Cairns History by Timothy Bottoms | Other
Cairns History by Timothy Bottoms
Reviews
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25.01.2022 By the end of 1881 the Melbourne biscuit manufacturer, Thomas Swallow, had established Hambledon which became one of the pivotal sugar cane plantation's in the Cairns district. For some 16 years it was particularly important in Cairns development before it was sold in 1897 to CSR (Colonial Sugar Refining) Company. Here you can see where Hambledon was located before the beginning of the 20th Century.
19.01.2022 By 1899 the Cairns region had been pacified due to the Native Mounted Police and some settlers. Yidinydji tribe between Cairns and the Mulgrave River (originally called Bana Baray) and the removal of a camp near the wharves.
17.01.2022 The first aeroplane to land in Cairns was in 1914, unfortunately, it crashed when it was trying to land. Two local Chinese helped the aviator when he crashed landed.
16.01.2022 Djarrugan - Walshs Pyramid. The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Qld never came to FNQ, but we know the age-old Bama term for this feature.
15.01.2022 Last year I was interviewed for the North Queensland part of the 'Secret Railways' on SBS, starting on Sunday at 8.30pm. The North Queenslander part of the series will probably be with the last of the programs, but each one is very interesting with the question UKTV asked itself about why each Railways has a Secret. A fascinating look at why these railways were constructed. So keep Sunday nights on SBS at 8.30pm, on your calender - I'm sure you'll enjoy them.
15.01.2022 1911 - saw 2 cyclones hit the Cairns region and disrupted the Cairns-Kuranda railway. It was from this that the railway line between the Cairns Railway Station and turn-off to Edge Hill was re-routed to the other side of Lily Creek.
14.01.2022 In the late 1870s the Chinese of Cairns stayed and continued farming, while many Europeans went to what became Port Douglas. We still have descendants of these people who are undoubtedly far North Queenslanders.
14.01.2022 In the 19th Century, South Sea Islanders, or somewhat erroneously - Kanakas, were imported to work on the canes fields of Queensland.
14.01.2022 Japanese first came to FNQ in 1890s, but were also in the Torres Strait pearling and trochus shell divers.
13.01.2022 I was amazed to receive from the Historical Society of Cairns, the S.E. Stephen Award for contributing to researching and writing about Cairns, Indigenous People and what turned out to be one of my 'piece de resistance' - Conspiracy of Silence. The President of the HSC - Clive Skarott AM made the presentation at the AGM on the 30 September 2019. Oh, for those of you who don't know who Ernie Stephens was, he was one of three people who started the Historical Society in Cairns and was passionate about it, and wrote many bulletins for the HSC.
09.01.2022 Here is the population of the Cairns region in 1886 and you should be able to see why Europeans were intimidated by the local Indigenous tribes.
08.01.2022 On the south side of Djarrugan (Walsh's Pyramid), in the valley through which Behana Creek flows, this was a village of Yidinydji people. Contrast this with the Djimurru at Gubuda in 1876 (earlier post), which were more permanent and long-lasting. Nevertheless, one can gain an understanding of village life before the coming of the Gadja.
08.01.2022 From 1897 to 1911 the Cairns-Mulgrave Tramway operated to the south of Cairns. F.G. Morton as the editor of the Cairns Post in 1911, proclaimed that "The Tramway is the property of the [Cairns Divisional Board] ratepayers ... for the benefit and convenience of those who use it." The terminus was in Bunda Street and here you can locate where it was.
08.01.2022 Pandemics in Cairns & Far North Queensland Since 1900 Cairns has had at least three serial epidemics. 1st) the Plague of 1900...Continue reading
06.01.2022 The original Yidinydji name of Gimuy was supplanted in 1876 & named 'Cairns' after the then Governor of Qld (1875-1877) who never visited the town named after him.
03.01.2022 In 1885 a settler on the Daintree was killed because he trespassed on a Womens Sacred site. The affair demonstrates the difficulty of Europeans taking into account the lores of the local tribes, in this case, the Kuku Yalanji. Barnard has seriously transgressed the local laws of the Kuku Yalanji, and paid the ultimately price.
02.01.2022 The Native Mounted Police had some cruel humans in their ranks:
02.01.2022 In far North Queensland with the implication of Covid 19 Pandemic as in came into effect - ABC announcer Kier Shorey asked me what had been the affect on far North Qld. The first was the Bubonic Plague in 1900, then the Flu Pandemic in 1919 and finally the outbreak of malaria during World War II. https://youtu.be/vCyBnURddn4
01.01.2022 Although the Reverand John Brown Gibble was the first to establish what became Yarrabah Mission, it was really his son, Ernest, who became the guided enterprise (while his father was sent eventually to Sydney, where he died). From 1892 to 1909 E R Gibble ran the mission, but his silent fall from Grace (Chapter 6.1) forced him to leave and not return for another 22 years.
