Remnants of Cribb Island foreshore structure

Cribb Island was a former suburb of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, which is now part of the site of

Brisbane Airport Brisbane Airport is the primary international airport serving Brisbane and South East Queensland. The airport services 31 airlines flying to 50 domestic and 29 international destinations, in total amounting to more than 22.7 million passe ...

and part of the suburb of

. The suburb was the childhood home of the Gibb brothers, who later became famous as the

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

Geography

"Cribbie", as it was known by the locals, consisted of two areas which were made up of Cribb Island which had a beach facing

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 ...

and was used mostly by holiday makers and Jackson's Estate to the south-west of the beach used for farming and permanent residents. The entire area of Cribb Island which was about long and 400 metres wide was built essentially on a

mud flat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal fl ...

that faced

. It was not a true island, but in an area surrounded by creeks, tidal flats and mud flats. In the 1970s, the land was resumed by the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Governmen ...

to expand the Brisbane Airport's capability for the larger jets ('Heavies') used in international flights. This erased almost all evidence of the natural and man-made features of Cribb Island. Cribb Island also gave its name to a local variety of marine worm (''Marphysa mullawa''), popular with fishermen as bait.

History

The original area of Cribb Island was populated in 1884 by a tribe of approximately 50

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

people, who bartered their locally-caught fish and mud crabs for bread and potatoes from the early European settlers. Cribb Island received its name from John George Cribb (1830–1905). He was the son of

Robert Cribb Robert Cribb (7 January 1805 – 16 April 1893) was an Australian parliamentarian who represented the district of East Moreton in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, and the districts of Town of Brisbane and East Moreton in the Queensl ...

, an alderman of the Town of Brisbane and member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

. John George Cribb bought of land from the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended f ...

in 1863. In 1885, Cribb sold 65 of those acres to James Jackson for the purpose of growing bananas. This area became known as Jackson's Estate. The land that wasn't used by Jackson was leased out to livestock farmers. There was only one road into Cribb Island via Lower Nudgee (now Nudgee). At first, as this road was floated on top of logs across the mud-flat, it was susceptible to flooding and brief periods of inaccessibility. In 1914 an improved road was built, allowing for access by standard motor vehicles. Cribb Island State School opened on 18 August 1919 and closed on 14 December 1979. It was located on Cribb Island Road in Jackson's Estate at approximately with the camping reserve immediately to its south. Cribb Island Methodist Sunday School, Brisbane, 1926

Cribb Island Methodist Sunday School, Brisbane, 1926

Methodist services were initially held in the home of Mrs and Mrs Jackson. A Methodist Sunday School group had formed by 1914. Cribb Island Methodist Church was built in 1918 from timber at a cost of £200. It was on the southern corner of Cribb Island Road and Elmslie Street. In 1927, it was renovated and enlarged. In 1977, it was closed and demolished due to the airport redevelopment. StateLibQld 1 153439 Cribb Island kiosk,1927

StateLibQld 1 153439 Cribb Island kiosk,1927

Later on through the 1920s, the Cribb Island and Jackson's Estate areas became a tourist destination and seaside resort area due to their close proximity to Brisbane's town centre. Cribb Island Post Office and kiosk opened in November 1920 and closed in 1980. In 1925, Cribb Island had its first bus service which was privately owned and ferried passengers to and from the city. In the 1930s, the town had many essential services including a school, general store, cafés etc. The resident population fluctuated around 400. The 1930s however saw a change in the area's fortunes as it was at the mercy of a severe economic downturn. House owners were forced to sell their houses in the Cribb Island area to make ends meet, typically for next to nothing. The poor bought these homes and the area became a haven for those struggling to get by. Although more local business moved in to provide basic services, this demographic remained the status quo until the end of the suburb's existence. In February 1936, E.J. Taylor's tender for £559 to erect a Catholic church to seat 150 people was accepted. On Sunday 6 June 1936,

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

James Duhig Sir James Duhig KCMG (2 September 187110 April 1965) was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest-s ...

officially opened St Martha's Catholic church. It was on the north side of Elmslie Street between Cribb Island Road and Moreton Street. It was designed by architect F. Cullen. It was demolished in 1988 when the new airport was built. On Sunday 10 February 1952, Duhig officially opened St Martha's Catholic School as an extension of the church building. The school closed in 1968. In the early 1960s, Cribb Island was the childhood home of

pop stars

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 195 ...

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') ** Bush-robin **Forest r ...

and

Maurice Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician. He achieved fame as a member of the pop group Bee Gees. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb were the group's main lea ...

. They lived at 30 Elmslie Street. They enrolled at Cribb Island State School in January 1960 with Barry leaving in September 1960 and Robin and Maurice leaving in April 1961. In 1970, the

Commonwealth Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...

proceeded to resume land on the island for the purpose of upgrading the airport. The population at that time was about 900 people. Over the next decade, people slowly moved out of the area as the Government took control of the land. The last resident unwillingly left her home in 1980. On 22 September 1986, the Queensland Government decided to remove the names Cribb Island and Lower Nudgee from the official maps because "no trace of either suburb remains". Today little remains of Cribb Island as the land was reclaimed and extensively redeveloped as part of Brisbane Airport, with the new runway which now appears over the former suburb being officially completed in 2020.

Legacy

Remnants of Cribb Island Road on Jim Soorley Bikeway - panoramio

Many former residents are keeping memories of Cribb Island alive on various websites and writer Tracy Wills has written a book, ''On the Flats: The Road to Cribb Island'', about childhood experiences growing up on Cribb Island. The Ibis Hotel at Brisbane Airport calls its bistro the Cribb Island Beach Club.

Geography

History

Legacy

References

Further reading