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Wilston

History of Brisbane's Wilston

Wilston's history has been compiled by local historian, Lesley Jenkins, as a part of the BRISbites community history project.

Aboriginal history

The Turrbal clan occupied the northern side of the Brisbane River. Whites often referred to this clan as the 'Duke of York's' clan and the clan leader was known as the Duke of York.

The Turrbal people had camping grounds around the Breakfast Creek area and the explorers Oxley and Cunningham met members of the clan at the mouth of the creek in 1824.

The main encampment of the Turrbal clan was in 'Yorks Hollow'. This gully passes through Victoria Park and the Royal National Association Showgrounds at Bowen Hills.

In 1858 two Aborigines, Dalinkua and Dalpie from the Breakfast Creek area, wrote letters to The Moreton Bay Courier protesting about the treatment their people received at the hands of the white settlers.

Urban development

The area became known as Wilston after the home of the same name built there by the Honourable William Wilson MLC, who settled in the district in 1868. The home, which was constructed circa 1876, was named Wilston House after Wilson's birthplace in England.

In 1884 the land passed to businessman John Stevenson MLA, who subdivided the property. Stevenson called the new subdivision the Wilson Estate. For many years the area was largely unsettled and the surrounding paddocks were used for volunteer regiments such as the Moreton Regiment, the Queensland Rifles, the Scottish Regiment, the Artillery and the Light Horse. Between 1924 and 1931 the Dorrima, Ranelagh and Langley Bank Estates were created to provide more land for housing development.

Notable residents

James Tolson, a short-term resident of Wilston House, conducted important experiments in chilling mutton for export from Australia to Great Britain.

Major General William Cahill, a commissioner of police in Queensland, also lived at Wilston House for a period. During his residence he further developed the grounds, which became known as a sanctuary for birds and native fauna.

Numerous famous people have visited Wilston because of the reception house, Oakleigh, in Murray Street. Visiting sporting heroes have included tennis player Bjorn Borg and Sir Donald Bradman. Political figures, such as former Prime Ministers Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, have also attended receptions at the house.

Landmarks

Oakleigh House, at 17 Murray Street, Wilston, has been a landmark for over fifty years. It was occupied, from 1902, by George Murray, a Brisbane police magistrate and postmaster. It is a colonial timber house, with fretwork, cast iron balustrading and wide verandahs.

In 1905, 29 Murray Street was built for the Zoeller family. The house became a reception centre in June 1948, and was the venue for over 25,000 wedding and other receptions until in 1990, 'Oakleigh' was also converted to a function venue, and both houses operated as such until 1995.

St Albans the Martyr Church in Wilston was built of brick in 1928 near the site of the first St Albans, which had been constructed of wood. The Newmarket Brick Company donated 1,000 bricks for the construction of the church and parishioners donated money.

Reference: Lesley Jenkins, BRISbites, 2000

More Wilston information

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