Cleveland
Historic suburb of Brisbane and a major access point to Stradbroke Island.
Cleveland is really an outer bay-side suburb of Brisbane. Located only 26 km south-east of the Brisbane city centre and 10 m above sea-level, its interest lies in the fact that, in the 1840s, it was promoted as a possible future capital and main port for Queensland. The story goes that, in 1842, Governor Sir George Gipps sailed to Moreton Bay to make a decision on the location of the future capital of Queensland.

There had been some resistance to the site of Brisbane because it had been a closed penal colony for so long and the convict associations were regarded as undesirable for a new capital. Many people thought that Cleveland, which was on Moreton Bay rather than the Brisbane River, would be ideal. It is claimed that Gipps leapt from his boat and sank up to his waist in the muddy tidal flats. So irritated was he by this that he decided on Brisbane as the major port and suggested Ipswich (then known as Limestone) as the future capital of the colony. It was declared a township in 1850.

The Cleveland area was named by Captain James Cook in 1770. It is unclear whether he was honouring the Duke of Cleveland or John Cleveland, then secretary of the admiralty.

Cleveland is the main access point for ferries to North Stradbroke Island. To the south is Redland Bay which is the starting point for ferry services across to Macleay, Lamb, Russell and Karragarra Islands. A market garden area, Redland Shire hosts a strawberry festival on the first weekend in September.

Things to see:  

Historical Buildings
There are a number of historical buildings in the area which date back to the 1850s and 1860s when Cleveland was still an important and separate centre.

The Cleveland Lighthouse, an unusual hexagonal wooden building which was constructed in 1864, served the area for 110 years before modern technology saw it replaced. In 1969 it became one of the first places in Australia to experiment with laser lights. It now stands at Cleveland Point Reserve as a reminder of the area's aspirations towards being the chief port for the entire Brisbane area.

The old courthouse in Paxton Street dates back to 1853 when it was built by Commissioner Francis Bigge as a house for his timbercutters. It was subsequently used as a police station and a courthouse. Today it is a restaurant.

The Grandview Hotel in North Street was also built by Commissioner Bigge. Completed in 1849 and previously known as 'Bigge's Folly', it has recently been restored as a hotel and is one of a number of establishments laying claim to being Queensland's oldest licensed hotel.

The Redland Museum
Located in the Cleveland Showground, at 60 Smith Street, this is a typical local folk museum with endless displays of unusual memorabilia ranging from dolls, old typewriters, antique furniture and displays of lace to an old Model T Ford, a Cobb & Co coach and interesting historical photographs. Phone (07) 3286 3494 for more details.

Ormiston House
To the north, in Ormiston, is the superb Ormiston House (located in Wellington Street) which was established around 1862 to replace an even earlier (1853) slab and pit-sawn cedar residence. It was built for Captain Louis Hope who took up 700 hectares of land in the Redland shire in 1853. Said to have been the first to commercially exploit sugar cane in Queensland he brought Scottish labourers to Australia to make the bricks. The house uses local cedar extensively. The Ormiston House Restoration Committee have managed to recreate the house much as it was in the nineteenth century. Set in a magnificent garden, it is open on Sundays from 1.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. between March and November. For more details contact (07) 3286 1425.

	Tourist Information
	Redland Shire Visitor Information Centre Shop 1A, Raby Bay Harbour 152 Shore St West Cleveland QLD 4000 Telephone: 1300 667 386 Facsimile: (07) 3821 3875
	Motels
	Cleveland Bay-Air Motel 220 Middle St Cleveland QLD 4163 Telephone: (07) 3286 2488 Rating: **
	Cleveland Motor Inn Horatio & Gordon St Ormiston Cleveland QLD 4160 Telephone: (07) 3286 3911 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	Cleveland Sands Hotel Middle St Cleveland QLD 4163 Telephone: (07) 3286 4682
	Grandview Hotel North St Cleveland QLD 4163 Telephone: (07) 3286 1002
	Apartments
	Cleveland Visitor Villas Bayside Holiday Apartments 214 Bloomfield St Cleveland QLD 4163 Telephone: (07) 3286 5756 Facsimile: (07) 3821 4169
	Restaurants
	Beaches A-La-Carte Restaurant 91 Middle St Cleveland QLD 4163 Telephone: (07) 3286 5050
	Court House Restaurant 1 Paxton St Cleveland QLD 4163 Telephone: (07) 3286 1386
	Grand Verandah Restaurant North St Cleveland QLD 4163 Telephone: (07) 3286 1002
	Lighthouse Waterfront Restaurant 237 Shore St Cleveland QLD 4163 Telephone: (07) 3286 5555