While it may no longer “sparkle out among the fern” and the feelings it inspires are generally somewhat ambivalent, historically, our dear old Cabbage Tree Creek has witnessed some interesting occurrences.
The banks of the creek – densely vegetated with rough scrub – provided a haven for all manner of malefactors. In 1862, nine sailors deserted from the Chatsworth and made for Sandgate, where they dispersed. Two of them, though, made for the creek whence they were pursued and apprehended by one Sergeant McDonald, who promptly conveyed them to the Sandgate lock-up.
Another scoundrel who sought refuge at the creek was a Charles McBen who, as reported by the Brisbane Courier in 1871, had been wandering about in the neighbourhood of Cabbage Tree Creek “committing various petty robberies”. This life of crime was evidently hardly lucrative: when arrested, “his clothing was very scant, his principal covering being an old bag”.
The creek was the scene of a number of mishaps. In 1881, an adventurous couple, Mr and Mrs Overland, attempted to cross from Nudgee Beach to Sandgate by driving their buggy “across the mouth of Cabbage Tree Creek”. Unsurprisingly, this enterprise did not end well. Their horse slipped and drowned in the middle of the channel, and they would have met the same fate but for the prompt action of Mr Baxter, who was fishing nearby and rowed out to rescue them.
Frequenters and residents of the creek’s environs were mindful of its physical dangers – shark attack, drowning and flooding were all experienced during Sandgate’s early years – but what of the moral perils? In 1884, an outraged citizen reported to the Brisbane Courier “a scandalous breach of the commonest laws of decency”. It seems that a “beast”, who “might have been mistaken for a gentleman”, walked to the end of the Cabbage Tree Creek jetty and “deliberately undressed and bathed”; this despite the presence of “a lady and her servant and children”.
Not many these days would swim in it – naked or otherwise – or attempt to drive across it, but it is diverting to recall the days when Cabbage Tree Creek was sufficiently inviting to do both.
Read more stories from the Sandgate Guide print magazine here:
- Bramble Buzz: Updates from the Community
- Movie Review: German Film Festival
- Podcast Review: Uncanny
- Permission to Be Rubbish
- Protect Your Information Before You Share It
- Can You Help Keep Sandgate Beautiful Association (KSBA)?
- Interest Rates Went Up… Now What?
- New Campaign Unveiled To Shape Sandgate’s Future
- Arthouse Northside Finds New Home In Sandgate Village
- Local Artist Unveils First Solo Exhibition
- Bayside Divas Bring Fire, Water, Wind…and Harmony
- Brighton Foreshore Gets Facelift
- Local Favourite Dublin Rose Drops Long-Awaited Debut Album
- Issy and Emily Inspire Community Through Interview Project
- Meet the Local Sculptor Shaping Steel by the Bay
- Local Threads: Do You Have a Signature Style — And Why Does It Matter?
- Mini Enthusiasts Unite For London 2 Brighton Run
- Sandgate High Opens Doors to Young Musicians
- Granny Smith Muffins Recipe
- Art at The Heart of School Community
- Sounds of Soul Brings The Groove To Cardigan Bar
- Do Increasing Prices Mean Less Fun?
- Timeless Duets Concert Celebrates Musical Favourites
- Womenspace Launch Showcases Powerful Symbols of Belonging
- Fish of the Month
- Organic Gardening in May
- Kumbartcho Sanctuary Offers Nature, Education and Family Fun
