Redcliffe
Interesting historic settlement in Brisbane's northern suburbs.
Redcliffe wasonce a small seaside retreat 40 km north of Brisbane. When the Hornibrook and Houghton Highways linked Brighton, an outer Brisbane suburb, to the Redcliffe peninsula, then Redcliffe became much more accessible and grew as part of Brisbane's suburban sprawl.

The area was first visited by Matthew Flinders in July 1799. He spent 15 days in Moreton Bay, landed and named Red Cliff Point on 17 July. It was not until 1823 that John Oxley, on instructions from Governor Brisbane to find a suitable place for a northern convict outpost, visited Moreton Bay. It was on Oxley's recommendation that Red Cliff Point was chosen for the penal colony.

On 24 September that same year the brig Amity brought officials, soldiers, their wives and children, and 29 convicts to Redcliffe. Three children, the first European children born in Queensland, were born in September and November 1824.

The settlement progressed well with temporary huts being built for the soldiers, their wives and children, and the convicts. Gardens were dug and vegetables planted. However the death of Felix O'Neill in March 1825 combined with Aboriginal attacks, hordes of mosquitoes and the lack of safe anchorage facilities, led to the settlement being moved in the middle of 1825 from Redcliffe to the banks of the Brisbane River.

A few buildings were left standing at Redcliffe and it is claimed that the local Aborigines, with a rather nice sense of irony, called the houses 'oompie bong' meaning 'dead house'. The name stuck and the Anglicised 'humpybong' was applied to the whole of the Redcliffe Peninsula.

During the short life of the convict settlement a store, prisoners barracks, a kitchen, well, whipping post (no good convict settlement could be without one), gaol, guard room, brick kiln, soldiers barracks and commandant's house were all constructed. The stores and the main landing place were located where the Redcliffe Jetty now juts out into Moreton Bay. More details on the early history are contained in the excellent Redcliffe 1824 and Matthew Flinders in Moreton Bay 1799 both of which are available from the Redcliffe Museum.

It was not until the early 1860s that the Redcliffe area was opened up for agricultural purposes. Over the next 70 years it grew slowly. The first school was opened in 1876, hotels were built at Woody Point, Redcliffe and Scarborough in the 1880s, the Woody Point Jetty was completed in 1881, the Redcliffe jetty and Post Office were built in 1885 and Garnet & Natone's steamers from Brisbane started a regular service in the 1880s.

In 1908 a publication the Souvenir of Humpybong (it can be obtained from the Redcliffe Historical Society) sang the praises of the peninsula: 'The exhilarating climatic conditions of Redcliffe, Woody Point and Scarborough cannot be too highly praised. They are little paradises set in the silver sea, where you can breathe God's glorious oxygen and thrill with delight to be alive.

'Excellent as summer resorts, their chief attractions are their beautiful mild winters...those who desire a change of scene and who are in search of health and renewed youth to visit Humpybong and sojourn there at all seasons of the year.'

Redcliffe remained an isolated retreat until 1935 when one of the engineering marvels of Queensland, the Hornibrook Highway, was built. The Hornibrook Highway stretches 2.74 km across the mouth of the Pine River and Hay's Inlet and is the longest road bridge in Australia. It linked Redcliffe to Brisbane and, particularly after World War II, was instrumental in the rapid growth of the Redcliffe area. By 1969 some 20 300 vehicles were using the bridge every day and with a single lane either way just one breakdown caused chaos. Consequently in 1974 it was decided to build a second bridge. It was completed in 1979. It has 99 spans and a total of 400 beams. The longest pile was driven 38 metres before reaching sandstone.

Today Redcliffe is one of the popular outer city beachside retreats for Brisbane residents. It is pleasant and thriving centre which officially became a city in 1959.

Things to see:  

The Redcliffe Museum
Central to any understanding of the peninsula and its history is a visit to Redcliffe Museum which is located at 75 Anzac Ave, south of Redcliffe Point, in the former Sacred Heart Catholic Church building. Their brochure states:

'Through multimedia and object-based exhibitions, visitors are able to learn not only about the Peninsula's past, but also about the character of Redcliffe as it is today. In the Museum's Jetty Gallery, a revolving program of new exhibitions are presented to the public. This gallery is an historic relic itself, with its central wall being made from a section of the old Redcliffe Jetty demolished in 1999. The centrepiece of the Museum, the Spectravision Theatre, utilises unique technology that allows three-dimensional figures to interact with genuine historical objects. It satrs local Ningy Ningy songwoman Maroochy Barambah and prominent Redcliffe actor William McInnes.'

It is open Tuesdays to Sunday, 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. and most public holidays. Entry is free and the facilities are air-conditioned. For further information contact (07) 3883 1898.

Heritage Walk
They have also developed an excellent 'Heritage Walk' which starts at the Museum and includes a number of interesting buildings (Sutton House, the Redcliffe Jetty and the old Redcliffe Hotel - now the Ambassador Hotel) as well as the sites of the original penal colony. The walk includes the locations of the brick kiln, the Commandants House, and the Commissariat Store. Although all have disappeared it is still fascinating to stand where once a few soldiers and convicts attempted to establish a new settlement and to marvel at what has occurred in the past 170 years.

An excellent interpretive booklet which looks at the underlying politics of the establishment of the penal colony at Redcliffe titled Redcliffe's Origins is also available from the Historical Society.

	Tourist Information
	Redcliffe Visitor Information Centre Hornibrook Esplanade Clontarf Redcliffe QLD 4020 Telephone: 1800 659 500
	Motels
	Waltzing Matilda Motel 109 Margate Pde Redcliffe QLD 4020 Telephone: (07) 3284 5171 Rating: **
	Hotels
	Hotel Ambassadors 41 Redcliffe Pde Redcliffe QLD 4020 Telephone: (07) 3284 6427 Facsimile: (07) 3284 2814
	Moreton Bay Hotel 75 Redcliffe Pde Redcliffe QLD 4020 Telephone: (07) 3284 2319
	Redcliffe Hotel Marine Pde Redcliffe QLD 4020 Telephone: (07) 3284 2281 Rating: **
	Caravan Parks
	Boat Harbour Caravan Park Reef Point Esp Scarborough Redcliffe QLD 4020 Telephone: (07) 3203 8868 Rating: **
	Camping & Other
	Castles Home Hospitality 74 Albert St Margate Redcliffe QLD 4020 Telephone: (07) 3889 5032
	Restaurants
	Beetson's Restaurant Cnr Klingner & Ashmole Rds Redcliffe QLD 4020 Telephone: (07) 3203 7333
	China Corner Restaurant Redcliffe Pde Redcliffe QLD 4020 Telephone: (07) 3283 4244
	Jetty Espresso Cafeteria 155 Redcliffe Pde Redcliffe QLD 4020 Telephone: (07) 3284 2986
	Marcello's Restaurant & Coffee Lounge Redcliffe Pde Redcliffe QLD 4020 Telephone: (07) 3284 2312
	Pacers Restaurant Percy St Redcliffe QLD 4020 Telephone: (07) 3284 4550
	Spud Mulligan's 99 Redcliffe Pde Redcliffe QLD 4020 Telephone: (07) 3889 3199
	Cafés
	Lotus Cafe 107 Anzac Ave Redcliffe QLD 4020 Telephone: (07) 3284 3982