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Cumbooquepa, South Brisbane
Each October over the past three years some of Brisbane's fascinating architecture has been opened to the public to view. Brisbane Open House has become so popular that the one-day format has been...
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Bellmount, Spring Hill
This little gem at Spring Hill is almost unnoticeable, squeezed as it is between some larger buildings and shaded by a couple of pretty trees. Once a residence, the signage at the front indicates that...
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Samuel Drew's house, Sandgate
As the majority of Australia's residents live along the coastlines, it is no surprise to know that early white inhabitants of steamy Brisbane also sought out waterfront vantage points, either for...
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Brisbane Central State School, Spring Hill
It's hard to make sense of governments some times, at least by reading the news. One minute there are higher enrolments at inner-city schools because of the trend of folk living closer to the CBD and...
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Moody's Cottages, Spring Hill
There is no doubt that standards of living in Brisbane have increased since these cottages were built for William Moody around the year 1870. Yet Mr Moody, who was employed as a "letter carrier" or...
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Windermere, Ascot
In terms of Brisbane's stately homes, they don't come much more stately than this one. Built around the mid-1880s, the residents of the house over the ensuing decades would read like a Who's Who of...
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Terraces, Spring Hill
The work ethic and ambition of our early pioneers is a continuing source of inspiration to me. In 1855 the ship William Miles brought William Grigor and Mary Fenwick to Brisbane from their native...
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Inglenook, New Farm
Limbo is a word that intrigues. Not the dance, but the condition - as in "a state of limbo". It has religious significance, especially for Catholics, but other more modern meanings are "an intermediate...
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Wading pool, Wynnum
Recently the lovely mrs tff had a Monday off as a substitute for having to work on a Saturday. We decided that we wanted to venture to the seaside and have some fish and chips overlooking the water. We...
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Bee Gees Way, Redcliffe
I was a pimply teenager when the Bee Gees' first hit record "Spicks and Specks" hit Brisbane's radio waves. Then it barely seemed an instant before they were talking to Molly Meldrum on Countdown and...
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HB Sales Building, Margaret St
References to early Brisbane often mention a place called Frog's Hollow. It was a low-lying area that stretched from Elizabeth St down to the river at the Botanical Gardens and bounded on the other two...
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Watson Bros Building, Margaret St
If I had to have a city office, I'd want one that looked like this. Designed by the famous architect Richard Gailey, the Watson Bros building in Margaret St is a 19th century marvel. Gailey was...
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Lucerne, Paddington
This week we are looking at a couple of inner-city places that have stood the test of time and have not only survived but thrived. Both now have a commercial orientation, but I'll bet that most of you...
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Eton House (Hellesvere), Upper Roma St
Like our last post, this is also a historical venue that is now a commercial premises. Although it is very close to the CBD, most people would be unaware of its existence, let alone its history.Francis...
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Fell's Cottage, Spring Hill
(Photo: Courier Mail)I was all set to prepare a post on this property but the good folk at the Courier Mail have done it for me!Click here to read about this 1878 worker's cottage. Click here for a...
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Coorparoo Uniting Church
The first church to be built in the Coorparoo shire was the Methodist Church constructed in 1886. Here is a photograph of that building from around 1895. (Photo: State Library of Queensland and John...
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Springbok demo at the Tower Mill Motel, Wickham Terrace
Those of you who have followed these pages would know that I am an ex-rugby player (more enthusiastic than proficient) and still a follower of "the game they play in heaven". In 1971 I was actually...
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Athol Place, Spring Hill
(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #57297)One of Queensland's early medical pioneers was Dr Joseph Bancroft (above) who migrated here from his native Manchester in October...
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Archibald House (Glenugie), New Farm
(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #191906)This man is John Archibald who was a successful businessman as well as a member of Queensland's upper house of parliament.Archibald...
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Victoria Flats, Spring Hill
Kilroe was here.Mrs Frances (Fanny) Kilroe was the original owner of these four flats, built in 1923 on the high side of Gregory Terrace. The flats, originally known as Kilroe's Flats, have views over...
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