With its huge spreading shade trees and pleasant breezy riverside location, Orleigh Park is understandably a great favourite with many residents and visitors. However, this pleasant place of recreation had its origins in tragedy.
local history
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.
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.
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.
Torbreck – Two Houses and One Highrise
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.
Pirates on Highgate Hill 1853
After robbing a number of ships, a group of escaped convicts from Norfolk Island created havoc in Brisbane before being tracked through Highgate Hill and captured at Bundamba.
The Prince of Wales Visits Highgate Hill 1920
The Prince of Wales meets an enthusiastic crowd at Highgate Hill and admires the view.
