It sold for sixpence and was read from Gayndah in the west and Childers in the north to Gympie in the south.

In 1863, Buzacott sold his interests to William Swain Roberts and Joseph Robinson, who set out to "reflect the community's wants and opinions while boldly and distinctly enunciating our own views".

[citation needed] As the rough river town turned into a respectable city, its newspaper became a bi-weekly in 1864, a tri-weekly in 1868 and a daily in 1882.

"[citation needed] Circulation growth brought the price down to twopence in 1901 and a penny in 1903.

In 1966 the paper's format changed from broadsheet to tabloid and in 1977 it moved to offset printing.