Fernvale

Lieutenant Joseph North came to Queensland in 1841 in the ship ‘Sarah’. He was in charge of the last batch of convicts for Moreton Bay. The following year when the Penal Settlement at Brisbane was abolished and the embargo of settlements within fifty-miles of it was lifted, Lieutenant North resigned his commission and took up the stretch of country when called Fernie Lawn on the Brisbane River from near Ipswich to Wivenhoe and began cattle raising. Later, in the 1840s, he was joined by his brothers, where they began cattle raising at Northbrook. His father, Major North, commenced producing wool and mutton at ‘Bellevue’.

In the 1860s, the ‘Fernie Lawn’ portion was cut up for closer settlement. Blocks were selected or purchased by settlers from the southern colonies, British Isles and Germany. These settlers grew cotton that was supported by a Government subsidy and Fernvale became the centre for this industry.

A Teamsters camp beside a newly cleared bullock track was the beginning of Fernvale, originally known as ‘Stinking Gully’. The spot became a regular camping place on the road from Ipswich to Esk. In 1875 it became known as Fernvale.

The railway came through Fernvale in 1884 to Lowood then later Esk and Yarraman.

After long standing establishment to Fernvale is that of the Sawmill that first began operations in the late 1880s.

By 1884, the goods and shelter sheds at the railway were insufficient to cater for the traffic coming through. By 1968, the rail traffic had almost ceased, and the station became unattended. The railway line between Fernvale and Lowood has now been re-constructed as a ‘Rail Trail’ for the residents and visitors to utilise for walking, cycling and horse riding.

Fernvale separated itself from Harrisborough in 1873 and by the 1900s had a range of shops, churches, hotels and co-operative stores.

The earliest reference to Fernvale in the Queensland Post Office Directory of 1892-1893 describes it as “An agricultural district in the Country of Churchill, Moreton District, 40 miles north-west of Brisbane by rail, One Church (METHODIST), State School, a Post and Telegraph Office”.

The list of residents also shows 55 farmers, 3 blacksmiths, a wheelwright, 2 merchants, a timber merchant, a boot maker and a storekeeper, 2 constables, George Brightwell was proprietor of the Royal Exchange hotel, Edward McGregor was Station Master, George H. Cooper was the School Teacher, and Robert North is listed as Grazier.