ourindooroopilly.com title    Home     Close Window

Readings from Primary Sources on Moreton Bay & Brisbane

These "Readings" from Oxley's field books are reprinted from J.G. Steele, The Explorers of the Moreton Bay District 1770-1830, Brisbane, 1972. These field books are in the Archives Office of New South Wales.
Note that Footnotes are per J.G. Steele.
Note that the introductory paragraphs below show heavy quoting from and extensive reliance on J.G. Steele's The Explorers of the Moreton Bay District 1770-1830, Brisbane, 1972. There has also been some quoting from Hector Holthouse's Illustrated History of Queensland.
John Oxley's visit to Moreton Bay in 1823 paved the way for the Moreton Bay Settlement, which he helped to establish at Redcliffe in 1824. Oxley's party entered Moreton Bay on 29 November 1823, anchoring close to Point Skirmish at the entrance of Pumice-Stone River (near where Flinders had anchored 22 years earlier).

The castaways, Pamphlet and Finnegan, were picked up, and on 1 December Oxley and Stirling set out in the whaleboat to explore the Brisbane River.
The following extract from Oxley's field books describes events of two days, 1 and 2 December 1823, which took the explorers up the river to Breakfast Creek and beyond.

Make sure to look at Our Indooroopilly's Historical and Contemporary BRISBANE RIVER MAP
EXTRACT FROM OXLEY'S FIELD BOOKS
MONDAY 1 DECEMBER 1823
Calm, with rain, until 10 o'clock, then clear with winds from eastward. At 7, left the vessel1 to examine the west shore of the Bay, and at 12 landed on a low mangrove island at the entrance of a considerable river2 carrying from the main part of the Bay to the inlet in which it lays, two and a-half fathoms, stiff mud.

Station 1st. - Redcliff Point3 north 62 degrees east, 2 [miles] in line with point of island, 10 chains; on the point to the south,4 north 150°, one and a-half mile. Inner point opposite, north 164° half mile, narrowing to one-quarter, the channel on the island side off the point, of which runs a sand spit about 30 chains to the eastward. Tree up the river on west bank, north 2510, one and a-half [miles].

Station 2. - Short of last station 30 chains, north 175° 50 chains. Full of low mangrove islands and shoals, width about one-quarter mile. The river to end of this station very narrow, six or seven chains, but deep, five fathoms.

Station 3. - On Larboard shore, north 287° 60 chains, cutting a low mangrove point on opposite shore. Shores on both sides low, six to eight feet water at low water; north 306° 40 low and swampy. North 325° 30; north 297° 30. Finding the stream had its source in swamps and not from the mountains, did not pursue it further. Where we left off, the water was brackish, and there were a great many very fine cypresses5. Ascended a small hill6 on right, of good soil. Saw the stream had a weir across a little higher up. Much good timber of the eucalyptus species, with she-oak (casuarina) and dog-wood. The natives are very numerous on the shores of this inlet, and came down in great numbers, trying all methods in their power to induce us to land, waving green boughs, holding up their necklaces, etc. Several waded off to the boat, to whom we gave biscuit, which they ate.
After pulling out of the inlet, we landed at sun-set on a point.7 Stony, good land, about three miles to the south-east of the entrance in to the inlet we had examined, and round which is a shoal inlet8. Plenty of fresh water and grass.

TUESDAY DECEMBER 2ND
Calm and fine. At 6 we again embarked and pulled along the shores of the harbour. At 8, we entered the mouth of a very large river,9having three and four fathoms. The islands10 in the main Bay apparently closing up the mouth of the river, which, between those islands and the main land, is about two miles wide. Proceeded up the river, and at the end of the first reach, having four fathoms, close to the starboard shore, landed to take bearings.

Station 1st., Point A.11 - Opposite, a low mangrove point12 jutting out from the higher mainland, north 175°, half mile. Extremes of an island opposite,13 from north 188° to 215°, distant half and three-quarter mile, a passage14 round it between it and the main [land]. An island15 up the river being intended next station, North 224°, one and a-half mile. Line of starboard shore,16 north 231°.

Station 2nd. on the Larboard Shore. - A sand-stone, rocky bluff, grass tree, spotted gum, dog-wood and barren. Point D,17 north 331° 40 chains. Reach up, to a tree on the starboard shore, north 277°, two and three-quarter miles. Just open of the point18 on larboard shore. Line of shore, north 265 for three-quarter mile, ridge of stony forest land to this station. The larboard shore has been a tolerable high ridge of forest land,19 the starboard shore low and swampy. The river above widens in an elbow to full three-quarter wide, a good three fathoms channel, high peak (Flinders)20 north 291 1/2°.

1. With Stirling and Finnegan.
2. The Pine River, which Finnegan mistook for the Brisbane River, according to Uniacke's report. Oxley called it Deception River in his field book for 29 September 1824, evidently because Finnegan had deceived him. It was partly for this reason that Oxley did not give Finnegan the credit for having discovered the Brisbane River.
3. Woody Point.
4. Brighton.
5. This was Oxley's first mention of the hoop pine, which he originally thought to be a cypress, as the dark green of its foliage is similar to that of the Bribie Island pine (cypress). He obtained some logs of the hoop pine on this river on 29 September 1824 (Oxley, Field Books), evidently remembering that he had seen the trees there in 1823.
6. About 1 or 2 miles east of Petrie, on Petrie Pocket Road.
7. Shorncliffe.
8. Cabbage Tree Creek.
9. The Brisbane River.
10. The Fisherman Islands, which Oxley on 5 December 1823 referred to as Inner and North Concealment Islands (Field Books).
11. Station 1st was on a point of land at Pinkenba. It was probably designated as "Point A" on the chart Oxley submitted with his journal. The point has since been obscured by a wall along the river bank.
12. The eastern side of the present mouth of Bulimba Creek, east of Gibson Island.
13. Gibson Island.
14. Oxley explored this passage on 4 December 1823. The western end of this passage has now been filled in to connect Gibson Island to the mainland.
15. Parker Island at Meeandah, now obscured by a wall and connected to the mainland.
16. The former channel behind Parker Island.
17. Station 2nd was at the upstream end of the Brisbane Abattoir.
18. I.e. "just visible past the point".
19. Queensport.
20. Not the "High Peak" of Flinders' chart, but Mt. Samson (2262 feet).