History of Urban Development in the Catchment

Past land-use along Kedron Brook has undergone a sequence of changes that are similar to other parts of the Brisbane area. The rich resources in South-Eastern Queensland enabled many aboriginal tribal groups to establish semi-permanent camps in the area. The local Undumbi people were custodians of the land through which Kedron Brook flows.

Pre-settlement

The Undumbi group of people were part of the Gubi Gubi nation. Early settlers called this group the “Duke of York” clan. The orignial inhabitants of Kedron Brook harvested food and no doubt influenced the numbers of different species in the area through plant and animal harvesting, and modifying the environment either by fire or by planting.

First contact with the Undumbi clan was made by three sailors – Pamphlett, Finnegan and Parsons – after being shipwrecked on Moreton Island in 1823.

Descendants of the Undumbi people continue to live in the area and are actively researching their history and past ties with local flora and fauna and the land.

Settlement and development

The fact that the lower reaches of Kedron Brook were one of the first sites of free settlement in Brisbane is evidence of the rich resources and attractive nature of Kedron Brook to the new settlers. As settlement expanded in Brisbane, settlers sought the best land for harvesting timber and establishing productive market gardens. This land was also that favoured by wildlife.  

German missionaries, who established Zion Hill Mission for the Aborigines in 1838, named Kedron Brook. The name is derived from biblical references to the crossing of Kidron Valley to enter the Garden of Gesthsemane.

European occupation along Kedron Brook followed the opening of the former penal colony to free settlement in 1842. As settlement expanded in Brisbane, settlers sought the best land for harvesting timber and establishing productive market gardens. This land was also that favoured by wildlife and undoubtedly had the highest biodiversity. Early settlers would have exploited fish and wildlife, particularly during difficult times such as during the depression.

Increasing occupation during the 1860s and 1870s diversified development. Loggers harvested red cedar and pine from the upper reaches of Kedron Brook. Timber harvesting for building materials was undertaken as land was surveyed. Gold was mined at Bellbird Grove at the ‘Golden Boulder Mine’. Small coal deposits supplied local needs from the Kalinga area. Brisbane tuff was quarried at Windsor, Stafford and Lutwyche quarries to produce crushed aggregate.

Development of the Brook began along the route to the Gympie goldfields. This route is now called Lutwyche Road. Kedron Brook was described at the time as a “fairy-like stream, its banks lined with wattle, ti-tree and flowers’ and was a favourite fishing spot.

Farms that grew maize, fruit and vegetables were established along the Brook and grapes were also grown for a time in the Mitchelton area. Market gardens were established along the floodplain on the rich alluvial soils adjacent to Kedron Brook.

Brisbane boomed in the 1880’s, but reticulated water supplies were limited at the time. With seasonal rainfall, it was important to have a reliable water source; Kedron Brook provided that.

Farming, urban and industrial development spread in a more or less haphazard manner to the west along the reaches of Kedron Brook. Transport corridors and proximity to water linked development.

The opening of railway lines to Sandgate in 1882 and Enoggera in 1899 led to further commercial development. The railway extended to Mitchelton and Samford in 1918 with the addition of stations along the Sandgate line and a bridge suitable for trams on Lutwyche Road in 1927.

Although farming and dairying were major activities in the Kedron Brook catchment, the water flow lent itself to the production of hides and slaughtering. Tanneries, skin traders and slaughter yards were established. The first tannery was established in 1886 at Kedron, others were located in the Ferny Grove and Keperra areas.

Intensive use and limited sanitation led to pollution of Kedron Brook by the early 1900’s.

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Post-war suburban development and industry

Subdivision of some of the large allotments for suburban settlement took place before World War II. The development of large housing estates and the widespread ownership of cars in the post-war period brought more intense development to the suburbs along the Brook. Shopping centres were built next to the floodplain to service the new suburbs.

By the 1930’s, much of the Brisbane landscape had been modified by timber harvesting, agricultural pursuits and urban settlement. The pristine creeks had lost a lot of their vegetation, and water quality was declining.

During this phase of Brisbane’s history, many of the creek systems were considered convenient drains for the disposal of wastewater – from industry and domestic sources. Development of many innovative chemicals and a lack of understanding of their toxicological consequences, led to damage to the waterways. There are tales of the creek waters around Brisbane foaming with bubbles at the time of introduction of detergents – which unlike the soaps previously used, did not break down in the natural environment.

Resources would have been gradually depleted as development increased in intensity and moved up stream. Subdivision in the Stafford area in the 1940’s was followed by development at Grovely, Arana Hills and Ferny Grove in the 1960s and 1970s. The rate of development has slowed since the mid 1990’s but clearing of native vegetation for housing development is still occurring in the upper catchment.

Development in the 1960’s and 1970’s led to siltation of the creek.

Landfills and refuse dumps were seen as ways of making low-lying terrain more usable. Sites were located in the past at Grinstead Park, Wolverhampton Street, Hickey Park, Emerson Park, Upper Kedron, Teralba Park and at the Nudgee Tip site. The most extensive landfill area is near the mouth of Kedron Brook where development of the airport greatly modified the original wetland complex.

Bushland remnants are located at Enoggera Military Area, Sparkes Hill, Shaw and Grinstead Parks.

Schulz Canal was first built during the depression of the 1940s to link Kedron Brook with the Serpentine Creek system. The Kedron Brook floodplain was radically altered to make way for Brisbane Airport in the 1940’s. Prior to development for the airport, the coastal plain had supported many ecosystems including freshwater swamps, paperbark forests, coastal scrubs, mangroves and saltmarsh. Airport development in the 1980’s led to the further modification of the tidal reaches of Kedron Brook. Most had been severely degraded by the time of the airport re-development.

More recently, some of the industrial areas in the lower reaches of Kedron Brook have been replaced with residential or commercial developments.

The 1974 flood and subsequent mitigation had a dramatic effect on Kedron Brook. Habitat was lost, flow patterns changed, variation in depth and bank characteristics of the channel were altered in middle sections of Kedron Brook. New ecosystems were created by channelisation.

Current situation

Urban development in the upper catchment is contributing to the loss of natural ecosystems and habitat along Kedron Brook. It is also one of the greatest potential sources for sediment and nutrient discharge into Kedron Brook. Urban development and related activities are more regulated and undertaken with greater environmental awareness than ever before. Despite this, the development will have an irreversible impact on local natural biodiversity.

Along Kedron Brook a network of parkland, bush and land not able to be “developed” due to flooding or other restrictions have become an important community resource. The areas are important for recreation but also provide relicts of habitat for wildlife still surviving in the human modified landscape. In the 21st century, the visual, recreational and habitat quality of the remnant open areas along Kedron Brook have the potential to at last improve following many years of exploitation and degradation last century.