Irish. The Germans also
bought with them many skills such as
blacksmithing, stonemasonry, farming and
cabinet making which were beneficial to a
young colony. As a result German migrants
were highly sought after and emigration to
Australia was encouraged by immigration
agents working in Germany who sought out
and recruited suitable candidates often
assisting them with the cost of their
passage over.
Other immigrants
Scotland, England, Wales and Germany but
also from other countries including Greece
(1920s) and China. Like the immigrants
noted previously many of these people
were fleeing persecution or poverty while
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others came because they thought they
could offer the new colony something
unique such as religious guidance.
Whatever the reason, they were all
Immigrants did not only come from Ireland,
searching for a new and better life in a land
that offered opportunities not open to them
at home. Some achieved it, others did not.
LIFE FOR EARLY PIONEERS
Transport
The first settlers in the region would most
likely have loaded all their possessions onto
a ship and sailed to the port of Brisbane.
They would have unloaded their goods onto
a horse drawn wagon and headed into the
bush. If they were lucky they would have
followed a track cut through by early
travellers otherwise they would have had to
literally cut their way through the bush
themselves. Progress would have been
very slow.
Many early roads in Queensland followed
known Aboriginal tracks or pathways.
Aboriginal people had been criss-crossing
the continent for thousands of years and
had forged the easiest route so it was only
sensible that these routes be followed. Tom
Petrie possibly used this method of marking
roads when he forged the first road or bush
track through the area.
The first road to Redcliffe, or Humpybong
as it was originally known, was marked out
by Tom Petrie for the purpose of guiding Sir
James Garrick and a party of friends to the
seaside for a picnic. This occurred before
any settlement had taken place on the
peninsula. Later when a road over Hay’s
Inlet was established, Tom Petrie marked a
track from the bridge to North Pine. That
same track exists today as Anzac Avenue.
During the late 1870s and early 1880s the
main public means of transport from
Brisbane to Redcliffe was by Robert
Wright’s coach or by boat. Wright’s coach
transported supplies and people and took
approximately four hours one way. Two
local men John Adams and Charles Cutts
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provided the other main method of transport
as they made regular boat trips across
Bramble Bay with paying passengers.
These boats were well utilised by the
locals. Steamers were also making visits
from time to time and were a very important
means of transport for produce and
passengers.
Despite having access to these transport
options, transport between the district and
Brisbane was slow. As a result poor
transport and limited options were some of
the main reasons for the slow progress of
the district.
During the 1880s after the sub-division of
land had occurred, the building of dirt roads
around the peninsula to connect each of the
townships, began in earnest. Oxley Avenue
was one of the first established. Streets
within townships were also first built around
this time.
Transport methods around the peninsular
included horse, traps or sulky (two-wheeled
vehicles drawn by a horse) or wagons.
Being located by the sea, boats were
always an important mode of transport in
Redcliffe and were being used to cross
Bramble Bay by the first settlers on the
Peninsula. The other popular method of
travel was by foot.
Transport between the district and Brisbane
in the late 1800s was mainly by steamboat
ferries. While these ferries bought much
needed supplies of food and goods,
delivery of meat was causing a problem due
to ferry delays resulting in meat unfit for
consumption.
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A railway line from Brisbane to North Pine
was opened on March 1, 1888. One
method of travel from Redcliffe to the North
Pine station was by Henry Tubb’s coach.
Mid-way along the route the Tubb’s horses
were changed for others, which were kept
in a fenced paddock on land which Tubbs
owned. Henry Tubbs renewed the coach
service previously established by Robert
Wright after Wright’s death in 1880 and was
one of the few private transport enterprises
in the district.
Housing
Clothing
Most of the early pioneers were poor and
their clothing reflected this. People had
‘work’ clothes which they wore every day
and ‘good’ clothes which were worn to
attend special events or church.
Children’s work clothes
Children’s clothes looked much the same
as their parents’ clothes and were generally
home-made. Poorer children often went
bare foot. Clothes would have been passed
down from older sibling to younger sibling.
Both boys and girls slept in a nightshirt.
1850 - 1882
Slab huts were predominately the first home
of choice for those pioneering families who
in the 1860s, lived on large tracts of land
settled as part of the agricultural reserve
scheme. The huts were quick to erect and
the timber used was readily available on
their blocks. The slab huts though cold in
winter, hot in summer and barely
waterproof, would have afforded the settlers
some protection until they were able to
construct their homesteads. Wealthy
pioneers went on to build homesteads.
Most however lived in their original slab
huts all their lives and it wasn’t until the next
generation that homesteads could be
constructed.
1882 - 1900
Before the 1880s there were very few
houses on the peninsula. The settlers who
arrived during this time to live on the
recently sub-divided residential blocks built
early forms of the iconic ‘Queenslanders’
that we are familiar with today.
Boarding houses started to appear on the
peninsular with Henry Tubbs erecting one
of the first in 1884. It was destroyed by fire
in 1928.
For more information about
‘Queenslanders’ see the web-site noted in
the Reference Material section of the
Pioneers Life lesson notes.
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The boys dressed like girls, in skirts and
dresses, until the age of four. Then boys
fashion reflected that of men, only in a
smaller version.
Girls wore a dress and an apron, often with
a shawl and lace up boots. Both wore hats.
Men’s clothes
Working men usually wore trousers which
were often held up by braces rather than
belts. They wore boots and a cap or a hat.
Most men only possessed one good outfit.
This outfit generally consisted of a suit, shirt
with starched collar and cuffs, studs, cuff
links, lace up boots and a straw hat. In the
mid to later parts of the 1800s most men
wore beards.
Women’s clothes
Working women wore long dresses or a
long skirt and a top. Like girls they also
wore shawls, an apron and lace up boots.
The apron was worn to protect their work
dress which was worn daily. It was cheaper
and easier to replace an apron than a
dress. Like the men women generally only
had one good outfit which they wore to
church and other community outings.
Work
Colonial children who lived on farms worked
a lot more than children do today. Free
time was almost non-existent. Everybody
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had a role to play to ensure the farm
provided enough food for all.
Children had jobs to do before school and
after school. Girls mainly worked with their
mothers and learnt to perform tasks
required to run a house. These included
cooking, sewing, milking cows, making
butter and looking after younger children.
Boys would spend a lot of time with their
fathers learning to do jobs required to run a
farm. Tasks included farming, cutting
firewood, fixing tools and fencing. Tasks for
both boys and girls would include feeding
the animals, emptying chamber pots and
working in the vegetable patch. They would
be required to light the fire in the wood
stove in the morning and to collect water
from tanks or the local dam.
Boys usually had the unenviable job of
emptying the thunderboxes as it needed
strength to empty the contents of the bucket
or the ‘dunny-can’. Once boys had emptied
the can it would often be the girls job to line
it with creosote. Creosote is a petroleum
by-product and was used widely on early
farms. Among its many uses it has an antibacterial property. Lining the cans with
creosote also helped suppress the smell.
Women’s jobs generally included household
chores and looking after the children. They
made most of their food including bread and
butter. Wash day was such an onerous
task it was done once a week, often on a
Monday and took the whole day. Monday
was a good day to do it because there was
generally food left over from Sunday’s roast
so the need to cook was limited.
Education
Education was important to the early
pioneers but not always available. The first
provisional school in the area was
established in 1876. A provisional school
was defined as one '... In which temporary
provision is made for the primary instruction
of children and not being a state school'.
Provisional schools were established where
an average attendance of between 12 and
30 pupils could be guaranteed. For more
information about provisional schools see
the web-site noted in the Reference
Material section of this lesson.
Those that did not or could not attend
provisional schools received a very limited
education at home. Home education of
course would only have occurred if parents
or other relatives could read and write
themselves.
Most children left school at around 12 or 13
years of age.
•
1876 Humpybong Provisional
School was opened on Duffield
Road. This school was rebuilt in
1878 fronting MacDonnell Road.
•
1888 Redcliffe Provisional School
opened in the grounds of the
present hospital; Arthur Ashmole
was the Head Teacher until the
school closed
•
1908 Redcliffe Provisional School
closed
•
1909 Humpybong State School
opened
A male’s job was to work the farm. They
tended to the animals and crops, fixed
fences and was repaired things as needed.
Most would have been responsible for
building their own slab hut, some their
homestead. Others would have worked
their own farms as well as gaining
employment elsewhere in order to bring in a
bit more money.
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Leisure
There was very little time for leisure for the
pioneers as much time and effort went into
the trade of ‘surviving’. However it wasn’t
all work and no play. Generally children
and parents spent leisure time together. As
a family they may have gone fishing or on a
picnic. They would have sat together at
night time around a candle, or piano if they
were rich enough, and sung songs, told
stories or recited poetry.
Very few toys existed in the 1800s and
those that did exist were fragile and
expensive. If they were very lucky a child
might have one toy. If they were a girl they
may have had a doll, doll’s house, tea set or
embroidery kit. If they were a boy they may
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have had a toy bear, toy horse and carriage
or lead soldiers.
Food
Pioneers who lived on agricultural blocks
were forced to produce all of their own food
due to isolation and lack of refrigeration
methods. They would have grown their own
fruit and vegetables and farmed and killed
their own meat. Provisions such as wheat
and sugar would have been bought in large
quantities in order to last a long time.
Women and girls made bread and butter.
All homes would have had a house cow for
milk and chickens for eggs. Bread, meat
and potatoes were the staples of the
working-class diet.
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EARLY SURVEYING OF THE REGION
The first civilian surveyors, Robert Dixon, James Warner and Granville Stapylton, arrived at
the Moreton Bay settlement on 8th May 1839. The convict period was winding down and, as
part of a strategy to prepare the district for free settlement, they were sent to conduct a
trigonometrical survey of the region. Although there had been considerable exploration of
the region, no proper survey had been made and the existing maps were based on compass
bearings, many of which were uncorrected for magnetic variation.
Under the leadership of Dixon, a base line was set up which was linked by observations to all
the natural features of Moreton Bay. This triangulation marked the start of the accurate
mapping of Queensland.
Stapylton was killed by local Aboriginal people later that year and Dixon was dismissed in
1841 after a disagreement with the Commandant, Lieutenant Owen Gorman. Following his
return to Sydney, Dixon privately published a map of Moreton Bay which showed the Pine
River as the Eden River; a name which had been suggested by Andrew Petrie in memory of
a Scottish river in his native Fifeshire, but this name was never officially sanctioned.
Warner conducted numerous surveys, some of which were in areas now part of Pine Rivers,
and remained in Queensland until his death in 1891. His name has been perpetuated in the
area by the Parish of Warner, the locality of Warner and Warner Road.
A proclamation closing the penal settlement at Moreton Bay was issued on 10th February
1842. The restricted area of 50 miles (80 kilometres) surrounding the settlement was
officially opened up to free settlement.
Shortly after this proclamation was issued, the Archer Brothers, with the assistance of Evan
Mackenzie from Kilcoy, opened up a new direct route through the Pine Rivers area to their
sheep station at Durundur (near Woodford) by keeping to the east of the D’Aguilar Range.
Their route still appears on some maps today as the Old North Road. In 1985, it was
designated the Old Northern Road.
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A GRAVE AFFAIR
Early pioneer graves
The headstones of the early Redcliffe pioneers are of white marble, set in sandstone and facing
east. They were erected between 1880 and 1920. No two headstones are alike. Where some
are simple in design others are more ornate. Iron fences enclose some of the older family
plots. Some are full height, some are rope design while others are plain hollow rails set
between low sandstone corners.
Some of the pioneer families buried there include Ashmole, Barron, Beedham, Boardman,
Cameron, Corscadden and Cutts.
Aboriginal graves
While several Aboriginal graves are listed in the burial book for Redcliffe Cemetery, their graves
numbers are replaced by the word ‘outside’. This could mean that they were buried outside the
surveyed area of the cemetery or not in consecrated ground. It could however mean
something entirely different.
Sammy Bell, believed to be the last of his tribe on the Peninsular, died in February 1913. While
his tribal name was Boama, he worked for Mrs Bell and lived on her land. He therefore
adopted her surname. After his death a collection was taken up by the white community, for
the erection of a memorial for Sammy in the cemetery. His memorial stands today.
Other notes
Points to note:
•
Many people who died in Redcliffe were buried in Brisbane at Toowong.
•
There was no crematorium in Redcliffe.
•
1874 – Redcliffe Cemetery Reserve gazette
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How do graves and burial sites speak to the living?
You can learn quite a bit about a person’s life by looking at their grave or burial site.
Archaeologists study these to learn not only about the person interred but also about the past.
For example, if an ancient culture believed in an afterlife, belongings were often buried with the
dead for use in that life. These belongings provide evidence of work people did, objects people
used and even clothes people wore.
Graves and memorials can also provide an insight into the culture of the dead. Memorials can
be decorated with symbols and icons aligned to different religions and beliefs. Graves can
also indicate wealth. Graves belonging to a once wealthy deceased are generally more ornate
than those belonging to the poor.
In the Redcliffe Cemetery graves often consist of a memorial (headstone or other statue)
marking the grave and sometimes a fence surrounding the grave. Memorials at the Redcliffe
Cemetery generally contain a written inscription (epitaph).
In the Redcliffe Cemetery it can be assumed that most of the interred were Christian. This is
evident because of the numerous Calvary and Celtic crosses used. The use of the Celtic Cross
might also indicate that the deceased was either of Irish, Scottish or Welsh heritage. Those
with Irish heritage might also have the symbol of the shamrock carved somewhere upon their
memorial stone. Other memorials found at the Redcliffe Cemetery include angels and
pedestals. Angels were often used for children’s graves.
If money stretched far enough, then a grave was often encircled by a fence or other surround.
Fences have been used to encircle individual graves as well as whole family plots. Not only did
they enclose the graves but they also stopped cattle from wondering onto the site.
As well as the size of the memorials, the materials used give an indication of wealth. The
wealthiest have large memorials constructed of granite and/or marble. Those who had less
wealth have smaller memorials and fences made out of wood while the poorest of the poor
have been interred in unmarked graves.
Epitaphs provide evidence as to the deceased’s age, gender, date of birth, date of death and
sometimes reason for death.
Calvary Cross
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Celtic Cross
Angel
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The Importance of symbols on memorials and graves
Purkis, S 1995. A Teacher’s Guide to Using Memorials. England: English Heritage
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GLOSSARY
BOARDING HOUSE
Boarding houses were common during the early years of
Australia. They were big houses with several rooms where
people could stay, usually when on holidays. They were a like a
today’s common bed and breakfast stay, only much bigger.
BURIAL
Burial is the act or ceremony of burying a dead person in a
grave.
A church where people who belonged to the Congregational
Church of Australia worship. Congregational Churches were
CONGREGATIONAL common in colonial Australia. Over time these churches joined
CHURCH
with some other churches to become known as the Uniting
Church in Australia.
EMIGRATE
To emigrate means to leave one country and settle in another.
FAMINE
A period of time during which food is hard to come across
FREE PASSAGE
A free trip on a boat for immigrants coming to Australia.
GRAVE
A place of burial for a dead body, usually a hole dug in the
ground
IMMIGRANT
A person who comes into a country to take up permanent
residence.
LAND ORDER
A piece of paper upon which the number of a piece of land was
written i.e. land number 12. These pieces of land were given to
early immigrants to encourage them to come to Australia.
LAY MINISTER
A member of the church who is not ordained (like priests). They
often existed and still exist in areas where there are not enough
ordained ministers to do the work. While they perform similar
duties to an ordained minister there are some duties such as
marrying people or baptising people that they cannot do.
LOBBYING
People lobby for something they want like a church or a school
or when they want something changed in the community.
Lobbying means they talk to community members and politicians
and try to influence them into agreeing with what they want.
LICENCING
JUSTICE
Today we call a Licencing Justice a Justice of the Peace. A
Justice of the Peace is generally a person of good character
granted minor legal powers to perform duties such as witnessing
documents. During the 1800s they had a bit more power and
were able to perform minor legal duties such as setting up and
leading a court to deal with minor offences and to decide if the
matter should be resolved or if more legal action needed to be
taken.
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MEMORIAL
PIONEER MINISTER
A memorial is any visible object for preserving or recalling the
memory of a person. A headstone on a grave site is often
referred to as a memorial stone. Larger structures, sometimes
marking family grave sites, can be referred to as memorials.
One of the first ministers or priests in an area.
PORTION(S)
An area of land sold to the early pioneers. Portions came in
many different sizes but were usually large areas over 10 acres.
PROVISIONAL
SCHOOL
Provisional schools were common in early Australia. They were
not state schools, these came later. In early Australian
communities if people wanted their children taught the
community would set up a provisional school. The community
was responsible for the whole running of the school, from
employing the teacher to providing the school room and teacher
accommodation.
REDCLIFFE
DIVISIONAL
BOARD
REDCLIFFE
PROGRESS
ASSOCIATION
A group of people elected to serve. Elections took place
annually with the board traditionally an all-male affair. Its role
was to provide public services such as:
•
transport, including roads and bridges
•
public health, including water, sanitation and drainage
•
public amenities, including parks and cemeteries, etc.
Similar to the Redcliffe Divisional Board in that the members,
again traditionally only men, were concerned with providing
services to enable Redcliffe to grow into a bigger town.
Whereas the Divisional Board was mainly concerned with
providing infrastructure such as bridges and roads, the Progress
Association was largely concerned with ensuring a positive
community spirit developed. They did this by organising
community events and activities such as local shows and
dances. Progress Associations still exist today.
Subdividing land means breaking big blocks of land up into
smaller blocks, then selling these smaller blocks. Subdividing
SUBDIVIDING LAND land is a good way to make money because you often get more
money for selling lots of smaller blocks then you would if you
sold the whole block as one.
THWART
A plank placed across a boat to brace it. In a rowboat a thwart
can serve as a seat.
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SUPPORTING MATERIAL AND REFERENCES
CURRICULUM
ACARA Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority 2013, (V4.2), viewed
26 September 2013.
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au
Queensland Studies Authority 2010, Aboriginal and Islander Studies Handbook, viewed
26 September 2013.
http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/snr_atsi_10_handbook.pdf
GENERAL RESOURCES
Web links
ABC education resource, My Place Themes Australian History/Pioneers, viewed
26 September 2013.
http://www.myplace.edu.au/themes/theme_landing.html
Australian Dictionary of Biography 2006-2013, Cook Flinders Oxley and Pamphlett, viewed
26 September 2013.
http://adb.anu.edu.au/
Australia.gov.au, Australian History, viewed 26 September 2013.
http://australia.gov.au/about-australia
Australian Screen Video Clips 2013, Australian History/Pioneers, viewed 26 September 2013.
http://aso.gov.au/education
Moreton Bay Regional Council 2013, Redcliffe Museum Fact sheets Redcliffe history, viewed
26 September 2013.
http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/subsite.aspx?id=9561
Moreton Bay Regional Council 2013, Redcliffe Museum First Settlement Resources, viewed
26 September 2013.
http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/subsite.aspx?id=54183
Redcliffe Snapshot Moreton Bay Region Libraries,
http://www.photosau.com.au/RedcliffeLibrary/scripts/home.asp
Picture Moreton, Moreton Bay Region Libraries, http://library.moretonbay.qld.gov.au
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MORETON BAY LIBRARY RESOURCES
Books
Indigenous history
Fairhall, P 1989, Ningi Ningi - Our First Inhabitants, Redcliffe Historical Society Inc, Redcliffe
Petrie, C C 1904, Tom Petrie’s Reminiscences of Early Queensland, University of Queensland
Press, St Lucia [Reprinted in 1992]
Steele, J G 1984, Aboriginal Pathways in Southeast Queensland and the Richmond River,
University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia
Tindale, N B & Jones, R 1974, Aboriginal tribes of Australia: their terrain, environmental
controls, distribution, limits and proper names, University of California Press, Berkley California.
Donovan, V 2002, The Reality of a Dark History: From Contact and Conflict to Cultural
Recognition, Arts Queensland, Brisbane
Horton, D 1994, Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia, Australian Institute of Aboriginal
Studies, Canberra
Kerwin, D 2011, Aboriginal Dreaming Paths and Trading Routes: A Colonisation of the
Australian Economic Landscape, Sussex Academic Press, Brighton
Mathew, J 1910, Two Representative Tribes of Queensland, with an inquiry concerning the
origin of the Australian race, T Fisher Unwin, London
Pioneers
Gee, P 2004, The Redcliffe Cemetery, Redcliffe City Council, Redcliffe
Gee, P 2009, Redcliffe: Historic Houses, Redcliffe City Council, Redcliffe
Gordon, Catherine 2009, The Story of Nugget and Nellie, Moreton Bay Regional Council,
Queensland.
Slaughter, L E 1959, Redcliffe’s 160 Years, Redcliffe Town Council, Redcliffe
First Settlement
St Pierre, John, The Original 29 convicts at Moreton Bay, Redcliffe Historical Society Inc,
Redcliffe
St Pierre, John 1994, Moreton Bay Detachment 1824-25, Redcliffe Historical Society Inc,
Redcliffe
CD-ROM
Eipper, Christopher, 1841, German mission to the Aborigines at Moreton Bay, CD-ROM,
Archive CD books, Australia
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