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 some of the events of 3 December 1823, which took the explorers up the river from an overnight camp at St Lucia, where "mosquitoes and sandflies almost devoured us" to Seventeen Mile Rocks.

Make sure to look at Our Indooroopilly's Historical and Contemporary BRISBANE RIVER MAP
EXTRACT FROM OXLEY'S FIELD BOOKS

WEDNESDAY 3 DECEMBER 1823

Station lst.1 - North 178° three-quarter mile to a brush same side, opposite2 all brush land. Five to ten fathoms to this station. Low water 20 minutes to 7 o'clock.

Station 2nd.3 - Brush lands. Height above the water about 15 to 20 feet, opposite side brush land. Next station on larboard shore, north 85° one mile. River quarter mile wide and very noble reaches, shores muddy. A large lagoon at this station.

Station 3. -4 At a brush on larboard shore. Soundings to this station from five to eight fathoms. Next station on larboard shore to a brush, north 183° three-quarter mile.

Station 4.5 - To this station soundings five and six fathoms. River about 30 chains wide, water very muddy. Rich brush land on both sides. Next station on larboard shore north 261° one mile. Much cypress6on larboard shore. Landed and examined the brush. It abounds with noble timber; specimens of two new species we procured: one, a piece of noble dimensions, the other a black, heavy wood of great size. The soil uncommonly rich, from 10, 15 to 30 feet above the river. No floods. We also discovered that the tree which we had hitherto taken for cypress is this new description of pine,7from 100 to 140 feet high.

Station 5. - At the mouth of a small river,8 which we called Canoe River,9 being the spot where Parsons10 and his companions found a canoe in which they went down the river. To the next station, forest land rising back two miles to a lofty ridge.11 North 308° two miles.

Station 6.12 - At foot of high bank. To Canoe River, navigable for large ships, afterwards, owing to the great breadth of the river, the water shoaled to two fathoms at low water, but towards this station deepened again to five and six fathoms; opposite side brush. Next station north 246° 40 chains. Saw three natives, evidently strangers to white people.

Station 7.13-To this station soundings five to seven fathoms. Next station on starboard shore, north 182½° one and a-half mile, moderate high land.

Station 8.14 - Soundings five and seven fathoms, forest land. Next station on larboard shore north 143½° one mile.

Station 9.15 - Rich land on both sides, four to six fathoms. Next station on starboard shore north 189° three-quarter mile.

Station 10.16 - Five to seven fathoms. Next station rocky bank on larboard shore, north 139° 50 chains. This side rich brush.

Station 11.17 - Four to eight fathoms. High bank this side between it and next station which is high and rocky. On same side is a brush, pine, etc. North 243° 40 chains.

Station 12.18 - To this station four to six fathoms. Starboard shore,19low brush. This side high and rocky, thin brush to next station. North 313° one mile.20 Passed 313° and went to a station on starboard shore crossing a reef of rocks,21 having two fathoms on them, then deepened to five fathoms, the tide rushing over them like a bore.
1. At the western end of The Esplanade, St. Lucia.
2. Yeronga.
3. On the north side of Long Pocket.
4. Between Astolat Street and Yeronga Street, Yeronga.
5. Just downstream from Tennyson power house.
6. Hoop pine.
7. Hoop pine, Araucaria cunninghamii.
8. Oxley Creek.
9. The reach of the Brisbane River here is still called Canoe Reach.
10. Oxley had Finnegan with him at this time, and Finnegan must have pointed Out the spot to him. However, Oxley mentioned only Parsons by name; possibly Oxley was still annoyed with Finnegan for leading him up the Pine River.
11. The Taylor Range, including Mt. Coot-tha.
12. Near Clarence Street, Indooroopilly.
13. Kinloch Street, Indooroopilly.
14. Near Roedean Street, Indooroopilly.
15. Near Ferry Street, Sherwood.
16. At Lone Pine Sanctuary, Fig Tree Pocket.
17. Near Consort Street, Corinda.
18. Cement Company Wharf, Oxley.
19. Fig Tree Pocket.
20. Intended station on larboard shore.
21. Seventeen Mile Rocks.