A distinctive old house on Dornoch Terrace was built by a man, estranged from his family, for his new companion but it was taken from her after his death by the Supreme Court.
Highgate Hill
Brisbane Prepares for Air Raids
In 1941, fears of aerial attacks led to the instigation of black-out exercises in Brisbane. The first casualty was in Highagte Hill and inflicted by a dog! In 1942, householders were being urged to construct back yard air raid shelters.
The Telephone Becomes Automatic
Nowadays the internet and mobile phones are our preferred technologies for telecommunication. However the introduction of the automatic telephone to Brisbane in the last century was a great leap forward at the time.
The Blakeneys of Highgate Hill
The Blakeney family owned two substantial houses in Highgate Hill located on huge blocks of land. Unfortunately neither have survived but memories of the family linger on as street names.
Children on the Loose
How much society norms regarding the rearing of children have changed is brought home by these stories from not that long ago.
Gloucester Street Railway Station
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.
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.
Inigo Jones Long Range Weather Forecaster
Inigo Jones, at one time a resident of Highgate Hill, was famous around Australia as a long range weather forecaster.
Roosters in the High Court of Australia,
In a classic case of how disputes between neighbours can escalate, in 1930 a problem with crowing roosters ended up in the High Court of Australia.
The Yodelling Milk Money Thief and Other Scoundrels
Over the years descriptions of a number of unusual Highgate Hill thefts have appeared in newspapers including a yodelling milk money thief and an audacious gas meter thief.
