places of the redlands: thornlands

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Places of the Redlands: Thornlands

By Tracy Ryan

First published 2003 © Redland Shire Council This publication is one of a series produced by Redland Shire Council’s Local History program. The series includes:

1. Places of the Redlands: southern suburbs 2. Places of the Redlands: Coochiemudlo Island 3. Places of the Redlands: Mt Cotton 4. Places of the Redlands: Redland Bay 5. Places of the Redlands: Victoria Point 6. Places of the Redlands: Wellington Point 7. Places of the Redlands: Thornlands

Local History in the Redlands Number 7

2003

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Contents

Where is Thornlands? 3

Thornlands = Thorn’s Lands 4

A bit of background Moreton Bay before settlement 5 Moreton Bay after settlement 5 The surveyors and Moreton Bay 6

Selectors and settlers in Thornlands 6

Early subdivisions 7 Pinklands 8

Thornlands = farmlands 9 Beaconsfield 10

Infrastructure 10

Post and telephone services 11 The Thornlands School 11 The South St jetty 12 The Thornlands Hall 12

Other enterprises 13 From then to now: 1970s to the present 14

Water = residential development 14

Thornlands industrial estate 15

Thornlands and the future 15

Bibliography 16 Endnotes 17

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A short history of Thornlands

By Tracy Ryan

Where is Thornlands? Thornlands lies in the Redland Shire, on Moreton Bay between the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Redland Shire is bordered by Tingalpa Creek and the Logan River, and includes North Stradbroke Island and the Southern Moreton Bay Islands. From the 1880s, the Redlands was under the administration of the Cleveland Shire and the Tingalpa Shire. In 1949 all of Cleveland Shire and part of Tingalpa Shire amalgamated to form the Redland Shire. Today, Thornlands stretches from Hilliards Creek and Sheldon on the west to the foreshores of Moreton Bay on the east, with South Street and Cleveland to the north and Eprapah Creek and Victoria Point to the south. Until 1949 part of Thornlands was in the Cleveland Shire and part was in Tingalpa Shire, with the aptly named Boundary Road, and Hilliards Creek marking the border between the two Board areas.

Thornlands in 2003. The

numbers indicate the portions

referred to in this history.

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Thornlands = Thorn’s Lands Thornlands is named after George Thorn, one of the early land buyers in the area. George Thorn had a long history in the early Moreton Bay colony, having been put in charge of the penal settlement at Limestone, now called Ipswich, in 1839. When the penal settlement closed the same year, he stayed in the area and pursued a variety of business interests, especially involving real estate. Like many newcomers to the settlement, Thorn bought land at the first land sales in many places, including Toowoomba, Moggill and Ipswich.1 Thorn bought several blocks of land in Cleveland just after it was first declared a township in 1851. At the time, a group of his fellow businessmen from Ipswich and the Darling Downs were trying to build a port at Cleveland Point. Many bought land in Cleveland on the belief it would be a good investment. The port was built but it fell into disuse by the mid-1850s after a series of shipping disasters and other events, and Thorn and his fellow investors either returned to their existing business interests or pursued new ones. Some time between 1850 and 1860 Thorn acquired 631 acres in the area between South St, Redland Bay Rd and King St. This purchase led to the naming of Thornlands. Despite his Cleveland purchases, George Thorn’s interests and activities were mainly focused on Ipswich. Thorn and his son, also called George, were very active in politics in the new colony. George senior was the member for West Moreton in the 1860-63 Legislative Assembly, focusing his attention on Ipswich. His son George junior became the Colonial Secretary (now known as the Premier) of Queensland in 1876. In 1877, after George senior died, his land in Thornlands was auctioned firstly as one block suitable for a sugar plantation or farm, and secondly as individual blocks (portions 11-22; later 11n and 19n) if it did not sell as one. The land failed to sell and remained in Thorn family hands for another 23 or so years. It is not known exactly when Thorn’s land became known as Thornlands. Originally it was part of Cleveland, and named in the records accordingly.2 The change most likely occurred when George senior’s descendants subdivided and sold off most of the land in about 1900. The name “the Thornlands Estate” began appearing in the official records of the Cleveland Divisional Board in 1901.3 At the time, the Thornlands Estate only referred to the eastern section of the suburb, stretching between the Cleveland/Redland Bay Road and the Moreton Bay foreshore. Over the years the name Thornlands was applied to areas west and south of the Thornlands Estate. In 1910 the name Thornlands was adopted for the new school on the corner of South St and what is now Panorama Drive, and from this date the name was applied to a much wider area than the original Thornlands Estate. However, areas further west came under the Thornlands umbrella much later; as late as 1948 east Thornlands residents objected to a proposal to erect a Thornlands Post Office because of the name being used for a post office three miles away in the bush. However, the Post Office went ahead, and that area also became recognised as part of Thornlands.4

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By the time the Redland Shire Council was formed in 1949, bringing all of Thornlands under one local authority, virtually all of the land now known as Thornlands came under that name.5

A bit of background

Moreton Bay before settlement People of the Quandamooka have lived on and around what is now the Redlands for tens of thousands of years. Geological evidence dates occupation of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) at a minimum of 21,000 years BP (before present). Many tribes mingled on Minjerribah and local people identify the Noonucal and Gorenpul as the traditional owners of the Island and adjoining areas. The Koobenpul lived on the mainland coastal strip. The three tribes were members of the Yuggera language group that stretched from Moreton Bay to the Bremer River and Lockyer Creek. The Noonucal were in the Pulan (Amity Pt) area, the Gorenpul were in the Moongalba (Dunwich) area and the Koobenpul lived on the mainland coastal strip stretching from Talwarrapin (Redland Bay) to the mouth of the Mairwar (Brisbane River).6 The landscape has changed considerably over the centuries as the coast has moved further west, creating the islands and coastal strip we see today.7 As a result, the sea became a major source of food. Large shell middens along the coast highlight the importance of shellfish in the diet. This shellfish diet was complemented by animals and plants. Interaction between the communities was common, especially for trade. The mainland Aborigines would canoe across to Minjerribah to exchange bunya nuts for pipis. The Ngugi people from Moreton Island would mingle with the Noonucal of Amity Point. They all would combine to trade and conduct rituals including fights with tribes from other areas, such as what is now northern NSW and west and north of the Brisbane area. Over the centuries, many tracks and travel routes were formed on the islands and the mainland. When the European settlers arrived, these tracks proved invaluable to their own travels. Over the years they have evolved into some of our main roads. It is quite likely that the original Cleveland-Mt Cotton road (now Panorama/Woodland Drive) followed a former foot track. Descendants of the original residents still live in the area, especially on North Stradbroke Island.

Moreton Bay after settlement When the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement was operating between 1824 and 1839, an exclusion zone was declared for the area within 50 miles (80 km) of the settlement. This meant that officially there were no Europeans living in most of the mainland parts of what now is the Redland Shire, including Thornlands, until the 1850s.

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The surveyors and Moreton Bay After the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement closed in 1839, the areas around Moreton Bay were progressively surveyed so they could be opened up for free settlers. In 1840 surveyors James Warner and Robert Dixon completed a survey of the coastline from Bulimba (Doboy) Creek, along the south bank of the Brisbane River to the entrance on Moreton Bay, and south along the coastline to Innes (Coochiemudlo) Island. Warner described the area thus: “In reference to the nature of the country near to the beach I find it mostly very flat and covered with dense mangroves . . . at the back of these mud flats are bold forest ranges thinly timbered with Gum and Iron Bark, sometimes falling abruptly upon high water mark and at others gently sloping into the recesses of the coast indentations”.8 In 1841 Warner produced a map which described the western part of Thornlands as undulating, open forest land with iron bark and gum.9 These 1840s surveys were crucial to the future development of the coastline south of the Brisbane River. At the time, the emphasis was on finding suitable places for infrastructure for the newly free settlement, such as a port. Surveyors Warner and Dixon’s survey of the coastline from Bulimba to Coochiemudlo Island in 1840 led Senior Assistant Surveyor Dixon to recommend Cleveland Point for a landing place to Surveyor General Sir Thomas Mitchell.10 In 1851 Cleveland was proclaimed a township and thus began the post settlement evolution of the area that now includes Thornlands.

Selectors and settlers in Thornlands During the 1850s all of the area from Ormiston to the Logan River was leased to Joseph Clark, who ran cattle on the land. The first land selections and sales in Thornlands occurred in the 1850s and 1860s, with the earliest arrivals being investors and small farmers attracted by the fertile land and benign climate. The land was taken up over several years and by the 1880s was all in private hands. Some of these first Europeans retained their holdings for many years, while others sold out. Those who sold out included James Hislop, William Finucane, Andrew Holden, James McBride and Edward Cleary.11 Selectors who held onto their land included Edwin Westaway, James Pink, Charles Wrightson and Tobias Walter. Other early land owners included George Thorn, James Cross, P McPherson, James Golliker and Josiah Rowe.12 Most did not live in the area. By the 1880s their holdings varied in size from Thorn’s 631 acres (pors 11-22) to McPherson’s 56 acres (por 23).13 Not all the selectors and purchasers worked their land; by the 1880s some large holdings, including of very fertile land like Thorn’s, were unimproved14 and remained so for some years to come. Some of the less fertile areas in the western part near Hilliards Creek remained unimproved until at least the 1920s.15 Those who did work their land specialised in fruit crops, with James Cross’ farm typical:

“[James Cross] selected, in 1872, 240 acres of land on the Redland Bay and Mount Cotton roads, which he has changed into a plantation of orange,

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banana, plum, and apple trees. In 1886 he took the first prize for the best orchard in East Moreton, and first prize for the best cultivated farm under ten acres, receiving a handsome silver cup for the combines honours.”16

James Cross had many interests in and around Cleveland. He served on the Cleveland Divisional Board between 1885 and 1888, ran a shop in Paxton St in Cleveland17 and had a slaughteryard on his Thornlands land fronting Mt Cotton Rd, almost opposite the Thornlands Preschool.18 James’ six sons and four daughters worked in the businesses and on the land, and by 1897 son Samuel and daughters Annie and Sarah were living on his Thornlands holdings.19 His son Thomas became a butcher like his father, and ran a butcher shop near his residence on Bloomfield St, supplied by the Thornlands slaughteryard.20 James and Thomas Cross also served on the Cleveland Divisional Board, in James Cross’ case between 1885 and 1888, and Thomas between 1895 and 1914. Both served as Chairmen during their times on the Board. In 1910 the Cross land in Thornlands was leased, with one portion going to the Le Bryce family and the others to other members of the Cross family.21 Shortly after, James Cross died22 and his son Thomas became the new owner.23 By 1916 the land was out of the family hands, and divided into three separate parcels, with two owned by the Langdon family and one by Joseph Godfrey.24

Early subdivisions As in many parts of the Redlands, over the years the early land parcels were slowly subdivided into smaller parcels. By 1900 the area began assuming the pattern of settlement it had for the next 70 years: small farms, with community facilities including a school, community hall and jetty with a swimming enclosure. One of the early subdivisions in Thornlands occurred in the late 1880s when Charles Wrightson’s 299-acre selection (por 100) was subdivided into approximately 20-acre parcels. This area is on the western side of Panorama Drive, just south of the Thornlands State School.25 Some of this land was cleared for farming but most of it remained in its natural state for another 40 years or so. In 1920 five 20-acre parcels in this area were auctioned for perpetual leases and were described thus: “The whole of this land consists of poor undulating grass tree country and is thickly and heavily timbered with Gum, Oak, Bloodwood, Mahogany and Stringybark.”26 In 1900 Thorn’s portions 11-22 were amalgamated into portions 11n and 19n.27 During 1900-1902 both portions 11n and 19n were subdivided and sold as smaller farm blocks. Some of the land parcels remained quite large, with, for instance, George Thorn jnr retaining 212 of the 301 acres in portion 19n. However, by the early 1920s most were subdivided further and for the next 50 years the area comprised mainly small farms. As previously mentioned, it appears that George Thorn snr and his descendants had not worked the land as accounts of the area around the time it was subdivided describe it as unimproved and heavily forested.28 As the early landholdings were subdivided, the subdivisions were given their own names, much like today. For example, from at least the 1880s in the official records the area near Eprapah Creek (portion 102) was called the Eprapah Estate, and one

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of horticulturalist James Pink’s selections (por 103) was called Pink’s Selection,29 and later on it was known as Pinklands. This name persisted until at least the 1950s,30 although officially it was used alternately with Thornlands.

Pinklands Horticulturalist James Pink of Wellington Point was another early selector of land at Thornlands. He took up two adjoining parcels totalling about 900 acres (por 111 and 103) approximately between what is now Panorama Drive, Ziegenfusz Rd and Cleveland-Redland Bay Rd. One of his parcels was in the Cleveland Divisional Board area (por 111) and the other (por 103) was in the Tingalpa Divisional Board district. James Pink’s interests during his time in the Redlands focused mainly on Wellington Point. He lived in Wellington Point from the mid-1880s, where he operated an orchard near Collingwood, Hardy, Pitt and Badgen Roads on a property known asThe Badgens.31 Pink was the curator of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, a post he left in 1886 when he moved to Wellington Point. In 1891 Pink built one of the Redlands’ significant houses, now known as the Palms, which gained fame as the home of Palms Chutney.32 Pink was also a member of the Cleveland Divisional Board, representing No. 2 Subdivision which comprised the northern part of the district, including Wellington Point. He was first elected to the Board in February 1887 and served several terms as the Board’s Chairman. In November 1899 he resigned from the Board.33 By the late 1880s Pink had subdivided the smaller of his Thornlands parcels (por 103) into seven acreages, ranging from 10 to 100 acres. The biggest parcel went to his long-time horticultural associate Alex Cowan, who lived near Pink in Wellington Point.34 Other buyers included William Soulter, J Aitken, Jenkyn Davies, D Shepherd, and William Williams. Pink himself retained a 23-acre parcel (sub 6) until the mid 1890s, when the land was further subdivided and sold.35 By 1889 Pink’s company South Queensland Fruit Company had title to his bigger parcel, por 111, and by the 1890s it was in the hands of a finance company. This parcel too was subdivided by the 1920s.

The Mitchell home on Redland Bay Rd, Pinklands, about 1940. Courtesy Jess Hawkins HP343 Pink’s connection with these parcels was recognised for many years, during which the lands were known as Pink’s Selection, and later on Pinklands. The name Pinklands was used from at least 1914,36 and became common in the 1920s after Pink’s larger holding (por 111) had been subdivided and sold and the new landowners were moving in. Thornlands State School saw a big increase in the number of pupils from the new

Pinklands,37 much the same as today when a new housing estate sees an increase in enrolments at the local school. Officially, by the 1950s Pinklands was the name for an area bordered by Eprapah Creek, the Moreton Bay foreshore, and the Cleveland-Redland Bay Road, which was over the road from Pink’s biggest selection. Pink’s selections, at the time, were not officially called Pinklands; they were simply part of Thornlands.38

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One of the early residents in Pinklands was the Mitchell family, who bought about 8 hectares (20 acres) in the 1920s. As well as running a farm, Wally Mitchell set up a blacksmith shop, which operated for many years.

Walter Mitchell’s blacksmith shop on

Redland Bay Rd, Pinklands, late 1920s.

HP00319: Courtesy Jess Hawkins.

Thornlands = farmlands Many of the early subdivisions set the development pattern for the next 70 years, as the fertile stretches of land were taken up by small farmers. One of the big buyers of Thorn’s Estate in 1900-1902 was William Henry or Henry Ziegenfusz, who initially bought 47 acres and slowly added to his holdings until he had 167 acres between Thornlands Rd and what is now South St. He cleared the land and turned it into a successful tropical fruit farm, as did many of the other landowners.

“[William Henry Ziegenfusz in about 1902] launched out on his own account in Cleveland, where he took up a block of unimproved land, which was then a portion of the . . . ‘Thornlands’ Estate. . . . The heavy forest land was converted by Mr. Ziegenfusz into ideal orchard land . . . . Tropical fruits were the principal products of the farm, which having a charming easterly outlook was regarded as one of the prettiest holdings in the district.”39

In about 1915 Henry Ziegenfusz sold the property at a record price for land in the district. He then bought 18 acres nearby where he also ran an orchard. He built a house called Omega40 on this site, fronting South St. On this farm Henry Ziegenfusz also grew grapes and other fruit crops. He lived there until he died in 1953.41 Henry’s brother Percy and some of Henry’s sons also owned land in the area over the years. Omega was moved to Wellington Point in the late 1990s. Ziegenfusz Road and Ziegenfusz Park are named after Henry Ziegenfusz, who played a major role in establishing the Thornlands State School and facilities such as the South St jetty and swimming enclosure. He served on the Cleveland Shire Council, and was responsible for planting many trees around the district, including poincianas, palms and Norfolk pines.42 Henry Ziegenfusz’s original Thornlands holding was later bought by Harry Moor MLA, and the area became known as Moorlands for many years.43 In the western part of Thornlands, Abraham Street took up 200 acres (por 89) in 1899 and established a property called Kinross44 which remained in the family’s hands for many years.45 Kinross Rd runs through the property it was named after. In 1919 the area around Cleveland, which included much of Thornlands, was described as follows:

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“At one time the land in the vicinity [of Cleveland] was held in large pastoral areas, supporting but scanty population and mostly ill-developed. But to-day the holdings are small, whilst the substantial and richly-adorned homesteads show that under modern methods of primary production the settler can secure larger returns from a small farm than his father or grandfather found it possible to derive from a wide-spreading sheep or cattle station. Horticulture, mixed farming, sugar growing, pineapple growing, banana growing, and intense culture generally form the mainstay of the district. . . . The fertility of the land at once becomes apparent . . . ; whilst the close subdivision of the farms into paddocks, and the rare wealth of growing things, amply demonstrate how heavy is the production of the land. The houses are large and attractive, surrounded with gardens and orchards, in themselves displaying an extensive spending power on the part of the owners. Unlike the social conditions pertaining to primary production throughout most of Queensland, the circumstances attaching to life here permit of an easy social intercourse, with a pleasant proximity to the metropolis of the State.”46

Later farming families included the Dinwoodies, Trundles and Beveridges. All have streets named after them.

Beaconsfield The Redlands was sometimes called the salad bowl of Brisbane in the mid-20th Century, as it was a major supplier of fruit and vegetables to the Brisbane and other markets. In 1934 the Duke of Gloucester visited the Cleveland district as part of his Queensland tour and inspected a number of farms, including one in Thornlands. Arthur Smith’s Beaconsfield on Moreton Rd was chosen for the visit. Photos of the visit appeared in various newspapers, including the Queenslander.

Infrastructure: roads, schools, jetties and the Thornlands Hall As families moved into the area, there were increasing calls for better facilities, beginning with roads. The existing roads were mainly unformed tracks, and required ongoing and extensive clearing and gravelling over the years. One of the first roads to receive attention was the Cleveland-Mt Cotton Road (now Panorama and Woodland Drives), which was a track in the mid-1890s and the source of constant worry for the Cleveland Divisional Board. It was gravelled and cleared regularly during this time.47 As soon as the Thornlands Estate was subdivided and sold, the new owners began asking the Cleveland Shire Council to provide better access to Thornlands Road.48 During these years the maintenance of Thornlands Rd became an ongoing issue, with regular requests from residents to form and gravel it. In 1906 the state of the road led resident A Doig to write to the Cleveland Shire council advising of his intentions to sue if an accident to his horse or cart occurred on the Thornlands Road.49 King St was named and formed in 1910,50 with its name perhaps inspired by the recent death of King Edward VII. South St was in such bad condition in 1913 that it led to pleas from residents to the Cleveland Shire Council to do something about it so

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that their children could get to school.51 The road was finally made passable in 1914.52 In 1917 Beach Rd was formed.53 Street names can give many clues about the history of an area. Kinross Rd was named after Abraham Street’s property, through which the road now runs. Dinwoodie Rd is named after William Dinwoodie, who owned about 15 acres. Trundle Road is named after Sam Trundle, who farmed his parcel from about 1916. In 1966 Panorama Drive and Woodlands Drive were renamed after residents were invited to nominate their choices. The roads were previously known as the Mt Cotton-Thornlands or Cleveland-Mt Cotton Rds.

Post and telephone services Thornlands received a post and telephone service in the late 1920s, reflecting the area’s primarily rural nature.

The Thornlands School Within a few years of settling in the area the residents felt a school was needed for their children. Children living in the Thornlands Estate and surrounds had to attend school at either Cleveland or Ormiston, which involved a long walk twice a day. Some were taught at home. In 1910 the Thornlands State School was built on crown land to cater for the growing number of children living in the area. The first teacher was Miss Mary Fielding, daughter of William and Eliza Fielding of Mt Carmel Orchard, Redland Bay. The pupils included children from some of the earliest farming families in the area; the Langdon, Street, Daveson, Cross, Bygraves, Dawson, Rogers, Burns, Collins, Le Marchand, Petersen, Lewis, Daughtrey and Robins families.54 The establishment of the school was very significant in the district as it gave a focal point to the area. Apart from marking the beginning of the more common usage of the name Thornlands, the school became the venue for social events, meetings and other general business of the community. It remained the social focus of the district until the Thornlands Hall was built in the late 1930s. There were about 20 pupils in 1910, increasing to about 95 in 1950. By 1976 enrolments reached 400, and in 1983 it was 606. In 2003 there were just under 600 pupils at the school. Enrolments fluctuated over the years. New estates, such as Pinklands, saw numbers increase suddenly. There were also seasonal variations due to the movement of itinerant workers employed during, for example, the strawberry picking season. Once the season was over, the families would move on to the next area, and school enrolments would drop accordingly.

George Taylor’s home on South St, Thornlands, is now the site of the Thornlands School pool. HP00845, courtesy Tom Dale.

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The South St jetty Another focal point for the Thornlands community was the South St jetty, which catered for swimming lessons and general water activities from about 1920 until it was closed in 1974. The Thornlands State School committee kicked off the idea when it wrote to the Cleveland Shire Council asking that a causeway and bathing enclosure be built at the end of South St.55 The Council voted to spend the princely sum of £10 on the work.56 Local residents such as Arthur Smith of Beaconsfield were instrumental in the completion of the jetty and causeway. Mr Smith collected donations and lobbied the Cleveland Shire Council for several years soliciting help with the project.57 Work began on the jetty proper in 1920 and in 1921 it was open for business. The following year the Thornlands Amateur Swimming Club was given permission by Cleveland Shire council to lengthen the baths at Thornlands in time for the swimming contest season;58 this was the first of a long list of extensions, repairs and improvements to the jetty over the next 60 years. This included major extensions in the 1930s, when relief workers were employed to complete the Thornlands bathing enclosure and jetty.59 Despite these constant repairs the jetty was worn away by weather, worms and vandalism, and in 1962 the pupils of Thornlands State School used the jetty for the last time. In 1974 the jetty was closed,60 and since then it has slowly fallen apart, although its old timbers could still be found 30 years later on the mudflats at low tide.

The Thornlands Hall61 Following a public meeting in July 1938, the Thornlands Hall Committee was set up to oversee the building of the proposed Thornlands Hall. The committee comprised J Congreve, G Taylor, WE Burns, WH Ziegenfusz, RH Bygrave, C Mazzochi, A Langdon, W Mitchell, and V White. Subscriptions were collected from many local families, and planning progressed. The Langdon family donated just under a hectare (2 acres) from their own farm for the proposed hall. The hall opened in December 1938.

For the next few years, the main activities at the Hall were euchre nights and regular Saturday night dances, fetes, public meetings for the many community groups. The Thornlands State School used the Hall for dances and break-up days.

Thornlands, late 1940s: front: Bill Burns, Mrs Parry’s mother, Duncan Burns, Violet Burns, Joan Price, Mrs Parry, Jess Mitchell, Gwen Price, Louie Medley, Bertha Burns. HP00362: Courtesy Jess Hawkins.

During World War II, the Hall, also known as the Danse Palais, was used for patriotic fundraising functions, and many American troops in the district attended the Saturday night dances.

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In 1950 tennis courts were built on the Hall’s land, and tennis fixtures were held regularly. However, the establishment of other tennis courts in the district, including those at the Cleveland Showground in 1969, led to a decline in the courts’ use, and so in 1971 they were dismantled. Over the years the activities at the Hall changed, and organisations such as the Redlands Playgroup began using the Hall from the mid 1970s. While numbers at the old dances declined over the years, new activities commenced, such as the Strawberry Balls which began in 1978. Over the years, the extra land not occupied by the Hall was sold, and slowly it has been surrounded by residential development.

Other enterprises Farming remained the backbone of Thornlands – and the whole of the Redlands – from about 1900 until the 1970s-80s. Support industries appeared over the years, including at least two fruit processing factories. In the 1960s the Achterberg family set up a small factory to process strawberries and passionfruit, producing juice and similar products. The lakes in the heart of the Crystal Waters Estate were the dams on their strawberry farm. Their factory operated until the late 1970s.62 A bigger enterprise run by Redland Industries Pty Ltd was operating on Kinross Road by 1971, producing canned fruit, juice and jam.63

Strawberry pickers on Mitchell’s farm on Redland Bay Road, Pinklands, 1960s.

HP00456: Courtesy Jess Hawkins. Now and then new enterprises appeared. Some Thornlands residents tried tourism; in 1953 the Macdonald family converted their farm into a tourist farm called Eleuora. The farm became a feature of Pioneer Bus Tours’ half-day tours of the Shire. About 25 years later the Big Strawberry tourist attraction opened on Boundary Rd, Thornlands. The 9-acre site included a mini sanctuary, woodlands and children’s play areas, and a shop selling refreshments and souvenirs. It featured a giant replica strawberry. At the time, the prospect of a bridge from Cleveland or Redland Bay to North Stradbroke Island was a real possibility, and the managing director of the developing company, E Perry, said that when the proposed bridge was built, the Big Strawberry would be an attraction at the gateway to the Moreton Bay islands. However, the area was still predominantly rural; in 1969 two piggeries and three poultry ventures were approved in Thornlands.64

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From then to now: 1970s to the present The trigger for the next step in Thornlands’ evolution was the coming of town water.

Water = residential development In 1968 the Leslie Harrison Dam was built on Tingalpa Creek, bringing much sought after town water and sewerage to the entire district, and the population exploded as areas such as Thornlands were subdivided for housing developments. In 1950 the Shire’s population was about 2000. By 1983 it reached 52,000 and in 1992 it topped 80,600. In 2003 it was approaching 120,000. In 1971 Thornlands’ population was about 515.65 By 1983 it reached 2,845, and 5,955 in 1992. In 2001, 7,604 people lived in Thornlands.

Thornlands’ farms were subdivided into housing lots, and as in the past, the new subdivisions were given their own names. In 1985 blocks in the Crystal Waters estate at Thornlands went on sale, priced from $19,990 with an average of $26,000. Blocks at the Bay Panorama estate between South St and Panorama Dve also went on sale, for an average $37,200.

Top: Looking over the Crystal Waters estate towards Stradbroke Island, showing houses under construction. Taken in the 1980s. HP 01432.

Bottom: The first houses to be built in the Crystal Waters Estate. Photo taken c.1987. HP 01525: Courtesy Rural Press.

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One of the later areas to be subdivided for housing was the original Thornlands Estate between the Cleveland-Redland Bay Rd and the foreshore of Moreton Bay. However, by 2003 it too was all but covered by roads and houses. Water also permitted other enterprises, including the Nazarene Bible College which opened in 1976 in Woodlands Dve, Thornlands, on land formerly owned by James Pink (por 103). In 1978 King Country nursery opened in Dinwoodie Rd, Thornlands, and in 1983 plans were announced to build the Pine Lodge Equestrian Centre.

Thornlands industrial estate As early as 1964 land on the western side of Thornlands had been earmarked for an industrial area to cater for the expected increase in population after the dam was built.66 However, no work was carried out until 1980, when the Qld Lands Department announced it planned to build an industrial estate on the site in South St, Thornlands. State Member for Redlands John Goleby said the site was ideal for an industrial estate because it was central, close to infrastructure such as water treatment plants and electricity and well away from residential development. Work began in November. In August 1985 the Cleveland industrial estate on Wellington and South Sts was officially opened by the Minister for Industry, Small Business and Technology, Mike Ahern.

Thornlands and the future In 2003 there is still some visible evidence of Thornlands’ past. Remnants of the pre-settlement period are found in the roads: it is reasonable to assume Wellington Rd/Panorama Drive follows the foot track of the indigenous inhabitants. Of the post-settlement period, there are other reminders, especially the farming period. West of Wellington St retains some farmland, although a major housing estate is making inroads. Boundary Road contains many small acreages which are remnants of earlier subdivisions. The land next to Eprapah Creek just south of Thorn’s original landholdings retains its rural atmosphere, but even while this short history was being researched and written, Thorn’s original landholdings and the many small farmhouses built during the 20th Century were all but disappearing under a sea of roofs and roads.

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Bibliography Business and Street Directory, Directory of the Beenleigh-Beaudesert Cleveland district, Universal Business Directories (Aust) Pty Ltd, 1971. Fox, Matthew J (compiler), 1919-1923, The history of Queensland, its people and industries, Brisbane: States Publishing. Hall, J, 1987, “A short prehistory of the Moreton region” in Aboriginal, alien, ethnic, Brisbane History Group papers No. 5. Howells, Mary, 2001, Wellington Point – history, unpublished manuscript in Local History Collection, Cleveland Library, Redland Shire Council Mary Noble interview, 11 August 1993, OH 31, Local History Collection, Cleveland Library Morris, Judy, c.1992, Thornlands Hall Society Inc, fifty years on, Cleveland: Thornlands Hall Society. Morrison, WF, 1888, Centennial History of Queensland, Vol 2, Kent St, Sydney, Aldine Publishing. Osmond, Terry, 1985, Thornlands State School 1910-1985, Thornlands: Thornlands State School. Osmond, Terry, notes, August 2003, held in Local History Collection, Cleveland Library, Redland Shire Council Pike, Douglas, ed, 1979, Australian dictionary of biography, , Vol 4, 1851-1890, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press Redland Times and Bayside Bulletin, 1950-2002. Steele, JG, 1984, Aboriginal pathways, Brisbane: University of Qld Press.

Primary sources Cleveland Divisional Board (CDB) minutes, 1886-1902. Cleveland Shire Council (CSC) minutes, 1902-1914. Cleveland Divisional Board (CDB) rate registers, 1886-1902. Cleveland Shire Council (CSC) rate registers, 1902-1935. Redland Shire Council (RSC) minutes, random. Tingalpa Divisional Board (TDB) minutes, 1880-1902. Tingalpa Shire Council (TSC) minutes, 1886-1920. Tingalpa Divisional Board (TDB) rate registers, 1880-1902. Tingalpa Shire Council (TSC) rate registers, 1886-1920.

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Endnotes 1 Pike, Douglas, ed, 1979, Australian dictionary of biography, Vol 4, 1851-1890, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. 2 For example, in the Cleveland Divisional Board and Cleveland Shire Council rate registers and minutes. 3 Cleveland Divisional Board minutes, 2 July 1901. 4 Morris, Judy, Thornlands Hall Society Inc, fifty years on, c.1992, p5. 5 RSC rate registers, 1950-1955. 6 Steele, JG, 1984, Aboriginal pathways, Brisbane: University of Qld Press, pp85, 97, 110. 7 Hall, J, 1987, “A short prehistory of the Moreton region” in Aboriginal, alien, ethnic, Brisbane History Group papers No. 5, p20. 8 James Warner to Senior Assistant Surveyor Dixon, 28 April 1840, letter no 40/9, District Surveyor, Moreton Bay, Letterbooks SUR/1, QSA. 9 James Warner, Plan of two creeks, M1076 46, held in Local History Room, Cleveland Library. 10 Dixon to Sir Thomas Mitchell, 30 April 1840, letter no 40/39, District Surveyor, Moreton Bay, Letterbooks SUR/1, QSA. 11 James Hislop: por 109, William Finucane: por 110, Andrew Holden: por 87, James McBride: por 93, and Edward Cleary: por 89. 12 Edwin Westaway: por 105, James Pink: pors 103 and 111, Charles Wrightson: por 100, Tobias Walter: por 117, George Thorn (pors 11n and 19n, James Cross: pors 96, 97, 99, P McPherson: por 23, James Golliker: pors 24-26, and Josiah Rowe: por 27. 13 Cleveland Divisional Board rate register, 1886. 14 CDB rate register, 1886. 15 Estate map for perpetual leases, Thornlands, 1920. Held in Local History Collection, Cleveland Library, HM 14.1 TNL. 16 Morrison, WF, Centennial History of Queensland, Vol 2, Kent St, Sydney, Aldine Publishing, 1888. 17 Mary Noble interview, 11 August 1993, OH 31, Local History Collection, Cleveland Library. 18 CDB minutes, April 1901. 19 CDB rate register, 1897. 20 Mary Noble interview, 11 August 1993, OH 31. 21 CSC minutes, 6 July 1910. 22 CSC minutes, 7 September 1910. 23 CSC minutes, 7 June 1911. 24 CSC rate register, 1916-20. 25 CDB rate register, 1891. 26 Estate map for perpetual leases, Thornlands, 1920. Held in Local History Collection, Cleveland Library. 27 Osmond, TF, 1985, Thornlands State School, 1910-1985. [no page numbers] 28 Fox, Matthew J (compiler), The history of Queensland, its people and industries, Brisbane: States Publishing, 1919-1923, p847. 29 TDB rate register, 1889. 30 RSC rate registers, 1950-1955. 31 Howells, Mary, 2000, Places of the Redlands: Wellington Point, Redland Shire Council, p3. 32 Howells, 2000, p3. 33 CDB minutes, 5 February 1887 – 7 November 1899. 34 TDB rate register, 1889. 35 TDB rate register, 1895. 36 CSC minutes, 7 July 1914. 37 Osmond, TF, unpublished notes August 2003. 38 RSC rate registers, 1950-1955. 39 Fox, p847 40 Fox, p846-847. 41 Redland Times, 27 April 1983, p16. 42 Redland Times, 27 April 1983, p16. 43 Osmond, 1985.

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44 Osmond, 1985. Mrs Street was the daughter of the Laird of Kinross, Scotland. 45 CSC rate register, 1899 and 1931-35. 46 Fox, p844 47 CDB minutes, 12 December 1896. 48 CDB minutes, 4 August 1903. 49 CSC minutes, 6 July 1906. 50 CSC minutes, 14 December 1910. 51 CSC minutes, 3 June 1913. 52 CSC minutes, 6 October 1914. 53 CSC minutes, 6 February 1917. 54 Osmond, 1985. 55 CSC minutes, 4 June 1918, 25 February 1920. 56 CSC minutes, 3 December 1918. 57 CSC minutes, 7 May 1919. 58 CSC minutes, 10 January 1922. 59 CSC minutes, 14 April 1938. 60 Redland Times, 7 January 1974, p1. 61 All information about the Thornlands Hall came from Morris, Judy, Thornlands Hall Society Inc, fifty years on, c.1992. 62 Information supplied by Bev Cooper and Alan Rogers, September 2003. 63 Business and Street Directory, Directory of the Beenleigh-Beaudesert Cleveland district, Universal Business Directories (Aust) Pty Ltd, 1971. 64 RSC Minutes 31/7/1969 65 Business and Street Directory, Directory of the Beenleigh-Beaudesert Cleveland district, Universal Business Directories (Aust) Pty Ltd, 1971. 66 Redland News, 3 April 1964.

places of the redlands: thornlands

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