In the days before motor cars, there were at times spectacular accidents involving horse drawn vehicles such as this one that occurred in Highgate Hill in 1907.

 

The ambulance service rendered first aid and little Maud McKinnon was taken home. She seems to have survived the accident as there’s no record of her death around that time.

Further historical photographs of the Queensland Ambulance Service can be seen here.

Horse drawn delivery vehicles remained on our streets until the 1950s. These were the pre-supermarket days of corner shops and low car ownership. In 1955, there were only around 12 cars per 100 population in Queensland versus approximately 55 now. My grandfather sold fruit from his horse drawn cart in the 1940s. Groceries, meat, milk and bread were also home delivered.

For more on the topic of horses in Brisbane, see my post Brisbane – Horse and Carriage.