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Mt Coot-tha

History of Brisbane's Mt Coot-tha

Mt Coot-tha's history has been compiled by local historian, Lesley Jenkins, as part of the BRISbites community history project.

Aboriginal history

The Jagera and Turrbal groups occupied land in the Brisbane and Ipswich areas. The exact clan boundaries are not known, however, the Turrbal people generally occupied the area north of the Brisbane River.

Both groups had closely related languages that are classified as belonging to the larger Yaggera language group. Daily life for the tribe consisted of hunting and gathering food, and social and spiritual activities.

Mt Coot-tha is an Aboriginal word meaning 'place of honey'.

Urban development

In 1865, the Reverend M. Bell made an application to have land at Mt Coot-tha available for sale. The government rejected his application and made the area - then known as One Tree Hill because of a massive eucalypt - into a timber reserve for the railways. After a survey, new boundaries were set and 1500 acres were proclaimed a public park in 1874. One Tree Hill became known as Mt Coot-tha in 1883.

Different mine operations were carried out at Mt Coot-tha from 1893 until the 1950s. During World War II, the US army used the mountain as an ammunition dump. In 1960, the Brisbane City Council gave permission for the construction of the television towers.

Notable residents

Charles Patterson, who was once mayor of Toowong Town Council, claimed to be the first man to take a vehicle to the top of One Tree Hill (Mt Coot-tha). In 1927 Mt Coot-tha was visited by the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became the King and Queen of England.

The first trustees of One Tree Hill Public Park was the Chief Justice (the Hon.Charles Lilley), the Hon. Hunter Palmer, the Hon. H.E. King and the Hon. Samuel Walker Griffith. The road travelling up to the summit has been named after the Hon. Samuel Walker Griffith.

Landmarks

In 1970, development began at the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, in the southeastern corner of the Taylor Range. The Brisbane City Council developed the site, which features 52 hectares containing 20,000 plants from around the world. The gardens also house the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium.

The Freedom Wall at the gardens was opened in 1995 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Victory in the Pacific. It has 16,000 plaques honouring those who died in theatres of war.

The Mt Coot-tha lookout and kiosk have been popular features of the summit for many years. The kiosk, which was constructed in 1923, was famous for its scones. The kiosk received a major refurbishment in 1983.

Reference: Lesley Jenkins, BRISbites, 2000

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