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Ellen Grove

History of Brisbane's Ellen Grove

Ellen Grove'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 Aboriginals in the Brisbane region; much less than in the 1840s.

Urban development

The Ellen Grove area was subdivided for housing around 1959. In 1962 the Ellen Grove Progress Association asked the Queensland Place Names Board to approve Ellen Grove as a place name. At that time resident's mail was going astray as people were using Gailes, Inala, Richlands or Wacol as their mailing address. The name was approved in 1962 and the suburb was extended in 1975 to incorporate areas to the south of Roxwell Street.

Notable residents

This suburb was named after the grandmother of the sub-divider of the land R P Spinks. Her name was Ellen Dabing. She often recalled playing with local Aborigines in a grove of trees along the bank of Bullockhead Creek. The area was originally known as Ellen's Grove. The land was originally part of the Archerfield Station, which was occupied by the Durack family during the 1880s. It was later sold to the Hancock brothers who manufactured plywood.

Landmarks

Two of the major landmarks of Ellen Grove are the Inala and Richlands Reservoirs. The Logan Motorway runs along the southern boundary of the suburb and a new highway linking the Centenary Highway with the motorway forms the western boundary.

The Wat Thai Buddhist Temple in Considine Road is the headquarters for a lot of the publications on Buddhism in Queensland.

Reference: Mary Howell, BRISbites, 2000

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