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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 Seventeen Mile Rocks to "Termination Hill" at Goodna, the end of this expedition for this year of 1823.

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 13.1 - On starboard shore. Next station on starboard shore, north 293° one and half mile, three to six fathoms.

Station 14.2 - Forest land on starboard shore, brush on larboard. Next station north 256° one and three-quarter mile.

Station 15.3To this station three to nine fathoms. Reaches fine and broad. Next station to base of sloping, clear hills on larboard shore, north 179° one mile.

Station 16.4Three to nine fathoms to this station. Fine clear hill, then commences low. Opposite side fine, rich, forest land. Small apple tree (angophora). Next station north 254° to base of rocky hill on starboard shore two and a-quarter miles. Natives.

Station 17. - To larboard shore. Soundings to this station three to eight fathoms; fine forest land on both sides. Timber, chiefly eucalyptus and apple tree. Next station on larboard shore, north l53½° one mile.

Station 18. - To this station, soundings from three to seven fathoms. Good forest flat on both sides, hills low. Next station on starboard shore, north 242° one mile.

Station 19.5147 - On starboard shore. Soundings three to nine fathoms; high, flat bank of rich land. Next station, north 125° one mile. Ascended the bank. The country very open and generally to be called quite level, the inequality being very slight, no high land in any quarter. The soil a rich, sandy loam; gum and apple trees.

Station 20.6145 - Soundings various from three to eight fathoms. A shoal in middle of river. On this side begins low brush land, opposite side gentle rising of open land to a small brush. Next station, north 215° one and a quarter mile.

Station 217- Five to seven fathoms. River narrows, brush on both sides, the larboard shore the lowest. At end of the next station, the land rises, and is to that station higher brush land. Flood tide still continues, and hills, none of moderate elevation visible, nor anything resembling rapids or denoting a mountainous source; no sign whatever of flood. [Next station] north 152° one and a-quarter mile.

Station 22.8 - High flat of rich land on this starboard side. Opposite side low and brushy, rising to a low hill. Next station, north 124° three-quarter mile. Great abundance of kurrajong9 and various climbing plants in full flower under. The river scenery very beautiful. Passed an island.10 All on the right a level country, iron-bark trees. Country good.

Station 23.11153 - High, hilly bank to the end of next station on larboard side, then begins brush. Opposite shore,12 low flat of rich land with very large gum trees near the water side. Soundings from two fathoms to three and a-half. Breadth of river uniform.

North 166° three-quarter mile.13 Landed on the starboard shore, a rich flat.14 The flood tide being down above an hour (high water half-past one), and the men extremely fatigued with rowing eight hours under a burning sun. Soundings three to seven fathoms and an indication of a rise at times above the line of the river of about seven feet. The force of the ebb and current not equal to the flood. Every appearance indicates that the river may continue navigable to as great a distance as we have hitherto come. It is remarkable that the tide here should nearly equal in height the Bay tide. After taking refreshments, landed on the larboard shore and ascended a small hill,15poor land, good timber.
1. Near Seventeen Mile Rocks.
2. At Centenary Bridge, Kenmore. This reach was named "Mermaid Reach" on Oxley's map, after the cutter on which Oxley had come from Sydney. The reach still bears this name.
3. Near the mouth of Moggill Creek.
4. At the base of Mt. Ommaney, which Oxley named the Green Hill in his field book for 3 December 1823.
5. At Birkin Road, Moggill.
6. Near the mouth of Wolston Creek, Darra.
7. At Ellerby Road, Moggill.
8. On Prior's Pocket, opposite the middle of Cockatoo Island.
9. Hibiscus heterophyllus.
10. Cockatoo Island, which Oxley referred to as Termination Island in his field book for 26 September 1824.
11. Near Wolston Park Hospital, Goodna.
12. Prior's Pocket, which Oxley referred to as Termination Plains in his field book for 18 September 1824.
13. Station 24, on the larboard shore, is referred to again on 19 September 1824 (Field Books).
14. South-eastern end of Prior's Pocket.
15. In the grounds of Wolston Park Hospital; called Termination Hill in Oxley's report, 29 November - 6 December.