Wide Bay & Burnett Regions c 1897

The following excerpts of a book published in 1897, provide valuable insights into the Wide Bay and Burnett Regions of Queensland, at that time:

The Wide Bay & Burnett Districts

” . . . The Wide Bay and Burnett districts comprise that part of Queensland extending coastwise from about 24deg. 40min. to 26deg. 40min. S. latitude, and from the Pacific Ocean on the east to the Dividing Range on the west, being fully 150 miles in its greatest width and covering an area of about 17,000 square miles, or about 11,000,000 acres, being larger than Wales and the counties of Yorkshire and Cumberland included.  It is encompassed north, south, and west by continuous mountain ranges which form the watershed of the Kolan, Burnett, and Mary rivers, and sharply mark off the riverine system, thus defined from the systems of the Brisbane, Darling, and Fitzroy, and other less important rivers.  The sinuous trend of these mountain ranges give the district a scolloped or indented outline, causing the whole to assume somewhat the shape of a vine leaf, of which the island known as Fraser’s or “Great Sandy,” separated from the coast by only a narrow tide way, and jutting out north-easterly into the Pacific, would be the stalk.  The configuration between these boundary lines is simple.  A coast line trending S.E. and N.W. runs parallel to the seaboard, at an average distance of between 50 or 60 miles, and divides the district into two unequal portions.  The smaller of these – or Wide Bay proper – comprises the whole of the coast region between the last named mountain chain and the sea, including also Fraser’s Island ; and occupies about two-fifths of the area of the united districts.  It differs considerably in natural features and climate from the Burnett proper, which occupies the remaining three-fifths, and lies wholly to the westward of the coast range.  

Excerpt - Qld Map - c 1886 - Burnett & Wide Bay

Excerpt – Map of Queensland – c 1886 – Burnett & Wide Bay

The Wide Bay portion includes the basins of the Mary, Kolan, and other small coast rivers, as well as the country along the lower course of the Burnett, and since all these rivers have well defined watersheds, rising in some instances to considerable altitude, the result is a pleasing diversity of scenery, as well as an equal distribution of sites fitted to attract and support population.  The character of the Burnett is more uniform, being of tolerably level tableland, of an altitude from 1,000 to 1,500 feet above the sea, through which the Upper Burnett and its tributaries, Baramba, Boyne, Auburn, and others, pursue their tortuous course.  On approaching, however, the encompassing mountain chain which everywhere borders this inland river system, the scene changes ; rocky glens, and precipitous cliffs succeed to the gently rolling upland, and form on all sides a picturesque fringe to its tamer features.  The united waters of the Burnett and its affluents find an escape through the coast ranges, where they have formed a gorge of considerable length and depth.  The river bed, at this point, contains hardly any water during the greater part of the year, but, after a brief season of rain, it becomes a raging torrent, dangerous to cross even in boats, and hurrying along trunks of trees, rocks, debris, &c., with irresistible force seaward.  A little to the north-west of this gorge, the coast range culminates in a lofty peak – Mount Perry, buttressed on all sides with mountain masses of a broken or irregular character, showing signs of extensive volcanic action, and highly mineralized.  These features are continued, though in a less remarkable degree to the junction of this vast mountain system with the east and west chain – Dawes Range – which forms the northern boundary of the united districts.  In this angle the River Kolan and its tributaries take their rise, and thence pursue a south-easterly and north-easterly course through champaign country of high pastoral value, finally reaching the sea to the north-west of the flat, sandy, and marshy delta country formed by the Burnett.  Crossing the latter river and following the coast, we pass in succession the Elliott, Gregory, Isis, Cherwell, and Burrum rivers, the last four forming a connected river system in miniature, and discharging their united waters into Hervey’s Bay.  The latter is a wide inlet of the Pacific, intercepted between Great Sandy Island and the mainland, open to the north, and tapering southwards, until it runs into a narrow strait abounding in shoals and small islands, and opening at the further extremity into Wide Bay, whence the maritime portion of the district takes its name.  At the point where Hervey’s Bay merges into the narrow tidal channel referred to, it received the waters of the Mary River, the sources of which are in a lofty and densely wooded chain of mountains forming part of the southern boundary of the district.  The Mary pursues a northerly course, collecting a number of affluents, and draining the wide valley, which extends between the principal coast range, and a secondary range of the same kind parallel to the former but nearer the seaboard.  Returning to the coast, and pursuing a direction southward from Sandy Strait, we reach a line of dunes, or sandhills, extending south to Point Arkwright, where the Durundur Range, which bounds the district to the south, abruptly falls off to the ocean.  Behind these dunes, separated from the opens sea, is an inlet or branch know as “Tin Can,” or, as the natives call it, “Tinkun Bay.”  Here a continuous chain of lagoons, shallow creeks, and swamps prevail, and the chief outlet for this intercepted drainage is a Laguna Bay, where a gap in the sandhills permits the tide to sweep in and out, and forms a port – “Noosa” – accessible to vessels of light draught.

Territorially, the district is divided into the counties of Bowen, Cook, March, Lennox, Fitzroy, Mackenzie, Newcastle, and Wicklow ; and politically into the electorates of Mulgrave, Maryborough, Wide Bay, Gympie, and Burnett.  The line which divides the “settled” from the “unsettled” portion of the district connects with the boundary between the maritime and the inland division, or Wide Bay proper, and the district of Burnett proper.

The principal centres of population are : – Maryborough, the capital ; Gayndah, the earliest settled township ; Gympie, headquarters of the gold-mining industry ; Mount Perry, occupying a similar position in the copper industry ; Bundaberg, a port of entry and agricultural emporium at the mouth of the Burnett; and Nanango, a small hamlet on the Upper Baramba Creek, near the southern verge of the district.  Telegraph lines now extend to these and all other places of importance, whilst the main roads, once so busy in dray traffic, are now almost abandoned, by reason the the greater facility afforded to the travelling public by railways . . . “

Climate

” . . . Traversed by the 25th and 26th parallels of south latitude, and extending not more than 150 miles inland, these districts enjoy on the whole a mild and equable climate.  Excessive heat is less common than in other parts of Queensland, and the growth of vegetation is promoted by an abundant rainfall, most copious near the coast.  The summer months are October, November, December, January, and February, during which a strong dry heat with vivid sunshine prevails, broken however, by occasional thunderstorms and electrical disturbances of singular fierceness.  This torrid season is followed by a rainy one of about six weeks’ duration, the moist heat at the beginning being very trying to new comers, who thoroughly appreciate the more genial and enjoyable season which commences in April when nature resumes its tranquility with the sol-called “winter.”  In July, 1896, the thermometer stood at 26deg., and at daybreak the hills and plains were covered with hoar frost.  This Arctic state of affairs was usually changed ere midday when the suns shone forth with great brilliancy and intense heat, affording a marked contrast to the severity of the night’s cold.  Floods which did not trouble the early settlers much, have of late been frequent, though these visitations have caused more annoyance and inconvenience than actual damage, and settlers are now sufficiently familiarized with them to secure themselves against very heavy losses . . . “

Natural Scenery

” . . . In a country marked by so many prominent natural features, considerable diversity of scenery must exist, and the same holds good of the comparative value of different portions for settlement and cultivation, some areas being doomed to perpetual sterility, whilst on others nature has bestowed her choicest treasures without stint.  The sea coasts generally are somewhat tame, though their monotony is agreeably relieved by tall peaks and densely wooded mountain ranges at no great distance inland, and by the exuberance of bird life peopling the secluded bays and inlets, or the board foreshores and mangrove covered islands and mud patches in Hervey’s Bay and neighbouring strait.  Great Sandy Island is, as its name denotes, a mass of sand, rising on the east side into peaks some hundreds of feet in elevation, densely wooded in some parts, notwithstanding its uncompromising and barren soil.  Along the central ridge are numerous springs, which, forming creeks, swamps and miniature lakes assist in maintaining a luxuriant undergrowth of vegetation differing in many respects from the adjacent mainland.  The island is in theory maintained as a kind of native reserve, where the remnant of the aboriginal tribes for a considerable distance along the coast may congregate, and follow their immemorial habits and traditions without molestation.  The “privilege of sanctuary” thus accorded, has, however, been greatly encroached upon by parties of lumberers who rapidly cleared off all the best timber, and destroyed in corresponding degree the sylvan seclusion of the island.

Staghorn - high up in the Trees . . .

Staghorns – high up in the Trees . . .

Returning to the mainland, it is found that the prevalent character of vegetation and scenery is similar to all parts of Queensland.  The general groundwork is open forest, comprising various species of eucalyptus, acacia, angophora, exocarpus, casuarina, Banksia, and other sombre-hued trees, bearing the impress of that dull monotony which as a rule characterises the Australian landscape.  But with all this, there are in its semi-tropical parts, at intervals, patches of dense and luxuriant forest growth, corresponding to the “jungles” of the Indian and Malay Archipelago, teeming with Asiatic and oceanic forms of vegetation.  These “scrubs” as they are locally termed, are of two kinds, one lining the banks of rivers and affecting alluvial ground, the other clothing ridges or rocky hills to the height of fully 1000 feet.  The riverine or alluvial scrub is invariably a sign of rich soil, as well as of sites liable to inundation.  The mingled vegetation of figs, laurels, eugenias, and other innumerable evergreens with bright glossy foliage, festooned with passion flowers, wild vines, climbers, and creepers of all sorts with exquisitely coloured and scented blossoms cannot but attract the beholder, whilst the funereal-looking Araucarias tower high above the gay profusion of glinting leafage and brilliant flora, struggling upwards to the sunlight, forming a striking and lovely contrast to the uniform green of the open forest, amid which these oases of tropical vegetation occur.  The line of demarcation is, in a great majority of instances, sharply defined here, the forest with endless vistas of silver grey or salmon coloured trunks and scant shadeless boughs, through which the sun seems to dart with redoubled intensity on the parched turf or dusty yellow road ; there, a dense tangled mass of emerald foliage, impenetrable to the gaze, rising abruptly like a wall before the traveller, who unable to cut a path through these vine entangled shades, is oft compelled to make a detour of many miles.  The “mountain jungle,” as it is designated, is less dense, but owing to the preponderance of thorny twining plants is equally troublesome to get through ; bush fires have, however, materially aided the work of clearing, but have also destroyed myriads of seedling plants ; whereas the alluvial scrub, owing to excessive moisture, forms a complete barrier against fire, even in the driest seasons.  The principal continuous areas of alluvial scrub are found between the Lower Burnett and the Mary.  The whole of the country watered by the Burrum and its affluents was, until partly cleared fro progress settlement, densely clothed with them, and there are also immense tracts in the southern part of the district between Kilkivan, Gympie, and Maroochie.  When first taken up, the River Mary was fringed with scrub to a considerable breadth on either side.  The Burnett scrubs, where they follow the river, are generally much narrower, but compact areas ; some hundreds of square miles are met with at no great distance from Walla downwards.  The “hill scrub” is found, more or less, on all the rages withing about forty miles of the sea, and in the south of the district, where the towering Bunya bunya (Araucaria Bidwillii) luxuriates in a damp and steaming atmosphere, and red cedar is here and there found ; the two descriptions of jungle are closely blended.  In striking contrast to the tropical luxuriance of the scrub, is the so-called “Wallum country,” sandy, ill watered, barren tracts, found adjacent to the coast, and presenting the appearance of having formerly consisted of mud-flats, sand dunes, and brackish swamps, similar to those near the ocean.  These “Wallum” patches support great clumps of dry, harsh and useless vegetation, interspersed with stunted Casuarinas and Banksias, the whole characterised by an aspect of dismal monotony, and presenting no landmarks to guide the traveller – hence the frequency with which men have lost themselves whilst attempting to thread these wildernesses, and often only being rescued by kindly aborigines, whom good fortune or Providence sent to their aid opportunely.

On the plateau of the Upper Burnett and its tributaries extensive tracts of rich arable land, almost destitute of trees, and resembling in parts the black soil country of the Darling Downs, occur.  The mountain scenery on the borders is characterised by savage grandeur, and abounds in picturesque and romantic views which would captivate poet and painter.  This is especially the case in the north-western angle of teh district betweenthe Mount Perry and Dawson watershed, where rugged tablelands, broken up by a succession of deep glens into lines of cliffs hundreds of feet high, have at their bases brawling torrents tumbling onward in a succession of snowy cascades.  But the grandest display of majestic and lovely landscapes is revealed in travelling overland from Gympie to Brisbane, or vice versa.  Though many natural beauties are seen when passing through them by train, it is well known much is lost to those who have never visited the metropolis by the old road, and travelled as was customary in bygone days on foot, on horseback, or bullock team.  The road follows the seaward slope of the coast range, thus offering a constant succession of combined marine and mountain views, a panorama perhaps second to none other in romantic associations with any part of the world.

In natural productions, these districts do not differ materially from others in Australia having similar climate . . . “

Wildlife

Laughing Kookaburra (Jack Ass)

Laughing Kookaburra (Jackass)

” . . . The animal kingdom presents the usual marsupials – kangaroo, wallaby, native bears, and the myriad rat and mouse, “small deer” of the same order ; flying foxes, bats, the echidna, or porcupine ant-eater, dingoes, wombat and platypus, the latter now rare and seldom met with ; but the brief lists of animals is atoned for by the gorgeous profusion and variety of the feathered tribes.  These are – eagles, kites, hawks, crows, pigeons of all sorts, owls, parrots, cockatoos, bustards, turkeys, bower birds, laughing jackass, emus, and others too numerous to enumerate ; whilst most streams are alive with ducks, swans, pelicans, storks, snipe, divers, &c.  Reptiles include those harmless and venomous, lizards, iguanas, frogs, toads, snakes, land and water tortoises, and the fish-like reptile the “ceratodus,” which inhabits the Upper Mary and its affluents.  

Crocodiles have also been captured near the Mary and its affluents.  Crocodiles have also been captured near the Mary, but are supposed to have travelled here from other localities.  The insect world is very well represented, and only kept in check by birds which prey on them.  Scorpions, centipedes and spiders abound, whilst beetles of various colours are more admired at a distance than for their value ; fire flies are also visible at night, especially in close and rainy weather.  Fruit is liable to attacks from insect pests, some of which bore to its interior with great persistency.  Among the finny tribes, rock cod and kingfish claim pre-eminence in size.  They are plentiful at certain seasons, as are also mullet, which come into the estuaries and rivers from the sea and are captured and brought for sale to Maryborough by aborigines or adventurous fishermen.  Rock oysters abound in the mangrove lined inlets of Hervey’s and Tin Can bays, and all other sea delicacies are plentiful.  The whole of this trade and conservation of our fisheries is under supervision of Captain Boult, a gentleman of large experience in piscatorial matters, and well fitted for the office . . . “

Timber Industry – affect on the Landscape

” . . . Among special industries, the timber trade occupies a prominent place, and from the day the first settlers arrived to the present time, the felling of trees for various purposes has gone on uninterruptedly.  Millions of feet of timber have not only been shipped to other parts, but both Burnett and Wide Bay have absorbed and utilised a like quantity, so that the vast forests have been gradually thinned of the best trees, and we must now wither use the residue left or wait patiently the growth of others suitable for out purposes.

In a bygone day both open forest and a dense jungle furnished useful timers, either for strength, utility, or ornament.  Cedar, the most valuable of Australian woods, was once abundant, but is now getting scarce ; the grevillea, or silky oak, useful for casks, has disappeared, and many of the valuable scrub timbers have been exterminated in the process of clearing the land for agriculture . . . “

Flora

” . . . The inlets of the coasts and banks of the tidal rivers are fringed with mangrove, avicennia, and other shore plants, among which is the ill reputed exoecaria, an euphorbacious shrub, whose milky juice is used by some Oceanic tribes to poison their arrows, the least would from which is said to prove fatal.

Paperbark Tree (Melaleuca leucadendra)

Paperbark Tree (Melaleuca leucadendra)

Inland the waters are fringed with hibiscus aegiceras ; Moreton Bay chestnut, with it pendant laburnum-like foliage and flame-coloured blossom ; aromatic melaleucas, with white, pink, or crimson flowers, and paper-like bark, and brilliant eugenias rich and glossy in the sunlight, aiding in blending in one vast picture all the shades or pink, scarlet, gold and green.  The lowland pastures are spangled in their season with hundreds of pretty orchids, lillies, blue-bells, ranunculus, vetches, and wild indigo ; whilst in the shade of secluded dells tree-ferns spread their graceful fronds, and the noble corypha and Kentia palms rear high their feathery heads, and impart a tropical character to the landscape.  Near the sea coast associating with zamias and cycads, Banksias, casuarinas and epachrids, the Screw Pine of Pandanus rises high and matures its large cones of scarlet fruit.  Native fruits of several species occur in and on the borders of the scrub, and among these are the wild lime, the native guava, the Owenia or sweet plum, papaw, the carissa, or “cream Fruit,” physalis or winter cherry.  In the hill scrubs, the Delabechea or “bottle-tree” of the stercliaceous order, remarkable for its bulging trunk, softness of wood, abundance of sap, and edible farina in its cells, flourishes.  Here also numerous species of wild figs yield abundance of milky juice which becomes an elastic gum on hardening.  The araucarinas, dammaras, and podocarpus, or pines, abound in Turpentine, which exudes from the bark wherever wounded, and collects in masses at the lower part of the trunk.  Sarsaparilla from the similax plant abounds, whilst in the deeper recesses of the jungle gay coloured epiphytes cluster on to the lina-bound trunks, and the “staghorn” and “bird’s nest” ferns add a grace and charm to the world of natural curiosities of the spot where the calymus or creeping-palm flings its festoons from branch to branch, and furnishes a much -prized material for walking-canes or whip sticks.  On the poorer uplands the acacia is prominent and supplies valuable tannin material, whilst the bitter gum resin of some eucalypti has a high medicinal value.  Probably as time goes on this and other products of the vegetable kingdom will prove important articles of commerce . . . “

Source:  Excerpts – “The History of Maryborough and Wide Bay & Burnett Districts from the Year 1850 to 1895” – by George E. Loyau – published 1897 – pp 45-54

View other important events in Queensland’s History . . .

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