Bogimbah

USC21_0003
During the six months, in 1903, Captain and Mrs. Kent were in charge of Fraser Island Mission Reserve, with an average number of about 150 blacks of mixed sexes and ages, there was only one death (an old woman who died of old age). When that place was broken up, the majority of the blacks were taken to Yarrabah, in the North, at which place there have been very few deaths.

USC21_0008
"During the six months, in 1903, Capt. and Mrs Kent were in charge of Fraser Is. Mission Reserve, with an average number of about 150 blacks of mixed sexes and ages, there was only one...

USC60_0012
After the turn of the century - in 1905 - the big stands of Tallowwood and Blackbutt in the Poyungan and Bogimmbah Creeks area were tapped by Wilson, Hart & Co's steam tramline and punted to the stills and this magnificent stand lasted till a couple of years before World War 1, even though nearly three million super feet were logged annually for Hyne & Son and Wilson, Hart & Co.

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.

USC60_0015
The island ,was proclaimed and Aboriginal Reserve about 1860 and its aborigines are said to have totalled between 2,000 and 3,000 in 1850, but these figures are probably rather high estimates. be that as it may, it is a fact that by 1897 there were only 300 who remained and who had been gathered together at a mission, first by
Archie Meston, at Bogimbah about 1894, and later under Anglican Rev. E. Fuller, though it appears that they first occupied a site near Quarantine Station, where it was found that they were too subject to the corrupting influence of ships' crews from whom they obtained alcohol and opium.

USC60_0016
Bogimbah - Home of Homeland
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Apart from the Forestry Settlement at Woongoolver and Forestry camps the only permanent residents are the lightkeepers at Sandy Cape and Hook Point, and a cottage at the old abandoned cable house tested at Bogimbah.

USC91_0014
Research work indicates that some of the vast flow of the freshwater creeks can be tapped close to the littoral zone without any serious impact. Bogimbah Creek has been investigated as a source of water for the City of Hervey Bay. This matter should be seriously considered as a future option.

USC184_0004
S.J.: That's on the tramline. Yes, well there was, one time, a bloke by the name of Selke )???) He used to pull up at Poyungan Creek, and old Hector Buchan (????) do you know where the Forestry House was then?
John: There was one down near the mouth of Woolgoolvber Creek, no, one at Bogimbah Creek.

USC295_0002
In this installment 'Rollo recalls some of the aborigines he remembers (as a boy) at Bogimbah, where his father established the Deepuying Camp only 8 years after the Mission Station about five miles downstream had closed ROLLO PETRIE'S REMINISCENCES History shows blacks who had been herded on Fraser Island first by Protector of Aborigines, Archibald Meston, and his son Harrold and later by several missionaries, were rounded up with help of Native Police and shipped to the mainland to various settlements. This was done after the majority of blacks in the settlement at Bogimbah had died of malnutrition, disease and violence. After forming the Bogimbah Penal Settlement, Meston collected blacks from the mainland whenever they were deemed undesirable by the whites. They were brought from afar and near and, of course were tribal enemies. Apparently Meston thought the will of the waddy would cure all differences, poor fool. He handed over to missionaries of three different denominations. Some only stayed a short time, I feel. One in particular was responsible for the large death rate and misery towards the closing chapters of the settlement. They were unscrupulous, cruel and dominating. When blacks were taken away, some escaped, some jumped into water etc., but in 1913 a small camp lived in Bogimbah from there some followed us down to Woongoolbva.

USC295_0004
[Picture Photograph of Rollo Petrie]
Rollo Petrie (above), inspecting the ol
Deepuying Nursery which his father established i
1913, only 8 kilometres from the old Bogimba
aboriginal "mission" during the Easter Safar

USC295_0007
ROLLO PETRIE REMEMBERS THE FIRST TWO YEARS AT DEEPUYING CAMP BOGIMBAH 1914-15

Continuing the remminiscences of Rollo Petrie whose family has had a 130 year association with Fraser Island from MOONBI 41. [left column] In 1913 Dad went over there ahead of us. He was there for some months before we kids joined him. That was at Bogimbah Creek.

Dad took with him two cadets, a fellow named Epps and a fellow named Gagen. The three of them carried on there for the first twelve months or there-abouts on their own. They did everything. They cleared the scrub, and they formed the nursery before they had any other employees.

The traces of the old Bogimbah nursery are still there.
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Mum was one of only two white women on Fraser Island at that time. The other woman was Mrs. Pat Seery. Pat and Mrs. Seery were at the telephone station near the mouth of Bogimbah Creek to the mainland underwater and to the Sandy Cape Lighthouse. The lived over five miles from us.
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We built in Bogimbah as in Woongoolvber [ba?? print missing] dwellings to begin with, and then in Bogimbah [??] transferred to a bark dwelling with a wooden floor. As we were not there long we didn't get a house but at Woongoolvber there was a house organised, [??] "Bark Gunyah" as we called it. It had a long narrow wooden floor and the beds (some of them) we suspended by wire from the ceiling.

USC295_0008
The forestry operation at Depuying was formed near the edge of the rainforest scrub. Clearing for the nursery in the carol scrub and on the bank of Bogimbah Creek. Trees of many varieties were raised in the nursery and planted in areas cleared for the purpose. The remains of the nursery are still to be seen with interesting results of growth caused by varying shade conditions over sixty years.

Some forty years or more earlier a forestry venture further up Bogimbah Creek was made by the Mitchell Brothers but with little success. There were some very fine natural stands, and the timber cutting and culling was in progress in the 1860's. Patric Seery took bullocks to the island in 1868, and O'Hara sometime later took over a horseteam. O'Hara paid black labour at the rate of one hand full of maize (horsefeed) per man per day. They were satisfied but of course Bob Hawke was not born then.

A small camp of blacks was at Bogimbah at that time. The blacks were moved from Fraser Island in 1905. However some few managed to remain and I can remember calling at their camp in the company of Fred Epps on one occasion when he took me to meet a boat. On the boat there was a billy goat especially for me. Our party of three had only one horse so I was allowed to ride and Fred led the goat. The goat was killed by dingoes some nights later, so the effort was wasted.
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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. Dad sent Fred for horses, and as Fred went towards the horse paddock Mum came home. She asked Fred what was doing and receiving no reply (Fred just pointed to the camp), she went up to where Dad was and called out to him to find out what was wrong. Dad came to the door and held up one very small, and I guess bloody finger. Of course this was a story without words. I was double backed to the mouth of Bogimbah Creek. Alf Jarvis had the only motor boat at that time and he was in the habit of going up to Maryborough on weekends.
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They were certainly rough times and exciting times spent at the settlement at Bogimbah.

[Photograph] PHOTO CAPTIONS TENT TOWN. Above: A typical forestry camp of tents. Below: "Bark Gunyahs" were still in vogue on Fraser Island in 1940. Both photos by courtesy of Blue Austin. [Photograph]

EDITORS NOTE Although it had been hoped to feature the history of Bogimbah in this MOONBI together with Rollo's recollections space and lack of time for research prevented this from happening.

USC295_0009
"From Bogimbah Dad arranged for the Woongoolbver camp at what we call Orange Tree camp, about two miles, just up Woongoolbver Creek above the tidal mark and into the fresh water. It is about two and a half or two miles I suppose, from the mouth of the creek.
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The tramline was mooted and put in before we left Bogimbah, so that it would be an operative concern timberwise before we went down there.

USC295_0011
Having left the sawmill he went into contracting business whish led him to build a telephone line from Bogimbah to Sandy Cape Lighthouse 1885. He comments on this chapter of his life which brought him into contact with Fraser Island as follows: ...

USC313_0013
[Black and white photograph of logs on land near water]

36. Bogimbah Log Dump, Fraser Island, August 1997.

USC313_0016
Bellart, Hans
Owned dugong rendering works on the site of the Aboriginal mission at Bogimbah.

Cunningham, Joe (1945 -1948; 1958-1973)
Logging contractor. Shifted from Deep Creek to Bogimbah, planted coconut trees (remaining) there, sold out to Andy Postan.

Dempster, George
Took over Bogimbah house.

USC313_0018
Bellart, Hans
Owned dugong rendering works on the site of the Aboriginal mission at Bogimbah.

Cunningham, Joe (1945 -1948; 1958-1973)
Logging contractor. Shifted from Deep Creek to Bogimbah, planted coconut trees (remaining) there, sold out to Andy Postan.

Dempster, George
Took over Bogimbah house.

USC617_0002
In 1908, Fraser Island was declared a forestry reserve and placed under the control of the Forest Service. In 1913 the first forestry camp was established at Bogimbah Creek. It was fitting that the first forest ranger was Walter Petrie, grandson of Andrew Petrie whose first reports of the magnificent timber on the island contributed so much to the settlement of the area.

USC617_0004
[map notation]
1913 Bogimbah Creek First Forestry camp.

USC841_0007
FROM THE HANSARD. TUESDAY, 20th NOVEMBER, 1973 MR. BLAKE M.L.A. (MEMBER FOR ISIS) THE MINISTER FOR MINES-

(1) How many applications for sand-mining 1easeson Fraser Island have not yet been heard in the Mining Warden's Court and what are the respective areas, locations and dates of application for each?
( 2) Why were Certificates of Applications issued for four sandmining lease applications on Fraser Island by Queensland Titanium Mines Pty. Ltd, for 1,160 acres at Bogimbah Creek, which were applied for only in December, 1972, when no certificates have yet been issued for applications for sand-mining leases by the Murphyores/Dillingham partnership, which were applied for in September, 1972?
ANSWERS:
(1) Ten. Details are as follows: -
M.L.
Application Area Location Date of
No. acres Application
126 490 North of Lake Wabby 29.9.72
127 900 South of Eli Creek 29.9.72
128 3140 Yankee Jack Creek 29.9.72
129 970 Happy Valley 29.9.72
130 93 North of Lake Wabby 9.10.72
131 320 Bogimbah Creek 20.12. 72
132 320 Bogimbah Creek 20.12.72
133 320 Bogimbah Creek 20. 12. 72

USC1032_0003
Burning of Aboriginal sites: We have some concern relating to the Management Guidelines for major Aboriginal cultural heritage sites specifically at Bogimbah Creek. We believe that it is essential to burn at the site of the Aboriginal mission at Bogimbah Creek. In order to locate the graves and to help address the difficult problem of weeds which are invading this area and having a much greater impact than fire. There should be an option to allow burning of this site with the consent of the traditional owners.