Shaping Our Identity: Recreation

Riverboats at Play

Almost all of the steamers occasionally made pleasure trips for riverside picnics and Bay excursions. These were sometimes run by the steamer owners or captains, and sometimes by an organisation which hired a vessel for a social event or to raise funds. A band often provided music on board and at the chosen picnic spot – Bremer Junction was a popular choice.

Many excursions were for special events such as the Cleveland Regatta or the arrival of a new Governor. They were also arranged when a large or interesting overseas ship arrived in the Bay.

Not all trips were in the Brisbane direction. On Boxing Day 1866, for example, the Brisbane Caledonian Society organised a trip to attend the Ipswich races and the Sisters of Mercy bazaar. They also managed to fit in a short railway excursion from Ipswich to Walloon. These trips required patrons to show a degree of stamina. In 1869, the tenth anniversary of Queensland was celebrated, and the boys of Ipswich Grammar went to Brisbane to play cricket against Brisbane Grammar. The boys and their school masters left early on Nowra which had been provided free by the owners, J & G Harris. They arrived in Brisbane at 11.15am and went to Queen’s Park (in Alice Street) for the match. After the first innings, they went to Brisbane Grammar School for lunch and were joined by the Governor, the well-liked Colonel Blackall. After lunch and a few speeches, they returned for the second innings accompanied by the Governor. The match was won by BGS. The boys then had dinner, and boarded Nowra for the trip home at 10pm, arriving about 3am next day.

A return match, this time football, was held on the Queen’s Birthday the following year. The BGS boys left Brisbane on Nowra at 3.30am and arrived back “very tired” at 9.30pm.