History Serpentine Creek Road Cemetery

serpentine creek road cemetery, memorial trustees, 2006. names of trustees are: james daniel collins, frederick muller, alfred morris wheeler, edward heinemann, daniel james collins, albert muller, james stanton moore.

serpentine creek road cemetery established in 1890 redland bay cemetery, serving farming community of redland bay , nearby mount cotton , gramzow (now carbrook). closed c. 1945, remains cemetery reserve under trusteeship of redland city council.

land in redland bay district, extends south of cleveland lower logan river district, , bay 3 miles west mount cotton, taken closer settlement under cotton regulations of 1860 , coffee , sugar regulations of 1864. there heavy logging of valuable cedar , beech stands @ period. mid-1870s redland bay known sugar district, dominated redland bay sugar plantation. had been established newton family in 1860s , 1870 principal sugar cultivator , employer in district. however, of land @ redland bay had been taken speculators in 1860s – 1871 there dozen or redland bay farms (exclusive of redland bay plantation) , 1 farm @ mount cotton, supporting total population of 40. more extensive farming @ redland bay did not develop until 1880s, when boom prices encouraged sale of land farmers.

by 1880s, sugar cultivation @ redland bay , mount cotton had succumbed competition north queensland, although heinemann family @ mount cotton continued grow sugar on substantial scale until turn of century. late 1880s, redland bay had emerged prosperous fruit-growing district – principally bananas, oranges , pineapples, passionfruit successful 20th century crop. redland bay state school opened @ beginning of 1886, , redland bay farmers first in district erect school of arts (a substantial timber building opened in august 1889). in 1889 farmhouses described large roomy wooden houses of pleasing designs. . . and. . . in front of every house stocked , neat flower garden .

in 1870s densely scrubbed mount cotton district had been taken german immigrants, in 1875 erected st paul s lutheran church @ intersection of became known german church road , mount cotton road. established burial ground adjacent church (now known carbrook lutheran cemetery), , majority of graves in cemetery of german pioneers of gramzow , mount cotton areas , of descendants. however, cemetery did not serve needs of wider farming community. miles on badly formed roads redland bay, , lutheran cemetery.

in september 1889 tingalpa divisional board, on behalf of residents of redland bay, gramzow , district, made application lands department of queensland government reservation of portion 84a, parish of redland (about 20 acres), cemetery reserve. 5 acres of gazetted cemetery (r.219) in february 1890, , 5 redland bay farmers (frederick muller, james collins, edward heinemann, james moore , daniel james collins) appointed trustees in may 1890. muller , dj collins members of tingalpa divisional board, , edward heinemann brother of chair of 1889 tingalpa divisional board, hans heindrich heinemann of mount cotton, , later served on tingalpa shire council. several of cemetery trustees on committees of redland bay school of arts , redland bay state school.

the chosen site lay on road redland bay gramzow on logan (now serpentine creek road), half-way between 2 districts, in southern redland bay. not appear have been farmed prior reservation, , heavily timbered gum, casuarina (she-oak), bloodwood , grass tree, mahogany , turpentine interspersed. not known how of 5 acres cleared cemetery purposes.

the 1890 cemetery reserve known redland bay cemetery, , remained public cemetery in district 18 years. 1900s, however, considered inconveniently distant , desolate many in redland bay community. in september 1907, councillor pp outridge of tingalpa shire council offered donate block of 22 acres @ gordon street, close township of redland bay, conditional upon 5 acres being used cemetery purposes, , remainder public recreation. offer accepted council, despite refusal of trustees of existing redland bay cemetery on serpentine creek road, relinquish trusteeship.

title gordon street land passed council in late 1907 , 5-acre cemetery established on site, first burial taking place in february 1908. avoid confusion redland bay cemetery @ serpentine creek road, new cemetery known north redland cemetery march 1909. 4 interments removed redland bay cemetery , re-interred @ north redland cemetery – 1 in 1908, 1 in 1923, , 2 in 1929 – , 2 redland bay cemeteries continued operate in tandem decades. august 1925 1890 cemetery known south redland bay cemetery, when edward heinemann of redland bay, 1 of original trustees of redland bay cemetery, interred there. cemetery closed c. 1945, , late 1970s part of reserve being used grazing purposes.

in 1908 james moore had resigned trustee of redland bay cemetery, , had been replaced local farmer, albert muller. despite passing of original trustees, no further change of trustees officially recorded until, following public petition place conserved, control of cemetery reserve passed redland shire council in 1977. grazing on reserve ceased @ point.

in 1995, old cemetery on serpentine creek road identified in redland heritage study place of local , regional significance. local community, assistance redland shire council, has undertaken work on clearing grounds, identifying grave sites, recording information surviving headstones, , establishing botanical inventory. following 1997 fire, destroyed of casuarina forest on site, substantial re-growth of other indigenous species has occurred.