Myrtletown, Queensland

Myrtletown is a former town and now industrial neighbourhood within the suburb of Pinkenba, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.[1]

Map showing Myrtle (later Myrtletown), 1889

Geography

In the north of Pinkenba, it is situated near the northern bank of the mouth of the Brisbane River. The north-easternmost point of Myrtletown at the mouth of the Brisbane River is Luggage Point (also called Uniacke Point) at (27.3781°S 153.1597°E / -27.3781; 153.1597 (Lugguage Point)).[2]

Boggy Creek enters the Brisbane River at 27.3956°S 153.1403°E / -27.3956; 153.1403 (Boggy Creek).[3]

History
Myrtletown State School, 1928

The area was originally known as Boggy Creek after the creek of the same name. The name Myrtletown derives from a prominent grove of myrtle trees, which had disappeared by 1928.[4]

Luggage Point

Luggage Point was named Uniacke Point by John Oxley during his exploration of the Brisbane River in the HM Colonial Cutter Mermaid in December 1823. The point was named after John Fitzgerald Uniacke (1798-1825) who was a naturalist and ornithologist on the expedition.[2][5] However, by 1839, it was known both as Luggage Point and Uniacke Point.[6] The name Luggage Point derives from the practice of off-loading luggage at the point to enable ships to cross the bar at the mouth of the Brisbane River (no longer present due to dredging). The luggage would be transferred up river separately.

Luggage Point Wastewater Treatment Plant (which has been renamed the Luggage Point Resource Recovery Centre) is the site for the main sewerage outfall for Brisbane.[7]

Land use and development

Initially used only for fishing and gathering oysters, John Chapman established a farm in the area circa 1881. By 1928 it had developed within a town centre surrounded by about 200 acres (81 ha) of farmland, with approximately 250 people living in the area. The layout of the town can be seen in an 1889 map.[8] Many of the residents were descended from the early settler families of Chapman, Allnutt, Wenzel and Naumann. The farming consisted of orchards, banana plantations, vineyards (growing Black Hamburg grapes) and market gardens (growing tomatoes, beans, cabbages and cauliflowers). Prawns and fish were obtained from Boggy Creek.[4]

Residents began lobbying for a local school in 1922.[9] Myrtletown State School opened in 1924 and closed on 19 February 1971. It occupied the northern part of the block bounded by Main Beach Road, School Road (now Lewandowski Drive) and Sandmere Street (27.3893°S 153.1412°E / -27.3893; 153.1412 (Myrtetown State School)).[10][11][12][13]

As at 1928, the town had a Methodist church but no post office. There were 3 or 4 omnibus services to Brisbane each day.[4]

Brisbane's sewerage treatment plant was located at Luggage Point (and continues in that location to the present day) and was serviced by a tramway.[4]

Formerly a semi-rural residential area, the construction of the Brisbane Airport at nearby Cribb Island caused most residents to leave. The area has become increasingly industrial ever since.

Cruise ship terminal

The cruise ship terminal at Portside Wharf at Hamilton was completed in 2006; however, due to the height restrictions of the Gateway Bridge and length restriction of 270 metres (890 ft) that far upstream, the new Brisbane International Cruise Terminal was opened in June 2022, causing the Portside Wharf terminal to close.[14] The new terminal is able to accommodate the largest cruise vessels in the world and is located at 27.3811°S 153.1542°E / -27.3811; 153.1542 (Brisbane International Cruise Terminal) on the northern bank of the Brisbane River in Pinkenba, opposite the Port of Brisbane and next to the Luggage Point Wastewater Treatment Plant (which has been renamed the Luggage Point Resource Recovery Centre). It is operated by the Port of Brisbane but is not part of the suburb of Port of Brisbane.[15]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Myrtletown, Queensland.
  1. "Myrtletown – neighbourhood in Pinkenba in the City of Brisbane (entry 23746)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  2. "Luggage Point – point in City of Brisbane (entry 20250)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  3. "Boggy Creek – watercourse in the City of Brisbane (entry 3458)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  4. "FERTILE MYRTLETOWN". The Brisbane Courier. Queensland, Australia. 18 August 1928. p. 11. Retrieved 11 March 2020 – via Trove.
  5. Steele, John Gladstone (1970), Pamphlet, Uniacke and Field (PDF), retrieved 11 March 2020
  6. Dixon, Robert (26 June 1839). Survey of the Brisbane River (M10761).
  7. Roberts, Beryl (2013). Naming Brisbane: Origins of Brisbane's Suburb & Locality Names. p. 59. ISBN 9780987231529.
  8. "Brisbane River Improvements sheet 2". Queensland Government (Map). 1889. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  9. "MYRTLETOWN WANTS SCHOOL". Daily Standard. Queensland, Australia. 14 October 1922. p. 10. Retrieved 11 March 2020 – via Trove.
  10. Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  11. "Cadastral map of Queensland Twenty Chain (1:15840) series sheet 2532 displaying real property information; majority of road names and Administrative Areas including Parish and County". Queensland Government. 1959. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  12. "Cadastral map of Queensland Twenty Chain (1:15840) series sheet 2532 displaying real property information; majority of road names and Administrative Areas including Parish and County". Queensland Government. 1959. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  13. Opening and Closing Dates of Queensland Schools Archived 18 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Education Queensland, retrieved May 19, 2007
  14. Moore, Tony. "Bon voyage for Portside Hamilton as Brisbane's cruise ship terminal". Brisbane Times. Brisbane Times. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  15. "Brisbane International Cruise Terminal". Port of Brisbane. Archived from the original on 4 January 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.

27°24′S 153°08′E

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