Moreton Bay Penal Settlement
[1] The Moreton Bay Penal Settlement was established on the Redcliffe Peninsula on Moreton Bay in September 1824, under the instructions of John Oxley that a suitable location would be "easy of access, difficult to escape from, and hard to attack; furthermore, it should be near fresh water and contain three hundred acres for cultivation".
The group of convicts and soldiers were led by Captain Henry Miller, the first commandant, who established the first European settlement in what later became the colony of Queensland.
The settlement was meant to be a harsh punishment for those who committed another crime, a secondary or colonial offence after having been transported for what was already seen as a serious illegal act.
The settlers faced hardship and privation and the paucity of resources combined with thick sub-tropical vegetation made settlement difficult.
[1] The site of Brisbane Town was an ongoing issue, with Commandant Patrick Logan proposing that the settlement be moved to Stradbroke Island.
Logan continued to seek alternative sites, establishing a number of outstations including Eagle Farm and Oxley Creek.
[1][6]: 48 The Moreton Bay Penal Settlement during its 15 years of operation consisted of a range of buildings including barracks for convicts and troops, officers' quarters, dwellings for the Commandant, chaplain, Commissariat officer, surgeon, Commandant's clerk and engineer, a military and convict hospital, the Commissariat Store, and various stores, barns and sheds.
[1] The Commandant's cottage was constructed in 1825 on the site of the old Queensland Government Printing Office building (now the Public Service Club between William and George Streets.
The first prisoner accommodation also consisted of slab huts, probably at the intersection of Queen and Albert Streets; stone barracks were constructed in 1829.
The main thoroughfare into the settlement was up the steep river bank following the present day alignment of Queen's Wharf Road.
[8]: illustration 59 Pedestrians were able to enter the settlement through the vacant land immediately northwest of the Commissariat Store, in what is today known as Miller Park.
The garden was under the charge of the Superintendent of Agriculture and produced a wide range of vegetables including cabbage, cauliflower, peas, beans, potatoes and pumpkins, as well as fruit trees and plants such as banana, pineapple, citrus, and apple.
[1][8]: illustration 129 The new Commissariat Store, Brisbane was constructed in 1828 and 1829, on its site between present day William Street and Queens Wharf Road.
The two story utilitarian building was constructed of local porphyry and sandstone, with its ground and second floor doors opening towards the river and the wharf.
[1] One of the major thoroughfares of the settlement, taken by Allan Cunningham in his 1829 survey, ran along the rear of the Prisoners' Barracks towards a pathway up to the windmill tower and to the Kangaroo Point Road.
[1] The commandants of the penal settlement were:[22] NSW State Archives and Records and State Library of Queensland provide access to the Index to the papers of the New South Wales Colonial Secretary 1788-1825 and the Colonial Secretary's letters received relating to Moreton Bay and Queensland 1822-1860.
