From 1853 to 1865, race days were held in South Brisbane, variously on Boxing Day or New Year's Day, and occasionally mid-year. The organisers tried to avoid clashes with races at Coopers Plains, New Farm and, from 1865, at Ascot. The South Brisbane races were revived in 1873, and the last occurred in 1874 to … Continue reading The South Brisbane Races
Events
The Blakeney Street Shooting
A story of Brisbane's gangland of the 1920s, in which anger, aggression and jealousy lead to a fatal shooting in Blakeney Street, Highgate Hill.
Pirates in Moreton Bay – and on Highgate Hill
A group of escaped convicts from Norfolk Island created havoc in Moreton Bay before being tracked through Highgate Hill and captured near Goodna. Their story has a final unexpected twist..
War Comes to West End
After the outbreak of war in 1939, Air Raid Precautions committees were formed all over Australia. This post looks at the West End, Brisbane, group and how the war impacted them and their community.
Dishonourable Real Estate Practices of the 1880s
In 1895, John David Hennessey published his first novel "The Dis-Honourable". In it he describes the tricks of real estate sales in 1880s Brisbane. In this post, I look for evidence of these tricks being used.
All That Glitters – Brisbane Gold Rushes
On three occasions, inner Southside Brisbane experienced the thrill of a gold discovery but no one got rich.
Kurilpa – Water, Water, Everywhere
Early residents of South Brisbane faced a shortage of water and at the same time there were problems with stagnant foul water courses and swamps.
Omnibus Families of the Southside
For some 40 years, horse drawn omnibuses provided the principle mode of public transport in Brisbane, Now they are all but forgotten.
Brisbane’s Omnibuses
For some 40 years, horse drawn omnibuses provided the principle mode of public transport in Brisbane, Now they are all but forgotten.
A Mystery Murder of Married Lovers
On the morning of Christmas Eve 1926, the first train from Sunnybank came to a halt just before Park Road Station at Woolloongabba, waiting for a green signal to continue. Passengers on the left side of the train were startled to see a man and woman lying together partly undressed on a bank next to the railway line. They had been murdered and the perpetrator was never found.
Highgate Hill and Its History 