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Durack

History of Brisbane's Durack

Durack's history has been compiled by local historian, Mary Howell, as a part of the BRISbites community history project.

Aboriginal history

This region was the home of the Yerongpan clan of Oxley Creek who spoke the Yaggera dialect of the Turrbal language. Lost cedar cutters, Pamphlet, Finnegan and Parsons were the first white men to make observations of these people in 1823. They found two aboriginal canoes tied at the mouth of Oxley Creek (which they named Canoe Creek) for use by those wishing to cross the creek when travelling along the south bank of the Brisbane River.

In 1828 Cunningham and Fraser noted huts in the vicinity of Oxley or Inala. The only evidence of a bora ring is at the end of Kertes Road, Camira, on the banks of Sandy Creek, which is just outside this study area.

By 1839 it was noted that an aboriginal living near Oxley Creek was dying of chronic pulmonary consumption. Tuberculosis and other diseases were rapidly reducing the Aboriginal population of the region. Smallpox had also taken its toll from as early as 1831.

The establishment of the penal colony’s cattle station at Cowper’s (Coopers) Plains from 1824 probably led to the local aborigines either moving away or tolerating the intrusion. It was reported in 1840 that there had been no animals lost to aboriginal destruction since the time of the establishment of grazing for the penal settlement in the areas from Limestone (Ipswich) Redbank and Coopers Plains.

Dr Stephen Simpson, who was Commissioner for Crown Lands from 1842-1855, was responsible for ensuring that the Aborigines were treated on an equal basis to the white population. He established a base at Woogaroo where he later built Wolston House. After about 1842 more evidence of Aboriginal resistance to the white invaders was evident. By 1843, Dr Simpson reported that there were only about 40 Aborigines living in the vicinity of Woogaroo, although the population in the Moreton Bay region was estimated to be about 5000. Interestingly, an escaped convict Bracefield, who had lived with the aborigines in the Wide Bay area, was assigned to Dr Simpson after his return to Moreton Bay in 1842. Other convicts assisted in the construction of a police post, house, stables and outbuildings. Bracefield later died on the Woogaroo property.

Aboriginal population declined over the next century due to diseases, relocation and other factors. Many were moved to mission stations well away from the city and children continued to be removed from their families until the 1960s. However, many aboriginal people moved back into the city after WWII and lived in the old Negro servicemen’s area of South Brisbane. By the early 1960s many had moved to the new housing areas of Acacia Ridge and Inala. 160 families were interviewed in 1961, in this region, and many were found to be living in poor conditions. From 1963 the OPAL hostel was established which assisted with short-term accommodation, meals and welfare issues generally. By 1971 the census revealed that there were 3,200 Aborigines in the Brisbane region; much less than in the 1840s.

Today 2.6% of residents are Aboriginal.

Urban development

Durack was originally part of Inala, and was known as Oxley South. It was named Durack after local residents entered a naming competition in the local newspaper in 1976.

Notable residents

Michael "Stumpy" Durack lends his name to the suburb as one of the original landholders of the area. He purchased part of the original Archerfield Station from Mary Murphy in 1882, where he lived with his wife and children until 1888. He had both Aboriginal and Kanaka workers on the property, where sugar cane, fruit and tobacco were grown. Cattle and horses were also reared and timber was felled.

Michael's brother, 'Patsy' Durack, was involved in the famous Durack cattle drives from Goulburn to the gulf country and the Kimberleys during the 1880s. In 1884 'Patsy' and Michael were instrumental in forming the Queensland Co-operative Pastoral Company Ltd, which purchased many of the Durack's properties from Queensland to Western Australia. Michael and another brother, Jerry, a keen horse breeder, founded the Tattersall's Club in Brisbane.

Landmarks

One of the better-known landmarks in Durack is the Forest Place Retirement Village. This was firmly established from 1985 and was the first of many similar retirement villages that the Forest Place Company set up in the Brisbane region. The Forest Place philosophy is to provide an independent lifestyle for the over fifties, with the provision of self-contained villas and option to move into hostel or nursing-care accommodation as the need arises.

Other major features of Durack include the Inala Primary, Special, and High schools, the Serviceton Primary School and the Bremer Institute of TAFE. Bowling greens are located in Delbridge Park. The Canine Control Council has its showgrounds adjacent to Blunder Creek and there are attractive parks and bikeways along the creek between Blunder Road and Serviceton Avenue.

The site of the original Durack homestead is located at Homestead Park, Forest Lake.

Reference: Mary Howell, BRISbites, 2000

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