For about 90 years, Highgate hill had its own railway station at Gloucester Street but it was out of the way and never heavily patronised.
1880 – 1900
Toonarbin
Stately Toonarbin built in the 1860s is one of the district's oldest houses and predates the creation of Dornoch Terrace on which it now stands.
The Enigmatic Ebenezer Thorne
Ebenezer Thorne was a newspaper man, politician and property developer who constantly generated controversy in the colony of Queensland. However he left the best until last.
Animals on the Loose in Highgate Hill
In Highgate Hill a little over a hundred years ago there was a real risk to life and limb from loose animals.
Tennis
The first night tennis tournament in Brisbane took place in Highgate Hill in 1924
Torbreck
Since the early 1960s, the Torbreck apartment building on Highgate Hill has been a Brisbane landmark. It stands on the site of a colonial era house of the same name.
Fernando Papi Education Pioneer and Josephine Papi Community Activist
Ferdinand Papi was an early Italian migrant with tertiary qualifications who made a great contribution to Queensland education. His wife Josephine was active in community activities.
The Dornoch Terrace Bridge
The original bridge on Dornoch Terrace passing over Boundary Street was built in the 1880s. The current bridge was the first stage of a river crossing that was never built.
Letter to the Editor – The Postal Service
Delivery of a letter from Highgate Hill to the city by the next day was expected in 1885, preferably with the morning delivery!
Highgate Hill Reservoir 1889
Problems with water reticulation in Highgate Hill were solved by the building of a reservoir in 1889. It was gravity fed from Gold Creek dam which had the world’s first concrete stepped spillway.
