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Kangaroo Point

History of Brisbane's Kangaroo Point

Kangaroo Point's history has been compiled as a part of the BRISbites community history project.

Aboriginal history

The southern bank of the Brisbane River at this point was occupied by the Coorparoo clan. The high ridges above the cliffs were heavily timbered and this and the swamps in the lower areas provided food for the people. It is unlikely that they ever used the area as a camping ground. Nehemiah Bartley recorded that in the scrub between Woolloongabba and Kangaroo Point skulls of aborigines killed in fights were often found.

During the convict period the area was planted with grain and a watch was kept to keep away any aborigines. Conflicts between the convicts and aborigines did occur including at least one death.

In 1846 a battle between aborigines was reported there. Aborigines were common in area.

Urban development

The river flats at Kangaroo Point were cleared, hoed, and planted with corn by chain gangs to supply food for the penal settlement from 1825 to 1842.

In 1850 the Kangaroo Point area was surveyed. Foundries, sawmills, and engineering workshops were established at Kangaroo Point.

In 1939 the Commonwealth and State Government worked together to assist Evans Deakin and Company to set up a shipyard at Kangaroo Point to build new ships to replace those lost during the Second World War.

Today the area is dominated by the Story Bridge and new developments that take advantage of the proximity to the city and the river views.

Notable residents

Early settlers to Kangaroo Point included the surveyor James Warner; Richard Cannan, former storekeeper to the commissariat store, and William Holman Berry. Berry provided 26 blocks for artisans, labourers and others by sub-dividing his land.

The land on which Mount Olivet Hospital now stands was once the home of Dr Lillian Cooper and Miss Josephine Bedford. Dr Lillian Cooper, who had emigrated to Queensland in 1891, was the first woman to practice medicine in Queensland. Josephine Bedford was a founding member of both the Creche and Kindergarten Association and the Playground Association. In 1953 Josephine Bedford donated the property to the Sisters of Charity to perpetuate the memory of Dr Cooper.

Landmarks

Shafston House, located on the Brisbane River, was erected in 1883. The building became the first premises of the Creche and Kindergarten Association in 1915. In 1919 it became the Anzac Hostel for totally and permanently incapacitated ex-servicemen. It was used for this purpose for over 50 years.

Yungaba was built in 1885- 1887 as the Immigration Depot. Its function was to assist new migrants and it received its first group of 299 immigrants from England aboard the Duke of Buccleugh. Its name was changed to Yungaba, an Aboriginal word meaning 'welcome' or 'resting place' in 1947.

Reference: BRISbites, 2000

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