Category: Queensland State Archives’ Photostream About Fortitude Valley

Bourbong Street with Post Office in the distance, Bundaberg, c 1897

Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

BOURBON OR BOURBONG STREET

A correspondent writing in the “Mail” on January 18th 1895 declaims against the “g” in the spelling of the name of the main street. He says: To old fashioned folk the modern spelling has jarred on our nervous system severely. Someone of an omposing elevation of mind probably thought it did or ought to belong to the aboriginal dialect. As there is not such aprt of speech as “bour” in native dialect, the “bong” meaning dead, renders the title silly and unintelligible. The main street of Bundaberg was named Bourbon by the surveyor who laid the principal sections of the town out for a well defined and perfectly understandable reason. The first cane planted at Rubyanna came from Bourbon, an island in the East Indies, and that plant bears its French imperial title even to this day. It is difficult to understand

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Maroochydore, c 1931

Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

MAROOCHYDORE

The pride of the district and of the North Coast is Maroochydore, the largest town on the North Coast seafront. It is approached by a wonderful bitumen road of 11 miles from Palmwoods. This is one of the most delightful drives in the district. The pleasent smoothness of the trip is enhanced in enjoyment by pineapple and citrus orchards on either side. Glorious fertile valleys and glens, wooded slopes, and a forest of big timbers are some of the delights of this entrancing highway. There are occasional glimpses of the beautiful Maroocy River, while a beautiful portion of the road is a tropical palm grove.

On arriving at Maroochydore the visitor is immediately impressed with the modern appearance of the place. The tourist will also be impressed with the up-to-date and comfotable accommodation that is available. There is only one hotel – The Club –

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16 ft simplex economy windmill, Toowoomba, c 1890

Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

Toowomba Foundry

The Toowoomba Foundry is located in Ruthven Street on a prominent site adjacent to the Defiance Flour Mill and the Toowoomba Railway Station. It was established in 1871 by George Washington Griffiths and continually operated as a foundry until 2012.

Owend by the Griffiths family descendants until 1987 when it was purchased by National Consolidated, the Foundry is one of the last surviving 19th century industries on the Darling Downs. Among other products, it produced rolling stock for Queensland Railways, and the Southern Cross windmill, one of the most enduring icons on the Downs.

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The Foundry struggled during its early years, with Griffiths receiving funding from his father to cover debts. However, by 1881 the business had improved and the foundry was “making steam engines and boiler, wool and other presses, washpool requirements, spouting and soap tanks, pumps, windmills, troughing, castings – iron or brass, ironwork

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Mt Beerwah 1760 Ft, from Coonowrin, 23 March 1894

Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

LIVES RISKED IN NIGHT RESCUE

Hazardous Feat in Rain on Mt. Beerwah

Struggling up the precipitous face of Beerwah Mountain in pitch darkness and driving rain, three residents of Glass House Mountains rescued two men who had been stranded at the top of the 1700-foot peak last week.

So slippery were the rock faces that the rescuers – Messrs. B. Croning, R. McCosker, and H. McCosker – had to climb in bare feet. Had any man lost his footing on the ledges he would have fallen a sheer 300 feet to the rocks below.

At 10 a.m. on Sunday two men arrived by car from Cooroy, and climbed Beerwah Mountain, one of several peaks in the Glasshouse group.

Apparently on arriving at the summit they were unable to find their way down again. As there is only one practicable way up the peak, they were forced to stay where they

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