The Moreton Bay Penal Settlement operated from 1825 to 1842. It became the city of
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
,
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
, established_ ...
, Australia.
History
The Moreton Bay Penal Settlement was established on the
Redcliffe Peninsula
The Redcliffe Peninsula is a peninsula located in the Moreton Bay Region LGA in the northeast of the Brisbane metropolitan area in Queensland, Australia. The area covers the suburbs of Clontarf, Kippa-Ring, Margate, Newport, Redcliffe, Ro ...
on
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 1824, under the instructions of
John Oxley that a suitable location would be "easy of access, difficult to escape from, and hard to attack; furthermore, it should be near fresh water and contain three hundred acres for cultivation". Only one year after settlement, the inadequacy of Redcliffe's water supply became apparent and in May 1825 the commandant Lieutenant
Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical ref ...
decided to relocate the settlement to the current
Brisbane CBD
Brisbane City is the central suburb and central business district of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is colloquially referred to as the "Brisbane CBD" or "the city". It is located on a point on the northern bank of the ...
.
Located on the north bank of the
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the G ...
, the new site allowed the collection of water from a freshwater creek and a chain of water holes near the present
Roma Street railway station
Roma Street railway station is located in the Brisbane central business district, Queensland, Australia. It is the junction station for the North Coast railway line, Queensland, North Coast, Main Line railway, Main, Gold Coast railway line, Go ...
, the first substantial water supply within of the mouth of the Brisbane River.
This was an elevated location with cooling breezes. The southern bank was a cliff of rock (
Kangaroo Point Cliffs
The Kangaroo Point Cliffs are heritage-listed cliffs located at Kangaroo Point just across the Brisbane River from the Brisbane CBD in Queensland, Australia. A popular recreation spot, especially for climbing and running, they are convenientl ...
), suitable for building material, and a fertile flood plain. The settlers faced hardship and privation and the paucity of resources combined with thick sub-tropical vegetation made settlement difficult.
[Evans, R. (2007) ''A ]History of Queensland
The history of Queensland encompasses both a long Aboriginal Australian presence as well as the more recent periods of European colonisation and as a state of Australia.A History of Queensland by Raymond Evans, Cambridge University Press, 2007 ...
''. Cambridge University Press, Melbourne. Between 1826 and 1829, the number of prisoners in the settlement rose from 200 to 1000 and the plight of the convicts whose labour was to establish the settlement was dire.
The site of
Brisbane Town was an ongoing issue, with Commandant
Patrick Logan
Captain Patrick Logan (1791 – October 1830) was the commandant of the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement from 1826 until his death in 1830 at the hands of Aboriginal Australians who objected to him entering their lands. As he had been hated by con ...
proposing that the settlement be 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 Isl ...
. However, the difficulties of crossing the bay saw this plan abandoned. Logan continued to seek alternative sites, establishing a number of outstations including
Eagle Farm and
Oxley Creek
The Oxley Creek ( Yagara: ''Benarrawa'') is a creek that is a tributary of the Brisbane River, located in suburban Brisbane in the South East region of Queensland, Australia.
Rising in the low hills in Scenic Rim Region, water from the large ...
.
[Johnston, W. R. (1988) ''Brisbane: The first thirty years''. Boolarong Publications, Brisbane.] Despite the continued uncertainty about the future of Brisbane Town, building had continued under Commandant Logan, who is given credit for laying out the earliest permanent foundations. Logan was responsible for the building of
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
's only surviving convict-constructed buildings: the
Commissariat Store and the
Old Windmill.
Convict numbers fell 75 percent between 1831 and 1838 by which time the area under cultivation shrank from to only .
On 10 February 1842
Governor Gipps declared Moreton Bay open for Free Settlement.
The Moreton Bay Penal Settlement during its 15 years of operation consisted of a range of buildings including barracks for convicts and troops, officers' quarters, dwellings for the Commandant, chaplain, Commissariat officer, surgeon, Commandant's clerk and engineer, a military and convict hospital, the Commissariat Store, and various stores, barns and sheds. The settlement also included a wharf, wells, a flagstaff, gardens and a lumber yard.
The Commandant's cottage was constructed in 1825 on the site of the old
Queensland Government Printing Office
The Queensland Government Printing Office is a heritage-listed printing house at 110 George Street and 84 William Street, Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by John James Clark, Francis Drummond Greville Stanley, and Ed ...
building (now the Public Service Club between William and George Streets. It was a wooden building with brick chimneys. In 1826 a detached brick building was built to the rear of the Commandant's house.
[Steele, J. G. (1975) ''Brisbane Town in Convict Days, 1824–1842''. ]University of Queensland Press
Established in 1948, University of Queensland Press (UQP) is an Australian publishing house.
Founded as a traditional university press, UQP has since branched into publishing books for general readers in the areas of fiction, non-fiction, poetr ...
, Brisbane. A line of buildings ran from the Commandant's house to the first military barracks along present-day William Street. These buildings included the Engineer's cottage on the corner of William and Elizabeth Streets in what is now known as
Queens Gardens Queens Gardens or Queen's Gardens may refer to:
* Queen's Gardens, Kingston upon Hull – gardens in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England
* Queen's Gardens (Croydon) – gardens in south London, England
* Queen's Gardens, Westminster – gardens ...
. The cottage was associated with the first lumber yard on this block, which also contained engineer's stores and workshops.
The first military barracks were constructed in 1825 as two slab huts for the sergeant, corporal and 12 privates, and separate huts for the married couples on the corner of
Queen Street and
North Quay, site of the present
Brisbane Square. The barracks were later moved to the other side of Queen Street and replaced by the second lumber yard in 1831. The first prisoner accommodation also consisted of slab huts, probably at the intersection of Queen and Albert Streets; stone barracks were constructed in 1829. The first Commissariat Store was constructed as a long, low slab building near the corner of Elizabeth and Albert Streets and was later used as a barn, after the stone
Commissariat Store was built in 1829.
The first Commissariat Store appears to have been situated within the alignment of the present day
Elizabeth Street.
The only entry point into the settlement was via the wharf on the Brisbane River. Initially known as the King's Wharf, or King's Jetty, it was constructed by 1827 when the boat crew's hut and boat builder's shed were first occupied. A crane was constructed on the end of the wharf in order to transfer goods from the arriving ships to the shore.
The wharf was situated on the river bank opposite the Commissariat Store on Queen's Wharf Road. The main thoroughfare into the settlement was up the steep river bank following the present day alignment of Queen's Wharf Road.
Pedestrians were able to enter the settlement through the vacant land immediately northwest of the Commissariat Store, in what is today known as Miller Park.
[Kennedy, M. (1998) Commissariat Store Conservation Plan. Department of Public Works, Brisbane.]
A hospital was completed in 1827, after much government bungling over plans and approvals, on the block bounded by North Quay,
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...
, George and
Ann Streets, with the buildings extending into the current alignment of Adelaide Street. The
windmill tower which still stands on
Wickham Terrace
Wickham Terrace is one of the historic streets of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known as the street of private medical specialists.
Geography
Wickham Terrace commences at the western corner of the intersection of Ann Street and Whar ...
was likely completed in late 1828, with a
treadmill
A treadmill is a device generally used for walking, running, or climbing while staying in the same place. Treadmills were introduced before the development of powered machines to harness the power of animals or humans to do work, often a type o ...
added before September 1829.
The Prisoners' Barracks were constructed between 1827 and 1830 to house up to 1000 convicts and was the largest stone building in the settlement at the time. The barracks were situated with the frontage along present-day Queen Street, on the block surrounded by Albert, Adelaide, George and Queen Streets. The barracks consisted of a multi-storey stone building with a central archway and a large walled yard to the rear. Several smaller buildings were situated in the yard on the far side of what would become Burnett Lane.
The dominant archway of the Prisoners' Barracks extended approximately through the building from the Queen Street frontage towards Adelaide Street opening into the large walled yard. The yard was the site of Moreton Bay's first public execution in 1830. Within the archway itself, strategically situated for all incoming and existing convicts to see, was the flogging triangle. Records indicate that in the period between February and October 1828 alone, over 11,000 lashes were inflicted on 200 convicts; this included 128 sentences of 50 or more lashes. The average in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
was 41 lashes per sentence. The barracks were used from 1860 to 1868 as the court house and for Queensland's first
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...
. The barracks were demolished in 1880 with commercial redevelopment of the area in the early to mid-1880s particularly the buildings along Queen Street backing onto Burnett Lane, many of which are still extant (
Manwaring Building,
Gardams Building
Gardams Building is a heritage-listed retail building at 114 Queen Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1881. It is also known as Rutter and Sons. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 2 ...
,
Hardy Brothers Building
Hardy Brothers Building is a heritage-listed shop at 116 Queen Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Richard Gailey and built in 1881. It is also known as Love's Auction Mart. It was added to the ...
,
Edwards and Chapman Building,
Colonial Mutual Chambers,
Palings Building,
Allan and Stark Building
The Allan and Stark Building is a heritage-listed row of contiguous but not identical retail buildings located at 110 Queen Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The architect was Andrea Stombuco. It was also kno ...
).
[Evans, R. and C. Ferrier (eds) (2004) ''Radical Brisbane: An Unruly History''. The Vulgar Press, Melbourne.][de Vries, S. and J. de Vries (2003) ''Historic Brisbane: Convict Settlement to River City''. Pandanus Press, Brisbane.]
Beside the Prisoners' Barracks, along the Queen Street alignment towards the river, a row of single-story brick buildings were erected. The functions of the six apartments of these buildings changed over time including use as the Commissariat Officer's residence, school room, guard house, Superintendent of Convicts' residence, gaol room, solitary cells, married soldiers' residences, and a military school.
The Chaplain's house was constructed in 1828, halfway between the Commandant's house and the Engineer's cottage, on the site now occupied by the former
Lands Administration Building (now Treasury Hotel) between William and George Streets. Described in 1829 as a handsome brick house, it was later divided into two dwellings, and occupied at various times by the Assistant Surgeon and the Commissariat Officer.
The Government Gardens were established in 1828 to the southwest of the settlement on the site of the present day
City Botanic Gardens
The City Botanic Gardens (formerly the Brisbane Botanic Gardens) is a heritage-listed botanic garden on Alice Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was also known as Queen's Park. It is located on Gardens Point ...
on
Alice Street. The garden was under the charge of the Superintendent of Agriculture and produced a wide range of vegetables including cabbage, cauliflower, peas, beans, potatoes and pumpkins, as well as fruit trees and plants such as banana, pineapple, citrus, and apple. The Gardener's house, octagonal in shape and consisting of three rooms surrounded by verandahs, was also situated in the gardens.
The route of the roadway along the western end of the settlement from the Prisoners' Barracks to the Government Gardens overlaps with the current
Albert Street on the block between Margaret and Alice Streets.
The new
Commissariat Store, Brisbane
Commissariat Store is a heritage-listed storehouse at 115-127 William Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is bordered by William Street, Queen's Wharf Road and the Brisbane River, and is the birthplace of Queen ...
was constructed in 1828 and 1829, on its site between present day William Street and Queens Wharf Road. The two story utilitarian building was constructed of local porphyry and sandstone, with its ground and second floor doors opening towards the river and the wharf.
Used for various stores and government purposes over its history, it is one of only two extant structures from the convict period.
One of the major thoroughfares of the settlement, taken by
Allan Cunningham in his 1829 survey, ran along the rear of the Prisoners' Barracks towards a pathway up to the windmill tower and to the
Kangaroo Point Road. The alignment of this pathway follows the current alignment of Adelaide Street, from
George Street to Albert Street, where the original pathway crossed Wheat Creek.
Additional hospital accommodation was erected in 1830/31 adjacent to the existing hospital, situated between present day North Quay and George Street. This included a cottage for the Medical Officer and a building to serve as the Military Hospital.
The new Military Barracks were also constructed in 1831. Designed for 100 rank and file, the barracks compound also included a guard house and a dwelling for two subaltern officers. The barracks were constructed on what is today the
Treasury Building
A treasury is either
*A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry.
*A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be State ownership, state or royal property, churc ...
(
Treasury Casino
The Treasury Casino, also known as The Treasury is a casino in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It also houses a hotel, 6 restaurants, 5 bars, and a nightclub. The casino is operated by Star Entertainment Group.
One percent of the casino's g ...
) while the former barracks site (situated at Brisbane Square) was converted to the lumber yard.
In 1839, in preparation for the opening of Moreton Bay to free settlement, surveyors were sent from Sydney to draw maps of the district and prepare town plans so the land could be put up for sale. The town plan undertaken by
Robert Dixon (Plan MT3, DERM 1840) is based on an earlier 1839 plan but superimposes the proposed street plan for the free town of Brisbane with square blocks of .
[Hadwen, I., J. Hogan and C. Nolan (2004) ''Brisbane's Historic North Bank: 1825–2005''. Royal Historical Society of Queensland, Brisbane.] Additional features depicted in these plans include a well situated in what is now George Street, near the intersection with Burnett Lane; a flagstaff in the centre of what is now William Street, close to the northwest boundary of Miller Park; and a range of gardens. The garden areas included military gardens and Dixon's garden behind the Military Barracks in the block bounded by Queen, George, Elizabeth and Albert Streets; Whyte's garden to the northwest of the Prisoners' Barracks, through which Burnett Lane now runs; Handt's garden and Kent's garden to the rear of the Chaplain's house and Commandant's house, today overlain by parts of Elizabeth, George and Charlotte Streets; the Commandant's garden adjacent to the Commissariat Store along William Street and down towards Alice Street; and Paget's garden and Dr Ballard's garden adjacent to the Hospital, in the location of George and Ann Streets. Barns and a piggery indicated on Dixon's 1840 plan appear to have been situated within the current alignment of
Charlotte Street
Charlotte Street is a street in Fitzrovia, historically part of the parish and borough of St Pancras, in central London. It has been described, together with its northern and southern extensions (Fitzroy Street and Rathbone Place), as the ''s ...
.
On 10 February 1842 Governor George Gipps declared the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement closed and the district open for free settlement.
In 2009 the Convict Records of Queensland, held by the
Queensland State Archives
The Queensland State Archives is the lead agency for public recordkeeping in Queensland, Australia. It is the custodian of the largest and most significant documentary heritage collection about Queensland.
Established in 1959, Queensland State ...
and the
State Library of Queensland
The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988. It contain ...
was added to UNESCO's Australian Memory of the World Register
Heritage listings
The following heritage-listed sites are connected to the penal settlement:
Brisbane CBD
*
Alice Street:
City Botanic Gardens
The City Botanic Gardens (formerly the Brisbane Botanic Gardens) is a heritage-listed botanic garden on Alice Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was also known as Queen's Park. It is located on Gardens Point ...
, farmed by convicts from 1825
*Skew Street,
North Quay:
First Brisbane Burial Ground
The First Brisbane Burial Ground is a heritage-listed archaeological site at Skew Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is also known as Skew Street Cemetery. It was established in 1825 as part of the Moreton Bay ...
, established in 1825
*
Commissariat Store, built by convicts in 1828
*
Early Streets of Brisbane, laid out from 1825 during the penal settlement
Archaeological investigations at 40 Queen Street (
Brisbane Square) also found remains dating to the penal period. The remnants of the original Commandant's House were also unearthed in the mid 1980s without any archaeological investigation.
Eagle Farm
*
Eagle Farm Women's Prison and Factory Site
Kangaroo Point
*
Kangaroo Point Cliffs
The Kangaroo Point Cliffs are heritage-listed cliffs located at Kangaroo Point just across the Brisbane River from the Brisbane CBD in Queensland, Australia. A popular recreation spot, especially for climbing and running, they are convenientl ...
, quarried by the convicts from 1826
Spring Hill
*
Wickham Terrace
Wickham Terrace is one of the historic streets of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known as the street of private medical specialists.
Geography
Wickham Terrace commences at the western corner of the intersection of Ann Street and Whar ...
:
The Old Windmill, built by convicts in 1828
Dunwich, North Stradbroke Island
* Junner Street:
Dunwich Convict Causeway
Dunwich Convict Causeway is a heritage-listed causeway at Junner Street, Dunwich, North Stradbroke Island in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1827 by convict labour for the Moreton Bay penal settlement. It was added t ...
* Junner Street:
Dunwich Public Reserve
Commandants
The commandants of the penal settlement were:
*
Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical ref ...
, 1824
*
Peter Bishop, 1824-1826
*
Patrick Logan
Captain Patrick Logan (1791 – October 1830) was the commandant of the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement from 1826 until his death in 1830 at the hands of Aboriginal Australians who objected to him entering their lands. As he had been hated by con ...
, 1826-1830
*
James Oliphant Clunie, 1830-1835
*
Foster Fyans
Foster Fyans (September 1790 – 23 May 1870) was an Irish military officer, penal colony administrator and public servant. He was acting commandant of the second convict settlement at Norfolk Island, the commandant of the Moreton Bay penal set ...
, 1835-1837
*
Sydney John Cotton
Lieutenant-General Sir Sydney John Cotton (2 December 1792 – 19 February 1874) was a British Army officer. He was the commandment of the Moreton Bay penal colony in Australia.
Military career
Born the second son of Henry Calveley Cotton of W ...
, 1837-1839
*
George Gravatt, 1839
*
Owen Gorman, 1839 -1842
References
External links
Moreton Bay Penal Settlement 1824 to 1842Old Windmill TowerThe Convict Records of Queensland 1825-1842- UNESCO's Australian Memory of the World Register
Convicts on Queen Street: Early Brisbane Gaols
Attribution
{{QHR-CC-2014
History of Brisbane
Convictism in Queensland
Moreton Bay penal settlement