verandas

Thornton erected the first prefabricated building in Queensland on the Main Street frontage of his property, a very comfortable two-storied residence, which stood until only a few years ago when it made way for a new motel. His stables were in the rear of the house. A brick and cement baths were on the river bank together with a jetty, whence his boat took him daily to and from the Customs House. Next door to Thornton's were some old brick and cement shops and, adjoining these, where "Travelodge" Motel stands, my grandfather John McDonnell* built "Prospect" in 1863. Source: espace.library.uq.edu.au/data/UQ_2

Situated in Moreton Bay off Cleveland Point, and now named Teerk Roo Ra (Peel Island) National Park, the island has a unique history. Once a feasting and ceremonial site for the Indigenous people of the area, Peel was also used as a quarantine station in the late 1800s, and a home for inebriates in the early 1900s. From 1907 to 1959, the island functioned as a lazaret, where sufferers of Hansen’s disease (or leprosy) were separated from society and isolated under the Leprosy Act 1892. Now heritage-listed, the island’s historic remains are being preserved and the park is managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. The John Oxley Library continues to contribute to the preservation of the documentary history of the island. Source: www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/50th-anniversary-closing-peel-isl...

Something mysterious about Royal Hotel. CHARTERS TOWERS' RICH HISTORY TOLD THROUGH GHOSTLY TALES The gold rush brought out the best and the worst in people according to history buff Jack Sim. Jack runs ghost tours in Brisbane and has recently brought the business to Charters Towers. He was attracted to the north Queensland town because of its rich and prosperous history; he says the town is full of ghost stories. Hotel home to grizzly tales The Royal Hotel is one of the stops on the ghost tour - a grand old building with a dark past. "It was here in 1901 that there was a dramatic and terribly violent incident that took place," Jack said. An estranged couple, the Cordays, met at the hotel. That was despite the fact that Mrs. Corday, and her friend who accompanied her, knew that Mr. Corday had violent intentions toward his wife following their separation. "He was unhappy with her extra-marital relationships," Jack recounted. "After leaving them to come into the bar here to get some drinks for his partner... he re-entered the room [but] instead of having drinks in his hand he held a revolver. "He shot her at virtually point-blank range in the head, and then took his own life in the bar." As the years went on it became well known around town that the dead couple haunted the pub. They are joined by one of the hotel's former proprietors, Mrs. McDonald, who owned the pub for 50 years. "The current owner of the hotel, she tells me that when she comes up the staircase she feels Mrs. McDonald walking right beside [her] as she comes up the stairs each day," he said. "Not in a bad way, she just feels like the lady that was her predecessor is just there with her, helping her to manage the hotel." Source: www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2015/05/11/4233354.htm