Some places of historical interest seen from the Brisbane River...

Way back at the beginning of October, DH and I went on a cruise up the Brisbane River and I've already written posts here and here, about that day. But we saw so much that day, that there are at least another 2 posts I can write about it!

In this post, I'll share some photos of places that are part of the history of my city. 

Where we boarded the boat at Hamilton, we could see the old nurses' quarters of the Royal Brisbane Hospital high on the hill at Herston.  These 2 towers of 8 storeys each were built in the 1930s. As a child, I could see these towers (from the other side) from our house...and often wondered what it was like inside them...probably pretty spartan, despite their grand name of the Lady Lamington Buildings! lol 

 Needless to say, nurses' quarters haven't been needed for a long time and these heritage listed buildings are now used for other purposes including a museum of nursing. 

Using the zoom, the towers still stand out on their hilltop position on the left mid ground. 

Just like in many cities around the world, large rivers were used for wharves and docks, so too, Brisbane. Around the New Farm and Newstead Reaches of the river were many wharves for handling produce. 

Set back from those long gone wharves, there were streets and streets of warehouses...big brick buildings, most being woolstores. 

 These buildings are no longer woolstores...most have been converted into very swanky unit (apartment) blocks...

 Along the river bank, lots (and lots) of unit blocks have been squeezed in on the river bank after the wharves were demolished. 

Another old brick building...the old CSR refinery (sugar)...now redeveloped as units, with unit blocks built on the land that surrounded the refinery building. 

In New Farm there is another old brick building which is huge, but it's not a former woolstore ... it was a powerhouse, specifically power for the trams that used to run in Brisbane. 

This building now has cafes, restaurants and theatres...and magnificent views of the river!

The Powerhouse Complex is nestled beside New Farm Park. This space deserves the term 'historically significant' as it is the site of the 'new farm' in the days of the Moreton Bay penal colony. The first farm was the area which is now the Botanical Gardens in the city. As well as a farm, the area had also been used for horse racing with punters arriving by boat on the river. Trevor, from Your Brisbane:Past and Present blog wrote about the history of New Farm Park here. 

New Farm Park along side the Brisbane River...

The next photo is taken looking towards the northern end of the Story Bridge (Fortitude Valley end )...old docks and sheds are visible...

And there are more of the same on the righthand side of the bridge. These were originally old naval stores; a bit derelict apparently. During WW2 some air raid bunkers were built in this complex too. Not long after  DH and I spent that day on the cruise,  it was announced in the media that the redevelopment of this area would go ahead. 

The old dry dock area of South Brisbane is now the Maritime Museum...

 An old steamer which is part of the Maritime Museum...

Nearing the City Reach of the river, the beautiful old Customs House is on the northern bank of the river. There used to be wharves near here but now they are long gone. Customs House is now owned by the University of Queensland and is a very grand venue. 

The next photo shows an old gas stripping tower that was part of an old gasworks on the southern bank of the river at West End. 

Once again, Trevor has already written about this in his blog, so if you would like to know about this structure and see a closeup photo, go here. :-)

The next photo is farther up the river at Dutton Park...yes it's a cemetery. It opened in 1866 and was originally known as the South Brisbane Cemetery. DH has many family members on his mum's side buried there.  

The next photo is the old wharf at Seventeen Mile Rocks (or what is left of it) for the Queensland Cement and Lime Company. Behind this and hidden from view of those on the  river, is a big waterpark known as Rocks Riverside Park. A redevelopment initiative of the Brisbane City Council it is very popular with families of course. As well as the water park, it is possible to walk around and look at remnants of the infrastructure from the old cement works and the docks. DH and I did just that a number of years ago. 

The water park is completely hidden from the river ... 

I've already shown photos of Newstead House and Shafston, but they both played such important roles in the former colony...so once more, here they are seen from the river.

 So that's some of Brisbane's history seen from the river.