QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Bribie

Island

Commander Norman Pixley some years ago in a paper to the Royal Historical Society of Queensland quoted a press cutting describing how, “On April 22, 1901, which happened to be a Sunday, the astonishing sight of a large sailing ship making a series of short tacks up the river. It proved to be the Pass of Balmaha , inward bound from Liverpool. “Pilot Helsdon had taken charge of her in the Bay, but, as Captain Scougall was unable to secure a tug on what he thought were reasonable terms and the wind was favourable, it was agreed that the pilot should sail the ship up. By clever manoeuvering and prompt carrying out of orders by the crew, it was not until Norman Creek was abeam that a small steamer was engaged to assist the ship around Petrie’s Bight and moor to a buoy in the Gardens Reach.” The Pass of Balmaha subsequently achieved fame as First World War German raider Seeadler under Count von Luckner. – Joshua Peter Bell, ‘Moreton Bay and how to fathom it’ The Count returned in 1938, during a lecture tour of Australia, attending the 55th anniversary dinner at the Brisbane German Club, then travelling the state for several weeks and giving speeches at more than one dozen centres from Southport to Innisfail.

Cape Moreton

Caboolture

Moreton

Moreton Island

Redcliffe

Bay

South Passage

Peel Island

BRISBANE

Dunwich

RIVER MOUTH ENLARGEMENT BELOW

Cleveland

Brisbane River

IPSWICH

Logan River

Steiglitz

Stradbroke Island

Southport

Pile Light (later, Quarantine anchorage)

First Bar Cutting

West Channel

Entrance Channel (second bar cutting)

Period picture of the Pass of Balmaha – as a raider, she captured no less than 16 ships in the first nine months of 1917 before being wrecked on Mopelia in the Society Islands in the South Pacific

Bishop Island

Luggage Point

20th century port of brisbane

Fisherman Islands

The Boat Passage

Pinkenba

Lytton

Pinkenba wharf

reclaimed

Pinkenba railway

Wynnum

Natives waded across river here Parker Island

Hamilton

Gibson Island

later reclaimed

land

Breakfast Creek

Background: In its lower reaches, the Brisbane River was a wide, shallow and serpentine waterway, with several swampy tributaries and many shoals; this graphic shows something of its evolution and taming, and how the alluvial plume of mud and mangroves at its mouth denied access to all but the shallowest-draft vessels until dredging opened the way. Inset left: North Brisbane in 1888, looking downriver from above South Brisbane towards Moreton Bay,

reclaimed

“Eagle Farm flats”

Bulimba

Bulimba Creek

NORTH BRISBANE

New

Farm

Cleveland railway

17

Norman Creek