Black's Camp or Wynnum Camp was the name for a large, permanent Aboriginal campsite established on the shores of

Quandamooka The Quandamooka people are Aboriginal Australians who live around Moreton Bay in Southeastern Queensland. They are composed of three distinct tribes, the Nunukul, the Goenpul and the Ngugi, and they live primarily on Moreton and North Stradbr ...

(

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

) in what is now Wynnum,

City of Brisbane The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council. Unlike LGAs in the other mainlan ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. Black's Camp constituted a settled Aboriginal village, similar to those noted elsewhere in

by archaeologist Harry Lourandos. It was one of several permanent campsites recorded in the Wynnum district in the mid to late 1800s.

History

Man wearing breastplate inscribed King Sandy Brisbane

Thomas Petrie Thomas Petrie (31 January 1831 – 26 August 1910) was an Australian explorer, gold prospector, logger, and grazier. He was a Queensland pioneer. Early life Petrie was born at Edinburgh, fourth son of Andrew Petrie and brother of John. His f ...

first described an Aboriginal camp in the Wynnum area around the 1840s, noting that residents would travel to St Helena Island to catch

flying fox ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Aust ...

and collect ' cotton bush' on the Wynnum foreshore to make dilly-bags. European expansion into the Wynnum area commenced in the late 1850s around the mouth of Wynnum Creek. At this time, Black's Camp was identified on the salt flat to the north of Wynnum Creek, what is now partially covered by Greene and Elanora Parks (). Other permanent campsites were recorded in the Wynnum area at the corner of Sibley Road and Fordel Street, Wynnum West (Lindum Camp, ) and on the site of the Manly Hotel, Manly (Manly Camp, ). Lindum Camp was located to the immediate north of Bombarpin wetlands and became the only Aboriginal fishing reserve ever created in the southern Brisbane region. In the 1880s, Brisbane newspapers carried advertisements for fishing and traditional hunting expeditions from Wynnum led by men living at Black's Camp. Throughout the 1880s and 1890s, the white and black community worked together in the nascent fishing industry centred on Wynnum Creek. However, there were some tensions between the original residents and the European newcomers, with a 'serious and unprovoked' attack on Black's Camp committed by 'a number of roughs' in 1884. A well-known resident of Black's Camp was Jagera chief 'King Sandy' Kerwalli (aka Gairballie), who died in Wynnum in May 1900. Wynnum developed into a thriving seaside town in the early twentieth century, and many of the Black's Camp residents moved into housing and employment in the town, or moved to

Stradbroke Island Stradbroke Island, also known as Minjerribah, was a large sand island that formed much of the eastern side of Moreton Bay near Brisbane, Queensland until the late 19th century. Today the island is split into two islands: North Stradbroke Islan ...

. Black's Camp was largely abandoned by 1908 when the Wynnum Town Council bought the land and turned it into a rubbish dump and rifle range. It was subsequently filled in and developed as a recreation reserve in the 1930s. Greene Park was re-used as a campsite between 1945-1948 by homeless families following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Elanora Park continued to be referred to as 'Black's Camp' until at least the 1980s.

In popular culture

Black's Camp (Winnam) is included in Quandamooka artist

Megan Cope Megan Cope (born 1982) is an Australian Aboriginal artist from the Quandamooka people of Stradbroke Island/Minjerribah. She is known for her sculptural installations, video art and paintings, in which she explores themes such as identity and ...

's 2014 work ''Twice Removed''. Brisbane author Ian Hamilton's book ''Meanjin Crossing'' is partially set in Wynnum and makes reference to Black's Camp.

References

{{reflist Aboriginal communities in Queensland Wynnum, Queensland