1886 trip to Caloundra

 The following Letter to the Editor describes a trip from Brisbane through Pumicestone Passage to Caloundra, during Easter 1886, by thirty "friends and acquaintances" aboard the steamer Mavis.

1886 Easter Trip through Bribie Passage

on the Mavis

Our Easter Trip.

To the Editor. – Sir, - Do you know where and what Caloundra is? I had a vague idea as to its whereabouts from seeing the place on the map, but I must confess that, having largely discounted the various reports I had previously heard of the place, I had no idea as to what it was like till this last Easter, when an opportunity presented itself and was promptly seized for visiting the place.  

The steamer Mavis was secured by Mr. Isaac Markwell, and in possession of a neatly got-up ticket and the necessary blanket, toothbrush, &c., I joined the boat at Messrs. Campbell’s wharf a few minutes before 6 p.m. on Thursday, the 22^nd instant, and found myself one of a party of about 30, mostly friends and acquaintances, all bound on the same errand.  

Starting soon after, the run down the river commenced, and in due course we crossed the bay and took the passage between Bribie and the mainland.  This passage should be gone through to be able to realise what it is.  We did not get through that night, as in the small hours of the morning, when negotiating a particularly intricate spot called familiarly “the double u’s”, in the darkness our genial skipper took the wrong side of a beacon, and, with a falling tide, it was soon evident that we were securely beached for at least 24 hours.  About 5 a.m. a boat party left for Caloundra on relief bent, and returned shortly before dinner-time with the intelligence that two boats were on the way to our rescue.  One of the boats which arrived soon after was a splendid cutter, owned and sailed by the old identity and fisherman, Sam Leach.  He did good service, as he took away a considerable portion of our skipper’s cargo, as well as about a dozen of our passengers with their dunnage.  Other two boats took a smaller share of both.

Life on the Mavis on Good Friday was enjoyable, although she was hard aground.  Much bathing and fishing were indulged in, and were provocative of amusement, especially to the onlookers.  One gentleman, in particular, after bathing, started down the channel minus his small clothes, on fishing bent, and his sudden and unexpected flounderings, when he struck a soft patch, were hugely enjoyed by the onlookers; and his frantic efforts to extricate himself were no doubt greatly assisted by the enthusiastic cheers from the boat. 

Excursion to Caloundra
Map from 1983 excursion by R.G.S.A. to 
commemorate the first trip of the Mavis.
Source: James Schroeder Campbell collection

We got off the ground early next morning, and arrived at the Caloundra jetty about 6 a.m.  Breakfast over, nearly all who remained by the boat paid a visit to the observatory on Mr. Bulcock’s selection, whence a splendid view of the Pacific was obtained; to the telegraph office, to send messages of safe arrival to friends in Brisbane; and then on to the heads, for the views, to bathe in the rollers, and to partake of an al fresco luncheon on Mr. Moffatt’s veranda.  The land owned by Mr. Moffatt, originally a mineral selection of 320 acres, constitutes in the minds of most persons the pick of Caloundra, and its fortunate owner is to be congratulated on the foresight displayed by him in securing such a beautiful sight.  The Caloundra Heads are comprised in it, and the views from the different elevated portions are unsurpassed in coast scenery in Queensland.  

The cliffs on the seaside are a study for the geologist and the lover of nature, as also are the rocks at the foot, in places as level as a pavement and strewed with boulders and logs of petrified wood.  Not affecting a knowledge of geology, I am not able to give any description of the formation, or the nature of the rocks, but I could and did enjoy to the full the wonderful appearances presented by them in the face of the cliff and on the beach.  

Plenty of beché de mer, sea anemones, shells, &c., were easily obtainable, but the fish were shy, owing doubtless to the high wind which prevailed, not only on the Saturday, but also on Easter Day, and many were greatly disappointed thereat, enough and in variety of fish were, however, caught to show the capabilities of the place, and the spectacle of a large rock cod, computed to weigh at least 2 cwt. lying on the beach near Mr. North’s selection (where caught) in close proximity to a decent sized shark (also caught at the same time and place), proved conclusively to the incredulous (and I confess I was one) that the recent descriptions of the large cod caught were not a fable, and if at all, were only slightly exaggerated.  

Monday, at 2.30 a.m., saw us on our way to Brisbane, which, after an uneventful and rather tedious passage, was safely reached at 2.15 p.m., in time for those, who had a fancy that way, to go and see our gallant army storm and defend Brisbane.  I think I may safely add that all were well pleased with the trip, and especially with having made the acquaintance of Caloundra and its inhabitants, who all seemed pleased with us and made us welcome.

Yours, &c., ONE OF THE PARTY.

REFERENCES

Letter to the Editor entitled Our Easter trip by 'One of the Party"
The Telegraph (Brisbane) Sat 1 May 1886 p. 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article174706179

Map from Information Leaflet for the Excursion to Campbellville - 26 January 1983. Royal Geographical Society of Australasia. 5 pages. The excursion commemorated the centenary of the first trip of the paddle-wheel steamer Mavis on 26 January 1883. Held in: James Schroeder Campbell (1913-1989) collection, BIHS.

FURTHER READING

Backward Glance - Coastal and River vessels of Yesteryear
https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/news/backward-glance-coastal-and-river-vessels-of-yesteryear-161219

The steamer Mavis was launched in 1883. The Week (Brisbane) Sat 6 Jan 1883 p. 8 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article183696488

1924 Canvas boat paddle to Bribie

 The following article describes a feat of endurance from one hundred years ago, by a young man paddling from Brisbane to Bribie Island... to show he could!

1924 By Canvas Canoe from Brisbane to Bribie

A feat that is probably unique in the history of Moreton Bay has just been accomplished by an 18-year old Brisbane lad, Fred Olsen, who paddled from Brisbane to Bribie Island in an 8ft 6 in canvas canoe of his own manufacture.

Fred Olsen in his canvas canoe

The craft – well named “My Tippy Canoe,” with the accent on the “tippy” – is a foot or so deep, with a beam of 26in, and the voyage took a little over three days. Provisions for the journey comprised Sardines, fairy cakes, oranges, eggs, and crabs.

With the exception of severe cuts on his feet from oyster shells, and being burned by the sun, the lad is none the worse for an adventure that, fortunately, turned out successfully. He only admits to having “the wind up” on one occasion, and that was when he was caught by a half gale in the middle of Deception Bay. The exploit is one that the most daring might well jib at, and, of course, “no person with any sense” would dream of attempting it. It might be just as well to remark here that Olsen undertook it without the knowledge of his people, or of any other responsible citizens.

People who know the bay, and have seen it in some of its wildest moods, may believe the feat impossible, and will tell of the size of the waves that a north-easter can beat up; and of the tide rips in the Bribie Passage; of the distance across Deception Bay, and the treacherous weather there; but the fact remains that the trip was made, and the young navigator, despite his trying experiences, squares an indignant, sunburnt jaw when anyone tries to point out to him the dangers of the venture, and that he had considerably less than an even chance of coming out of it alive.

The Great Adventure

Olsen set off a little after 9 o’clock on Wednesday (Boxing Day) morning from the top of Humbug reach, just above the Oregon mills. He was in bathing “togs,” and a pal went down to Bribie by the Koopa with a parcel of “civilized” clothing, which he left at the Bribie store for him. The whole of the first day was occupied in the trip to the mouth of the river, where the lad struck a kindly motor boat owner, who made a shakedown for him on board. The trip was resumed at 6 o’clock next morning, after a breakfast of fairy cakes and sardines, and Sandgate was reached at midday. Woody Point was the next port of call, and there the lad spent the night, sleeping in the sand under the lee of an upturned canoe.

A Strenuous Morning

Next morning (Friday) the wind was fresh, and Olsen experienced considerable difficulty in keeping the canoe afloat. Eventually, after a strenuous morning, Scarborough was reached, but the size of the waves made it impossible to launch the canoe again. It was leaking a good deal owing to the canvas under the keel having worn through at both ends, where it had scraped on sandbanks and rocks. With some carpet tacks, obtained from a nearby resident, a tin of black enamel and a rock, temporary repairs were effected, after which the canoe was portaged across Scarborough Point into Deception Bay, where the water appeared to be comparatively calm.

Olsen decided to take a risk and cut straight across the bay to Toorbul Point. It was a risk that nearly ended the cruise. When he was about a third of the way across, the breeze freshened considerably, and soon whipped the heavy swell into rollers that started to curl and break. For a while he struggled to keep his frail craft bow on to the combers, but they broke over it, and he shipped a good deal of water. He could make no progress against the wind, and several times a breaking waves almost swamped him.

Canoe half swamped

There was nothing for it but to make for shore, and at infinite risk he turned the canoe round. The prospect was enough to appall the stoutest heart. A blur on either side and in front, low down on the water, was all he could see of the land. It represented the line of trees fringing the beach, he knew, but the trees were not distinguishable. White horses were racing all around, threatening to break aboard at any moment, and there was a good deal of water in the canoe. Going before the wind, he made fair progress, and little water came aboard, though he experienced the utmost difficulty in preventing the canoe from turning broadside on. His arms ached, and his whole body was stiff with the continual strain of balancing his cockle-shell of a craft, but he dared not cease paddling. After what seem hours, he thankfully ran ashore. A brief rest, and the lad set off along the edge of the water, towing the canoe, while he ate two cook crabs (which a holiday amateur fisherman had given him at Scarborough), and four ores. The tide was out, and he was walking along the sandbanks, about half a mile from the beach.

Commissariat Lost

He trudged along for a couple of hours in the dark, with only the wailing of a curlew and the distant lights of Bribie to cheer him up. Once his foot sank into a depression in the sand, and a stingaree splashed away. It “put the wind up” him for a while, and when a light showed on the shore he left all his gear on the sand, and made towards the light, with the canoe on his shoulder.

Fred Olsen carrying his canvas canoe

It weighs the better part of half a cwt (~45 kg), so his walk over the sands can be better imagined than described. To crown all, when he at length reached the beach, he found that the light was a mile or so away, up on a hill. Utterly disheartened, he again made for the water’s edge, but an hour’s search failed to reveal the condensed milk and other possessions he had left there, and when he nearly lost the canoe, too, he gave up, and paddled on towards the few lights of Bribie that still remained. At last the moon rose, and by its light he made better progress, though every now and again he get out and push the canoe off a sandbank.

Feet cut by oysters

Eventually he came to Cook’s Rocks, where, in attempting to get round, he ran aground again. The rocks were covered with oysters, which cut his feet badly when he got out to free the canoe, and for the next quarter of an hour he had perhaps the most unenviable experience of the whole night. He reached Toorbul Point, and beached the canoe opposite Bribie jetty about midnight. There was still a fresh wind blowing, and the sea was rough. The currents in the passage were swirling, and he did not dare to attempt to cross over. There was nothing for it but to camp on the beach, so he drew the canoe well up, and with his last two dry matches started a fire, which, however, soon went out for lack of dry fuel. Dead tired, the lad dug a hole in the sand, and, despite the sandflies, went to sleep, though he awoke several times during the night with nightmares.

The End of the Trip

At daylight the next morning (Saturday) the passage was calm, so he crossed over to Bribie. At this point the passage is rather more than half a mile in width, but he negotiated it safely, and the end of the long trip from Brisbane ended about 6 o’clock.

The hero of the exploit bought a bottle of lemonade and a one pound block of cake, which he had for breakfast; then he collected his clothes from the store. During the day nearly everyone in Bribie was anxious to have a trip in the canoe that had come from Brisbane, but they found it very difficult to balance, and most of them capsized. In the evening Olsen went to a concert and dance, getting to bed about midnight.

On Sunday he came up to Brisbane by the Koopa, bringing the canoe with him. It is minus a good deal of paint where it had scraped against sand and rocks, but is otherwise in good condition.

The Canoe described

The canoe was built a bit at a time in odd moments from pieces of scrap timber. The keel is a piece of 8ft 6in long by about an inch and a half square. The gunwales are light, about 10ft by 1 ½ inch by ½ inch. Instead of ribs, there are two solid wooden shapes, ¾ inch thick, placed 2ft 6in and 2ft from the bow and stern, respectively. These form a well 4ft long, in which the occupant sits. The portions of the top outside the well are covered. There is one rib of 1in. by ¼ in. pine in the centre of the well, and there are five “stringers,” or ribs, from stem to stern, of the same dimensions, on each side. Over this framework, light duck of good quality is stretched, and given two coasts of white paint. As yet there is no floor in it, and the paddler sits on the keel.

The finished article is a canoe that is rather heavy for its size, and very hard to balance, though a 3 in. false keel along the bottom helps. It is a good craft for fun in the river, but is not one for rough water or for a trip of any length. A double-ended paddle is used, and is a great help in balancing the canoe.

REFERENCES

By Canvas Canoe from Brisbane to Bribie - text and images. Via Trove
The Daily Mail, Sun 13 Jan 1924 p. 10 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article217636105

Trove - National Library of Australia online repository for early Australian newspapers. Trove is a collaboration between the National Library of Australia and hundreds of Partner organisations around Australia. https://trove.nla.gov.au/

1943 'N' Battery on Bribie Island

The following description is from the reminiscences of Major Ronald Dryen (1916-2003) published by Reg Kidd and Ray Neal in 1998. Major Dryen's first-hand account of 'N' Battery's camp on Bribie Island offers a brief glimpse of life on the island in 1943.

'N' Battery camp, Woorim, 1943.

"There was an American training camp for amphibious operations on Toorbul Point on the mainland opposite the southern tip of Bribie Island. When 'N' Battery was ordered to move to Bribie Island I prevailed on the Amphibious Warfare Unit to lay on a Landing Craft Surf (LCS) for a reconnaissance of the Bribie Island shoreline. The LCS was a water jet-propelled craft with shallow draft and no propeller, particularly suitable for landing on beaches. An adaption of this craft was used later on Australian beaches as surf rescue boats.

Normally Bribie Island could only be reached by a small motor boat operated by an Australian Small Ships Unit across the northern end of the Pumice Stone Channel, and by the American Unit at Toorbul Point at the southern end. After the war a bridge was built across the southern channel.

After three or four landings through the surf at various points I selected a site for the battery just north of the Welsby Lagoon, about midway along the island's shoreline, between Bribie and Skirmish Batteries.

In late March 1943 'N' Battery moved by road from 'Tabragalba' via Caboolture, to Toorbul Point where it was embarked on Landing Crafts Tank (LCTs) and transported by the American Amphibious Warfare Unit around Skirmish Point to its new location. It was our first experience for a beach landing, but not withstanding a narrow beach and a 3-feet escarpment, there were no hitches.

The battery was fortunate in that among its talented and resourceful soldiers it had a gun sergeant who had been an architect in civilian life and a gunner who was on strength as a carpenter. As soon as all the stores were unloaded from the LCTs the BSM took out a foraging party which after two days' search of the interior of the island and on the mainland returned with an adequate 'collection' of timber, sheet iron and other materials. Designed by the architect and constructed by the carpenter with a few officers, we soon had a BOP, storerooms, ammunition recesses, mess huts, kitchen, ablutions and a latrine block. The CASL Section under the Searchlight Officer dug a well about 50 yards in from the beach and set up the petrol motor water pump. After a few days' pumping it produced crystal clear fresh water sufficient for all our needs. The camp lacked electricity and we had to make do with hurricane lamps, which attracted all sorts of insects at night; otherwise we were fairly comfortable. Rations were picked up weekly from the DID at Woorim. There were no roads on Bribie Island and the only means of transport on the island was by running the jeep or 15-cwt truck along the beach front at low tide.

Map : Brisbane Fortress 1943
source: page 350, Kidd & Neal (1998) The 'Letter' Batteries.
Map developed from a map in the unpublished draft The Guns of Brisbane and Moreton Bay prepared by
Major Roy Harvey and Brigadier R.K. Fullford, OBE, for the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society Inc., Manly, N.S.W.
Reproduced with permission of RAAHC (previously known as the RAAHS) 26.2.2025

Apart from the foot injury suffered by the beach piquet during the initial landing, the troops were free from sickness and serious injuries. The cooks found a snake wandering around the precincts of the kitchen. They killed it and draped it over a clothesline as a warning to others. One inquisitive soldier lifted up the snake's head to have a better look and the snake, obviously not yet dead, promptly bit him. He was quickly attended to by the Medical Orderly, Cpt. "Happy" Walkington, AAMC.

Foraging parties were a frequent form of recreation on off-duty days. One such party found a small rowing boat, launched it on the lagoon in the middle of the island and offered to take me for a ride in it. On disembarking I put a bare foot in the water and trod on a submerged broken bottle. Bleeding profusely I was carried back to the camp and rushed by jeep to Woorim where there was a fully equipped Casualty Clearing Post. The corporal medical orderly cleaned the wound and put in a few stitches using a pair of pliers to pierce the tough skin of the ball of my foot. On return to camp, the carpenter kindly fashioned me a pair of crutches. After a couple of weeks the wound turned septic and I had to call a doctor over from the mainland. He removed the stitches and put me on a course of sulphonamides. Shortly afterwards the main item at a concert party put on by the troops consisted of a soldier impersonating the BC being carried on the back of another, with a foot swathed in bandages, rushing up and down the stage ordering all and sundry to do this and that.

Being near the outlet from Brisbane to the Pacific Ocean, there was practically an endless stream of shipping passing the front of the battery. The personnel were able to get plenty of practice on the equipments by day and by night and to experience the coast artillery watch system on continuous manning. I had the carpenter make a miniature range, simulating the splashes of shells on the water, and I was able to train the officers in observation of fire and ranging procedures.

While performing the pre-dawn preparation for action one day we noticed a distinct reddening of the sky to the south-east in the direction of Moreton Island, followed by an audible explosion. Some days later we learned that the phenomena were caused by the torpedoing of the Australian hospital ship Centaur at 0410 hours on 13 May 1943.

In July 1943 'N' Battery packed up and moved out of its site on Bribie Island."

REFERENCES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Story of 'N' Aust Heavy Battery, as related by Major Ronald G. Dryen (Retd) - The Battery Commander, pages 290-292, In: The 'Letter Batteries' : the history of the 'Letter' Batteries in World War II by Reg Kidd and Ray Neal, Sydney: published by the authors, 1998. ISBN 0 646 35137 0

Map : Brisbane Fortress 1943. source: page 350, Kidd & Neal (1998) The 'Letter" Batteries. Map developed from a map in the unpublished draft The Guns of Brisbane and Moreton Bay prepared by Major Roy Harvey and Brigadier R.K. Fullford, OBE, for the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society Inc., Manly, N.S.W. Reproduced with permission of RAAHC (previously known as the RAAHS) 26.2.2025

With thanks to the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company (RAAHC) formerly the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society Inc. (RAAHS) https://www.artilleryhistory.org/ for permission to reproduce the Map Brisbane Fortress 1943 on this blogpage. 26.2.2025 

Brigadier R. K. Fullford OBE (1918-2006)
https://artilleryhistory.org/gunners_past_and_present/gunners_of_renown_and_gunners_tales/gunners_of_renown/chapter_4/documents/bio_fullford_richard_kennedy.pdf 

Roy H. E. Harvey (1919-1994)
https://artilleryhistory.org/gunners_past_and_present/obituaries/obituaries_h/roy_henry_harvey.pdf

FURTHER READING

1942 Troops train on Island https://bribieislandhistory.blogspot.com/2024/10/1942troopstrainonisland.html 
Troops Train for Offensive Landings by M.C. Warren, "Telegraph" War Correspondent. The Telegraph 2.12.1942 p. 4 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article172598227

Bribie Island WW2 Fortifications https://bribieislandhistory.blogspot.com/2016/11/bribie-island-ww2-fortifications.html

Online catalogue for Cutler Research Centre https://ehive.com/collections/201005/cutler-research-centre

1921 Annual Outing to Bribie

The following description of a social outing for members of the Queensland Colliery Proprietors' Council is illustrated with the programme from the day. This memento of the day, kept by Mr James Schroder Campbell, was recently donated to BIHS.

Colliery Proprietors' Council

Second Annual Outing to Bribie

aboard the Koopa, July 7, 1921

Programme of Second Annual Outing to Bribie, 7 July 1921
Courtesy James Schroder Campbell collection

The members of the Queensland Colliery Proprietors' Council held their second annual outing last Thursday to Bribie on the Koopa.  Those present included Messrs. M.W. Haenke, president (Rhondda, Balgowan, and Westvale Colliers), W.B. Darker, vice-president (Stafford Bros.), J.F. Walker, treasurer (Walker and Co. and New Auerdare Colliery, Ltd.), W. Binnie (H.G. Noble, Ltd.), G.H. Collin (Newcastle, Rhondda, and Westvale Collieries), V.W. Croston (Bonnie Dundee Coal Co., Ltd.), S.W. Dunstan (Blackheath Collieries), D. Gibbins (Noblevale Collieries), J.F. Hall (Newcastle, Glencoe, and Torbanlea Collieries), J.W. Hetherington (Blair Athol Collieries and Hetherington and Rylance, Ltd.), W. Jones (Rhondda and Westvale Collieries), R. McQueen (W. McQueen and Co., Ltd.), R. Smith (Boxflat and Parkhead Collieries), D. Stafford (Rothwell, Haigh, and Whitwood Collieries), J.H. Wright (J. Wright and Co., Tivoli and Oakey), W. Thomas (acting secretary to the council). Messrs. J. Barrowman and F.C. Wright (president and hon. secretary respectively of the Mine Managers and Colliery Engineers’ Association) were present as the guests of the council.

Menu and Toast List
Courtesy James Schroder Campbell collection

On arrival at Bribie an excellent luncheon was provided in the dining saloon of the Koopa.  The party stood for a few moments in silence as a tribute to the late Mr. R.A. Cleghorn, whose services had been of inestimable value to the industry during the period in which he had acted as secretary and advocate in the interests of the proprietors.  

The following toasts were honoured: "The King," proposed by the president; "The Industry," by Messrs. W.B. Darker and J.F. Hall, replies being made by Messrs. J.F. Walker and W. Binnies; "The Mine Managers' Association," by J.W. Hetherington, Mr. J. Barrowman replying; and "The Council," by Mr. G.W. Collin, the president responding.  

Every speaker drew attention to the need for conserving the coal supply, and to the world-wide necessity for the prevention of waste in the utilisation of our coal resources.  Emphasis was also laid upon the necessity for even closer co-operation and unity amongst the employers than had existed in the past.  A tribute was paid to Alderman J.W. Hetherington, aptly termed "the father of the coal industry," for his efforts on behalf of the colliery proprietors in Queensland.  

After a pleasant return trip the president entertained all who were able to be present at His Majesty's Theatre. 

REFERENCES

Colliery Proprietors' Council Outing.
The Brisbane Courier, Sat 9 Jul 1921, p. 9, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20512039

Programme of Second Annual Outing to Bribie, 7 July 1921.
two leaves folded. Courtesy of James Schroder Campbell collection, BIHS.

FURTHER READING

Whitmore, R.L. (1989) John Hetherington, Father of Queensland's Coal Industry. Presented at a meeting of the Royal Historical of Queensland, 23 February 1989.
Journal of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland 13 (12) 445-461. https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:205781

Obituary Mr J.W. Hetherington. 
The Queenslander, Thu 18 Jul 1929, p. 17 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22915343 

1933 Riding tour over the Blackall Range to Bribie Island

The following article gives a glimpse of Bribie Island in the 1930s within a description of the broader environs of the Blackall Range – a distance that travelling by horse afforded people at that time. A view of Bribie Island from the Glasshouse Mountains afforded Helena a wonder that was matched by the view she had of the Glasshouse Mountains from Bribie Island!

Over the Blackalls. Riding in Queensland.

By Helena Cass

1933

It was folly to plan a riding tour with Mystery over the Blackall Range. But there is a special providence for helpless women, and a guide presented herself. She was short and very fat. She wore a flop hat and a grey ulster, and on her undersized grey pony she looked like a pilgrim from the Canterbury Tales. Having made my will, I placed myself in her hands. We turned our backs on the little fishing village, still unspoilt, which one day will draw the world to see the sun set behind the Glass Houses – those vast pillars of rock which loom in splendid isolation like pyramids against skies of cerise and primrose and purple-blue. Our way lay through bush thick with wildflowers. We rode past groves of magnificent palms, tangled lawyer-vines and water-vines, nests of the white ant several feet high, and tall gums with thin, straight trunks like columns in a Gothic nave. It was strange, in this depth of bush, to hear the roar of a 'plane and see, in the narrow lane of sky, the mail 'plane pass south. In one clearing was a section of a house, with people living in it as they built. The garden was being kept in boxes upstairs until the chickens, could be fenced in.

At Landsborough, with its three timber mills in action, we gave our bush ponies their first shoes, and pushed on up the range for the night. Below us stretched 80 miles of coastal scenery, clear as in an aeroplane photograph - the blue of Moreton Bay, that quiet arm of water called The Passage, cut from the sea by the long length of Bribie Island, low hills in the foreground, and behind and above us the Montville Range. 

Aerial view of Bribie Island and hinterland.
Description: Earth observation views taken from shuttle orbiter Endeavour during STS-67 mission.
Date taken: 3.5.1995
Source: The U.S. National Archives

A new guide took me in charge next morning, a bush girl riding a spirited animal which she had broken in herself, and leading another which she was training to follow like a dog. The country rivalled the land of "Swiss Family Robinson.'' We passed banana gullies, pineapple fields, and orange groves. When we were hot and thirsty we bought pineapples and ate them by the wayside, in the only way to eat a pineapple – by cutting off the top and eating the pulp with a spoon.

The Glass Houses

Suddenly we gained a plateau and stopped to gaze at the amazing scene. Below, on a great plain, were the Glass Houses and a multitude of lesser mounds. These are no ordinary mountains, nor, speaking accurately, are they mountains at all. They are solidified lava, which has choked the vents of old volcanoes. Seen closely there is something awe-inspiring about them; they belong not to our age, but to a past world, what we know as Mesozoic times. I have seen them in the early morning, their hard surface gleaming in the sun. It was so that Cook saw them and named them more than 150 years ago. At Maleny, the heart of the dairy country, we stopped to see the show. Ten years ago, when I rode through the fruit country, a stretcher case had to be carried over the roughest of tracks 13 miles to the railhead. Now Maleny has a modern hospital, and patients are brought by ambulance on a metalled road. Next day we were passing through the most heavily timbered country in Southern Queensland. We met teams of 18 to 26 bullocks dragging the huge logs. In one place a man had just been killed: he had misjudged the fall of a tree. In the late afternoon we were descending the range into Conondale. With no warning my guide plunged down a deep slope, exactly like Italian cavalry in the films. The grade there was one in two; there was no track, only an occasional wallaby trail. Feeling thankful about my will I urged Mystery to get it over. He at once began to tack. Presently my haversack with a week's supplies, was brushed from the saddle by a tree. It could have stayed up there as far as I was concerned. But the bush girl was magnificent: she came back at the double and retrieved it for me.

Five minutes more and we were trotting across newly cleared country, with wood smoke rising here and there in the quiet air. Long lines of white ash marked the place of many fallen trees. The last rays of the sun threw a welcoming gleam on the windows of the bush girl’s studio high up on iron capped logs, and set upon a hill. The night was full of the noises of the bush – the eerie call of the curlew, the cry of an opossum or a disturbed plover the howl of the dingo, the scamper of a drove of wallabies at dawn. We rested our horses for a day and went wallaby shooting in the scrub. The bush girl got one with her first shot. The air was already hot, though it was easily spring: a family of bellbirds was chiming overhead, and we rested at a little green pool on the banks of the River Mary which flows to Maryborough. Over the range we went, with wonderful views of great extent, and in to Woodford. The pioneers must have faced difficulties in this countryside, for some houses were without front windows. One man had a primitive sawmill made by taking an engine from a Dodge car and coupling the saw spindle directly to the universal of the tail-shaft. The next day's ride to Beerwah was a lovely stretch of 30 miles. There were jungle gullies, lunch at a lily pool, and a well-graded road down the range, with Crooked Neck, one of the Glass Houses, rimmed in trees, looking like an ancient castle.

At Beewah we went over the Government forestry reserve, where, for five years, experiments have been made and where 500 acres have been planted with pinus caribacea.

Bribie Island

We crossed to Bribie Island by a ford called the Shallows, and galloped down the surf beach. We were met by some aborigines, who grilled fish for us on pronged sticks. They took us to the nets on the other side of the island, in the passage, and showed us baby sharks and the dreaded stingray. We saw "oysters growing on trees”; there were pelicans, ibis, and hawks. Lulu, with the quick eyes of the native, saw bees about a tree, which, when cut down, gave a kerosene tin of honey. A large iguana was up one tree, and a recently discarded snakeskin hung from another. As we swam our horses across the channel to the mainland, the soldier crabs were swarming in millions on the sandbanks, maneuvering, with human ardour their miniature armies. Moreton Bay was still blue, even in moonlight, when we gained the beautiful headland which was the end of our journey, the lovely length of Bribie's beach was still golden and I waved good-bye to my Bush Girl with the surf breaking lazily below pandanus trees.

REFERENCE
Over the Blackalls. Riding in Queensland. By Helena Cass. The Argus (Melbourne) 7.1.1933 p. 9 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4518239

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Helena Cass (nee Holmes) was born in 1887 in Toronto, Canada and was a serving army nurse when she married Australian Major Walter Edmund Hutchinson Cass in October 1916 in London, England. Their only child Angelia was born in 1926. Brigadier General W.E.H. Cass died in 1931 and he was given a full military funeral service. In her widowhood Helena established a career in Melbourne as a freelance journalist.

This story is one of 27 stories presented in Describing Bribie Island 1865-1965: historical first-hand accounts of visiting Bribie Island produced by the Bribie Island Historical Society in 2017.  

PHOTO: Description: Earth observation views taken from shuttle orbiter Endeavour during STS-67 mission. Date taken: 3.5.1995 Source: The U.S. National Archives sts067-730-010-sts-067

FURTHER READING
State Library of Victoria appeals for funds to conserve Walter and Helena Cass collection. By James Hancock. ABC Online, Wed 16 May 2018. 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-16/state-library-victoria-walter-helena-cass-collection-appeal/9763720

Walter and Helena Cass Collection appeal - State Library of Victoria.
https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/cass-appeal

1925 Social outing to Bribie

The following description of a social outing for members of two Brisbane timber associations is illustrated with the programme from the day which was printed on "Stanply" wooden tablets. This memento of the day, kept by Mr James Schroder Campbell, was recently donated to BIHS. 

Timber Trade. Annual outing to Bribie. 1925  

The annual outing of the members of the Brisbane Timber Merchants' Association and Brisbane and District Joinery Association and their wives and guests took place to Bribie Island on Wednesday.  

Doomba at the Bongaree Jetty (1924)
Photo: Caboolture Shire Council
Repository: Moreton Bay Libraries 

Luncheon was served on the Doomba, presided over by the respective presidents of the Brisbane Timber Merchants' Association (Mr. Wm. Patterson), and the Brisbane and District Joinery Association (Mr. W. Blackband). 

Programme of Social Outing to Bribie Island 25 November 1925
printed on "Stanply"wooden tablets 
Courtesy James Schroder Campbell collection

In proposing the toast of “The Day We Celebrate,” Mr Patterson said that they would like to see the association taking a more practical interest, in matters pertaining to afforestation, by an effort to promote a scheme for growing softwoods within a reasonable distance of the cities, so that future generations would be able to draw their supplied from areas handy to railways, in proximity to good roads. They had come through a strenuous and eventful period. During the early part of the year trade was slack, causing very keen competition, and on the other hand, they had increased costs to contend with, which made it very difficult to carry on their business successfully. As the year advanced there was a slight improvement in the volume of business but the extra overhead costs and shortage of pine supplies had added to their difficulties. 

The question of pine supplies was a very urgent one, as the industry was dependent upon the Forestry Department to a great extent. The shortage might be relieved by opening up more timber areas either by tramlines, or by making good, serviceable roads. ... During the year they were faced with the proposed Child Endowment Scheme, which would not have come into force before the middle of next year. Members were favourably inclined towards the principle of this form of assistance to workers, provided that the added cost could be recovered. Unfortunately, owing to force of circumstances, the Government had to abandon this Bill, and, instead, granted an increase of the basic wage at a moment’s notice, which did not give members any chance of providing against the added burden. 

Menu and Toast List
printed on "Stanply"wooden tablets 
Courtesy James Schroder Campbell collection

Responses made by Mr George Brown and Mr C.H. Bromily (country sawmillers), Mr W. Blackband, the vice-chairman, proposed the toast of "Our Guests," coupling with his toast the names of Mr F.J. Morrgan (National Bank of Australia, Ltd.), F.H.F. Swain (chairman, Provision Forestry Board), J.V.D. Coutts (Queensland Institute of Architects), M. Doggett (Queensland Master Builders’ Association), and Mr J. Hood (Suburban Master Builders’ Association), Mr F.J. Morgan, of the National Banks of Australasia, Ltd., responded.  

Mr E.H.F. Swain responded on behalf of the Provisional Forestry Board. The representatives of the Queensland Master Builders’ Association (Mr Doggett) and Suburban Master Builders’ (Mr Hood)... .

The toast of the ladies, proposed by Mr J.F. Brett, was acknowledged by Mrs J. Henry Hancock, on behalf of the ladies present.

In proposing the toast of the "newly-elected presidents of the respective associations," Mr. C.W. Campbell paid a tribute to Mr. Wm. Patterson and Mr. W. Blackband, two gentlemen who were held in very high esteem, both for their personal worth and for their devotion to the welfare of the timber industry in general, and the members of the association in particular.  

The toast of the Press was proposed by Mr F.O. Nixon, and acknowledged by Mr J.V.D. Coutts and Mr McCorquodale, on behalf of their respective journals.

On the return of the Doomba to Circular Quay, about 8 p.m., expressions on all sides testified to a very pleasant day's outing having been spent. 

REFERENCES

Timber Trade. Annual outing to Bribie.
The Brisbane Courier 28.11.1925 p. 9  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20981480

Photo - Doomba at the Bongaree Jetty (1924) 
Moreton Bay Our Story, accessed 20/10/2024, https://ourstory.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/nodes/view/30551

Programme of Social Outing to Bribie Island 25 November 1925.
four leaves printed on "Stanply" wooden tablets.
Courtesy of James Schroder Campbell collection, BIHS. 

1942 Troops train on Island

The following article, written in 1942, has a description of the military activities at Toorbul Point and Bribie Island, though neither place is mentioned as was the practice during wartime to keep information, about military training operations, restricted. 

Troops Train for Offensive Landings (1942)
by M.C. Warren, "Telegraph" War Correspondent. 
The Telegraph 2.12.1942 p. 4

An island off the Australian coast a popular holiday resort in peacetime - now is the centre of the most intensive amphibious training ever given to troops in this country.

Thousands of Australian and American soldiers have learnt there a new technique - seamanship - at an Australian Army Combined Operations School. There is a very good reason why our military leaders want to make troops amphibious-minded. 

War in the Pacific made many of our earlier training methods obsolete overnight. It meant a substitution of jungle methods of combat in place of open fighting in which 'block' formations and weight of armour counted. Our troops mastered jungle tactics and beat the Japs back in New Guinea. 

Now our military strategy is no longer defensive, it is offensive. It is not a case of 'hold what we have', but 'take back from the Jap'. This means carrying the war over the sea to the islands of the Pacific. Troops must be trained to lose any fear of moving over water, to handle small boats and to embark and debark swiftly and efficiently. They must learn about tides, currents, and winds. They are shown how the tide can be used to reduce the fatigue of paddling. They must become 'mud minded' - a tactical surprise can be achieved by a landing in swampy mangroves. Defence of small watercraft from hostile aircraft also is a phase of training. 

Already large numbers of troops have mastered these and other lessons at the island close to the coast.

Troops train on island
photo source: BI Surf Club book, 1988, p. 95

The Navy and the Air Force combine with the Army in making the course as tough and as thorough as training could be. All three services have a part in the operations, just as they would have in actual battle. All of the Army instructional staff are AIF personnel with practical experience in this war. Three American officers are attached to the school. Naval officers give lectures on seamanship and kindred subjects and the Navy also provides and runs the watercraft. 

An Army Co-operation Squadron joins in the exercises, either as friendly or hostile aircraft as required by the situation. Both Navy and Army officers make air flights as part of their training.

Embarkation

A first-hand picture of the wide scope of the school's activities was given to visiting war correspondents. They saw an American combat unit in action. Their mission was to land and attack a hostile beach position on the island off the coast. Primarily, they were required to take an airfield from the 'enemy.' Live ammunition and bombs are used in the exercise. The presence of aircraft gives realism to the task. Shortly before zero hour for the beach landing, Allied aircraft raided the 'enemy' airfield on the island, diving in concentric attack upon dummy planes, installations and troops. They dropped live bombs ranging from 112 lbs to 250 lbs. A smoke screen was laid down by fast motor boats for the landing. The assault troops fixed bayonets. Towing ropes were cast off and the first wave of infantry was paddling vigorously towards shore through the smoke.

Realism

Mines blew up in the water around them showering the troops with gushers of water. Hostile aircraft dive bombed the landing boats, simulating machine gun fire. The troops responded with fierce ack-ack bursts from Tommy guns and rifles. Friendly aircraft beat off the air attackers and formed a protective umbrella. The boats grounded on the sand. With a quick rush, the troops were across the beach, engaging the defenders. More mines blew up around them, giving the impression of heavy 'enemy' shelling. 

By infiltration, the first wave of troops ashore routed the shore defenders and pushed inland. Second, third, and fourth waves of infantry went ashore in quick succession and consolidated the beachhead. Parties were sent out to protect the flanks. A motor propelled barge came in sight, bringing jeeps and mobile anti-tank guns. The barge stood in close to the beach, a ramp was lowered and the jeeps splashed through the shallow water on to dry sand, hauling the anti-tank guns. The 'enemy' had blocked the only cleared ground leading from the beach with huge fallen trees. Engineers tackled the problem and within a few minutes a track was ready for the jeeps to bring the anti-tank guns up the rise.

Encirclement

They enveloped the airfield so successfully that a wallaby, caught on the landing strip was unable to escape through the ring of attackers. The word 'withdrawal' is not in the vocabulary of our military training school nowadays. When this unit had to return to their camp they did not merely withdraw, but performed another training operation. Main training at the school is in movement by night. Beach landings in hours of darkness are considered essential for surprise tactics.

Dispersement

The school does not put troops immediately into water manoeuvres. They practice beach assault first from dummy boats at the waters edge. Special tactics taught at this stage are dispersement, speed, silence and method of moving the craft.

Despite the element of risk associated with the rigorous training methods at the school and the many thousands of soldiers who have passed through it, not one serious accident has occurred.

REFERENCE
Troops Train for Offensive Landings by M.C. Warren, "Telegraph" War Correspondent. The Telegraph 2.12.1942 p. 4 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article172598227

Photo source: Bribie Island Surf Club Book, 1988, page 95.

FURTHER READING
Merv Warren (1914-2013) War Correspondent: As I saw World War II. 1993. 106p. ISBN 0646149652