Brisbane: Moreton Bay Matters

Brisbane History Group

This volume comprises twelve papers dealing with various aspects of Moreton Bay history, from pre-European settlement to the 1990s.

The various subjects explored include:
• the ill-fated passionist mission station on Stradbroke Island from 1843 to 1845
• foundering of the steamship Sovereign in 1847
• sugar production at the St Helena penal establishment from 1867 to 1889
• Moreton Bay’s dugong fishery from 1846 to the 1920s
• Dunwich Benevolent Asylum
• The Bribie Island Aboriginal reserves in the late 1870s and early 1890s
• Moreton Island’s lighthouse communities
• Patrick Roche’s superintendency of St Helena Prison from 1926 to 1931
• Peel Island lazaret
• Tangalooma Whaling Station from 1952 to 1962

A number of prominent identities associated with Moreton Bay history appear throughout a
number of these papers:
• Lieutenant James Cook
• Lieutenant Matthew Flinders
• John Oxley
• Patrick Logan
• Tom Petrie
• Thomas Welsby

Although they may be less well-known, important contributions to the region’s history have also been made by:
• Archbishop John Bede Polding
• Father Raymond Vaccari
• Captain Henry Cape
• John McDonald
• Dr William Hobbs
• James Hamilton
• Patrick Roche
• Captain Alf Melsom

It is by drawing attention to these largely forgotten figures of the past that sets this volume
apart. As well, while Moreton Bay Matters presents a largely chronological history of this
important region, it has intentionally set out to record the episodes that have either been ignored or forgotten. By so doing, this volume reveals the close links between the indigenous peoples, the convicts and missionaries, the fisherman and the whalers, the government authorities. From dugongs to whaling this marine frontier has played a significant role in Queensland’s economic history. So, too, have land-based activities ranging from sugar to tourism, with the latter emphasising the growing interest in Moreton Bay’s natural and historic heritage. Above all, this collection takes the reader for an intriguing ride through the historic legacy on Brisbane’s doorstep.