We pay respect to the first peoples on whose land we are, ;xNLx;We acknowledge the loss of lands, spirituality, tradition and culture.;xNLx;Knowing the consequences for people, communities and nations, ;xNLx;We walk together hand in hand to a better future.
In 1606, the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon landed near the site where Weipa is now located on the western shore of Cape York. This was the first recorded encounter between Europeans and first Australian peoples.
Lieutenant James Cook and crew aboard a ship called the Endeavour mapped the east coast of Australia in April 1770.
Early life for the British marines and convicts was very difficult. The land was very different to that in Britain and initial plantings of crops failed. Finding suitable shelter was also a huge problem and the British convicts and soldiers had very limited building materials. Life was so difficult for the early colonists that by the time the second fleet of convicts and marines arrived from Britain to what is now known as Sydney, the convicts and marines from the first voyage were dressed in patched and threadbare clothes.
At the time of early British colonisation, the land around Fish Creek in The Gap would have remained in its natural state.
For Australia's first peoples, British arrival in Australia was an invasion – it brought war, disease and deprivation. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were displaced from the traditional lands they had occupied for 60 thousand years, since the time of the Dreaming.
In 1799 Captain Matthew Flinders explored Moreton Bay and around the Queensland coast but did not discover the entrance to the Brisbane River.
The Brisbane River was a spiritually important place and a vital food source for first Australians since the Dreaming. British explorers however, did not find the entrance to the river until 1823.
British settlement of Brisbane was initially as a penal settlement. Redcliffe was the first city in Queensland colonised by the British and is located on the edge of Moreton Bay.
In 1825 the British colony was moved from Redcliffe to the banks of the Brisbane River. Early on, Brisbane was called a different name – Edenglassie.
By 1830 the population of Moreton Bay included 1,000 convicts and 100 soldiers.
During the early period of British colonisation along the shores of the Brisbane River, the land around The Gap would have remained in its natural state.
In 1834 the Edenglassie colony was renamed to become Brisbane. This name change was to honour the New South Wales Governor at time of colonial settlement, Sir Thomas Brisbane.
As Brisbane town grew in size and population during the 1840's, a large number of factories and infrastructure was constructed along the banks of the Brisbane River.
British colonists first entered the region around D'Aguilar National Park during the 1840's.
Early in the 1840's the land around The Gap and Fish Creek would have remained in its natural state.
Brisbane River flooded. This event was the highest recorded flood level to date, reaching a peak of 8.49 metres.
On 27 January 1842, news was received that Moreton Bay would be opened to free settlers.
Between the years of 1850 and 1885 Brisbane emerged as the main commercial centre in the colony. The Brisbane River became a highway to transport goods to other areas within and outside the colony. The net tonnage through the port of Brisbane grew from 8,128 tonnes in 1850 to 690,883 tonnes in 1885. During the same period the area’s population grew from under 8,000 people to over 100,000 people.
In 1851, an ex-convict named Darby McGrath leased yearly square mile portions of land for sheep rearing in the county of Stanley from the New South Wales Government. Six of the portions of the land were in the area now known as The Gap.
The Eureka Stockade took place in Ballarat, Victoria.
The Gap was colonised by free settlers who were attracted to the area's fertile land and plentiful water.
The land around the source of Fish Creek was settled by the Hilder family in 1859. Life in the area for farmers during the early days was difficult. The Hilder family survived through undertaking “subsistence farming”.
Queensland was created through separation of the state from New South Wales.
During the late 1850's and into the 1860's, the local environment would have started to change to become agricultural land for European methods of farming.
Gold Prospectors discovered quartz-bearing rock in the D’Aguilar ranges. The prospectors hoped the quartz would contain gold and that they would strike it rich! Unfortunately, despite all their hard work, the mines produced only small amounts of gold.
Severe drought in the 1860s would have affected life in Queensland.
It is likely that it was during the 1860's that the clearing of land around Hilder Road State School and Fish Creek would have taken place to make way for pastoral and agricultural farmland.
The lands around Hilder Road State School became known as "the Gap" as early as 1861.
Located within the outskirts of The Gap, Enoggera Dam was completed in 1866. It took just under two years to build.
By the end of the 1870's, the majority of the land around Fish Creek would have been cleared and used for pastoral and agricultural purposes.
In 1885, a horse drawn tram system commenced operation in Brisbane. By 1897, electric trams were introduced and remained in operation in Brisbane until 1969.
In 1889, Australia’s population passed 3 million people.
In October 1889, Henry Parkes, often called the "Father of Federation", made a famous, formal speech where he called for all colonies to "unite and create a great national government for all Australia".
By the 1890's clearing of the land around Fish Creek would have been complete. The area was then used as pastoral farmland.
In March of 1890, the Brisbane River broke its banks and flooded the landscape.
On the 4th of February 1893, the Brisbane River flooded for a period of three weeks. The river peaked at 8.35m - the second highest peak in recorded history.
On 1 August 1893, the Corowa Federation Conference was held.
From 1897, the land use around Hilder Road State School changed from pastoral and agricultural pursuits to that of an abattoir and holding paddocks.
Australia was affected by a severe drought. This weather event became known as the "Federation Drought" because it ran from 1898 - 1903.
On 21 June 1898, referendums asking people to vote on whether or not to form a Federation were held.
In January 1899, the five colonial premiers all met privately to find a way to move forward and finally bring about federation.
During the secret premiers' conference held in 1889 some important changes were agreed.
Between April and July 1899 referendums were again held in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania.
South African War (Boer War) took place 1899, ending on 31st of May, 1902. Australians served as colonial troops before Federation and served as Australian troops after Federation.
The Australian constitution had to be agreed to by the British Parliament before federation could go ahead.
Australia became an independent nation on 1 January 1901. The colony of Queensland was incorporated into the Federation.
The first Prime Minister of Australia was Edmund Barton. He also became a founding justice of the High Court. The Monarch at the time of Federation was Queen Victoria.
In 1901, the newly formed Federal Government passed a new immigration law called the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 (Cth).
On Census night in 1901, there were 3,773,801 people (1,977,928 males and 1,795,873 females) counted in Australia. This number does not include first Australians.
The Census is a special questionnaire completed by Australians every five years. It aims to measure accurately the number of people and dwellings in Australia and a range of other key characteristics.
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