In 1846, George and Amelia Croft travelled to Moreton Bay and performed tight rope acts at both Ipswich and Brisbane. With a tiny European population, the venture put them into financial problems, This post looks at their topsy turvy lives.
Time period
The Dutton Park Garden Theatre
Dutton Park on Gladstone Road was briefly leading Australia in popularising moving pictures with crowds of up to 7,000 attending a screening in 1909. It then returned to being a rubbish dump.
The Lang Family of Rosecliffe Street
Mr David Lang has lived in Rosecliffe Street, Highgate Hill, since his birth over 90 years ago and the Lang family have owned their property for some 135 years. David has many recollections of daily life in times gone by.
Tom Garrick and his West End Theatres
Thomas (Dad) Garrick, after a nautical career, became a pioneer of cinema in Queensland. His family company established the Lyric Theatre in West End in 1912 and in 1923 they built the Rialto in Hill End. Only the Rialto survives, repurposed as commercial premises.
A Walk Down Norfolk Road
Norfolk Road in South Brisbane has 6 heritage listed houses as well as a number of other 19th century dwellings. Each one has a story to tell.
“Hamlet’s Ghost”
A number of reminiscences of early Brisbane make references to a Count Von Attems and "Hamlet's Ghost". Intrigued, I found that the story had been retold in newspaper articles on and off from 1868 until the 1950s. After further research, I uncovered other facets to the story which is really about a ship, its reincarnation … Continue reading “Hamlet’s Ghost”
The Three Torbrecks
Since the early 1960s, the Torbreck apartment building on Highgate Hill has been a Brisbane landmark. The original Torbreck on the site was demolished in 1958 but another was built nearby by the same family in 1908.
Sheep, a House and Three Churches
The large house "Marly", later called "St. Malo", was a landmark on Hampstead Road in Highgate Hill for 80 years. It was built by the Appel family on the site of their sheep paddock. A succession of people who lived interesting lives lived there before it was demolished in 1951.
Nicholas Walpole Raven and the West End Pub With No Beer
The eccentric Nicholas Walpole Raven spent years trying to get a licence for the hotel he built on Montague Road. Eventually he used a loophole and established the West End Club which soon fell foul of the law.
Brisbane’s Princess Theatre
The Princess Theatre is a survivor. It's gone through numerous cycles of popularity and obscurity and come close to destruction by fire and demolition but the show goes on.
Highgate Hill and Its History 