Category: Queensland State Archives’ Photostream About Fortitude Valley

Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

Matilda the “winking” Kangaroo was present in both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia. She was a gigantic-size 13-metre high mechanical kangaroo built around a forklift truck.

As she travelled around the athletics track during the Opening Ceremony, she winked several times at the crowd, including a personal wink at the Duke of Edinburgh who was representing the Crown at the Ceremony.

Once her lap was complete, her pouch opened and children representing joey kangaroos ran out towards small trampolines which had been set up in the centre of the stadium. As they bounced, Rolf Harris performed a special version of “Tie Me Kangaroo Down”.

The massive Matilda prop was relocated to Wet’n’Wild Water Park, a water park in the Gold Coast hinterland. Matilda was dismantled for maintenance in 2007 but never reassembled. It was relocated and assembled at a

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Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

River Mud Beating Dredges

Mud and silt is accumulating in the Brisbane River faster than dredges remove it.

Sixty-six 10,000-ton freighters would be needed to carry the quantity now dredged from the Brisbane River each year.

But although 1,750,000 tons of mud and silt are dredged annually the river’s navigable depth is still only 24 feet – four less than it was in 1939.

Inadequate depth forced the freighter Rhexenor to load wool at the Pile Light at the weekend.

Main causes of the increased siltage are:-
1. Increased agricultural development in the upper reaches of the river and its tributaries, causing erosion.
2. The Somerset Dam holding back big floods which have hitherto scoured the river.

To continue reading visit:
The Courier-Mail, 23 February 1949

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Digital Image ID 4076

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Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

Overflow Of Ships

Indicative of the congestion of the Port of Brisbane, a freighter is standing at the Pile Light anchorage waiting for a vacant berth.

The ship is the Meliskerk from Townsville with 400 tons of general cargo to be unloaded in Brisbane, and due to load wool and general cargo for Italy and Continental ports.

Besides other problems of filling loading and discharging schedules, the “parking problem” in the Brisbane River is causing shipping men some concern.

Today 20 ships were listed for labour. Normally 12 or 14 ships are the capacity of the port.

Today’s rain, which cancelled all working on ships, will cause further delay.

The problems of berthage and cargo commitments, according to shipping men, will continue for at least a week.

Description source:
Brisbane Telegraph, 15 March 1950

View the original image at the Queensland State Archives:
Digital Image ID 4740

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Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

First Ship Uses New B.H.P. Steel Wharf

Magnet cranes do quick job

Two mobile magnetic cranes each unloaded nearly a ton of pig iron every 70 seconds from the freighter Balarr in Brisbane yesterday.

The cranes, at the B.H.P.’s new Hamilton steel wharf, were having their first run, and the Balarr was the first ship to use the wharf.

The 108ft. cranes lowered big magnets into the Balarr on 63ft. jibs.

Mounted on steel rails running the length of the wharf, they worked the forward hold (570 tons of pig-iron) and the after hold (800 tons).

Sixty watersiders were assigned to the two intermediate holds, containing 2400 tons.

More powerful magnets would be used later, the B.H.P. Queensland manager (Mr. R. S. Colquhoun) said yesterday.

Description source:
The Courier-Mail, 20 October 1950

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Digital Image ID 12441

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Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

A grab dredger picks up seabed material with a clam shell bucket, which hangs from an onboard crane or a crane barge, or is carried by a hydraulic arm, or is mounted like on a dragline.

This technique is often used in excavation of bay mud. Most of these dredges are crane barges with spuds.

Description source:
Wikipedia

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Digital Image ID 12423

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Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

Want River Mouth Swamps Reclaimed

The adoption of a mosquito prevention scheme by the reclamation of large areas of swampy land between the mouth of the Brisbane River and Sandgate was urged today by a deputation from the Cribb Island ALP, which saw the Minister for Health (Mr Foley).

It was suggested that if the areas were filled with material dredged from the creeks they would not only be effectively eliminated as mosquito breeding grounds, but made suitable as building sites, thus creating a big asset.

The Minister said it was a matter for the Co-ordinator-General of Works, to whom a report of the representations would be sent for consideration.

Description source:
The Telegraph, 26 July 1946

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Digital Image ID 4097

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Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

Should Make Best Use Of the Cairncross Dock

By Engineer-Commander H. Platt, R.A.N., RETD. (E.M.).

Now that the Cairncross Graving Dock has completed its work in connection with the normal and special docking services to warships and defensively armed vessels, &c., during World War 2 for which it was primarily constructed, it will be a great pity if it cannot be economically operated.

The objectives should be: To procure a fair share of large ship docking business, in fair competition with southern States; and to preserve the continuity of the operational organisation and physical condition ready for immediate use by all classes of vessels in case of another national emergency.

…

The whole of the Cairncross Dock zone could then be managed and operated under the Marine Engine works management; general ship repair business could be promoted apart from docking services; and in addition to new marine engine building, general

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Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

Ships Collide At Brisbane

Brisbane, August 6. – A man was flung overboard when two ships collided at the mouth of the Brisbane River early yesterday. The ships were the out-going overseas Blue Funnel liner Hector (11,000 tons) and the incoming James Patrick coastal vessel Cardross (2500 tons).

A Cardross fireman named Flanagan was tossed overboard by the impact. He swam 300 yards to a mudbank near Bishop Island and was picked up there by a lifeboat hurriedly dropped from the Cardross.

The Hector was on its maiden voyage with about 25 passengers on board, and had earlier left the Mercantile Wharf. She was bound for Liverpool and Glasgow.

The Cardross, laden with cargo, was coming in to berth at James Patrick’s Wharf. When in Lytton Cutting the ships collided and “sideswiped” one another.

Two large plates on the bow of the Cardross was buckled by the impact. She later

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Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

River Mishap

Vessel Collides with Pile Driver.

(Special to “Herald.”)

Brisbane, Tuesday.
The interstate cargo steamer “Corrimal,” came into collision in the Brisbane River this morning with a pile-driving pontoon, ploughing three feet into it and causing a pontoon to crash into a riverside wharf.

Three employees of the Harbour and Rivers Department on the pontoon leapt over on to the wharf when they saw the crash was imminent and escaped injuries. The “Corrimal” was undamaged.

The pile-driver Gantry was smashed and fell on the roof of the wharf shed, while the lower end of the Gantry fell into the river. The pontoon did not sink.

Description source:
The Dalby Herald, 30 July 1935

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Digital Image ID 12442

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Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

New Bucket Dredge For Queensland

Brisbane, August 16. – A record of 30,000 tons of mud and silt a day will be cleared soon, in a drive to hold and increase port depths throughout Queensland.

A Harbours and Marine Department spokesman said at the week-end that, in an emergency, the State’s reinforced dredge fleet could work two shifts and double this output.

Dredges were now lifting about 15,000 tons of mud and silt a day from Brisbane, Gladstone, Townsville and Port Douglas. Soon this output would be increased by about 9000 tons a day when the dredges Remora and Morwong, now being overhauled, were returned to service.

A new bucket dredge, the Groper, would leave Scotland this week for Brisbane. It would handle about 6000 tons a day.

Description source:
Townsville Daily Bulletin, 17 August 1954

View the original image at the Queensland State Archives:
Digital Image ID 12437

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