Tom Petrie

USC60_0001
...I am indebted to many source for data for these notes, including Captain Cook's and Matthew Flinder's journals. "Tom Petrie's Reminiscenes" by Constance Petrie (1904),...

USC60_0005
...was founded in 1848 near Baddow. In 1862, when Maryborough consisted of a fewJ houses, Tom Petrie successfully explored Fraser Island, Tin Can Bay area and the Susan River, seeking timber with Pettigrew, who, with Sims, established the Dundathu Mill that year and by about 1863 started to raft kauri logs from Fraser Island.

USC60_0011
I am indebted to many source for data for these notes, including Captain Cook's and Matthew Flinder's journals. "Tom Petrie's Reminiscenes" by Constance Petrie (1904),...

USC60_0013
Under the Director of Forests, the late Deputy Forester Walter Petrie ( then a Forest Ranger), a grandson of Andrew and son of Tom, established the first Forestry Department camp in February 1913, on Bogimbah Creek, where the Mitchells had their camp 3O years earlier.

USC281_0005
In 1862, two years after Fraser Island was declared an aboriginal reserve Tom Petrie, son of Andrew, together with Pettigrew explored Fraser Island.

USC295_0002
Twenty years later in 1862, Andrew's son Tom Petrie a timber pioneer, explored Fraser Island, Tin Can Bay and The Susan River with Pettigrew, who started a sawmill at Dundathu, and who milled the first Kauri Pine logs to be brought from Fraser Island in 1863. However, although Tom Petrie did not sustain an interest in Fraser Island, his son Walter Petrie did move
to Fraser Island 50 years later to establish the first permanent Forestry operations.

USC295_0008
[Note this entry refers to Tom Petrie Jnr.]
One Sunday while we were still at Bogimbah, Mum had gone for a ride, leaving my brother and I in the care of our Father. My brother Tom decapitated my finger. He half carried me and my finger down to where dad was.

USC295_0010
[Note this entry refers to Tom Petrie Jnr.]
Talking of the buggy at night, returning from Indian Head, Dad, Brother, Moncher and myself, brother and I riding, Dad driving buggy - the night was so dark coming through Eurong Scrub and and the track was not over wide - I was riding a grey mare and Tom was wearing a white shirt, by riding one on each wheel track directly in front of the buggy and because the horses were both dark coloured and not discernible in the dark, Dad could see my horse and Tom's shirt and so keep a safe course.
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Dad realised that if it fell we would have to stay the night and cut a way 'round so he told Tom and I to apply spurs and gallop past and wait for him. This we did and it could only have been half a minute after Dad reached us there was a spectacular demonstration of fireworks as the whole bole collapsed and squeezed out millions of sparks of various sizes as it tumbed and rolled and pounded
to a great glowing heap.

USC313_0003
Twenty years after his father's visit, Tom Petrie was persuaded by the timber entrepreneur William Pettigrew to accompany him to Fraser Island and assess its timber resources . Petrie enlisted the assistance of two Aboriginal guides, Dal-ngang and Kerwalli.

USC617_0002
Always on the lookout for fresh woods and pastures new he was tantalised by Andrew Petrie's stories of the wonderlul timber on Fraser. In 1862 he persuaded Petrie's son, Tom, to take him to the island to survey the timber.