Beginning at the Fairfield apartment of one of our little group of walkers we made our way to, and through, South Brisbane Cemetery. This heritage listed cemetery was established in 1866. It is often (incorrectly) called Dutton Park Cemetery and, while it was closed in the early 1960s, additional burials and interment of ashes in existing family graves continue to occur.
The graves are littered with leaves, but are well-kept, and the large, shady trees make it a cool place to wander and wonder about past lives and stories. A part of our sinister past is present in the section of unmarked graves of the 42 people hanged in Boggo Road Gaol between 1883 and 1913. Prisoners buried here include Patrick Kenniff (Australia's last bushranger), Ellen Thompson (the only woman to be hanged in Queensland's history) and Ernest Austin (the last man to be hanged in the state. Capital punishment was abolished in 1922 in Qld. |
Qld Uni caters to approximately 50,000 students. Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush and former Governor-General of Australia Quentin Bryce are among notable graduates. The 114 hectare site of the university is breathtakingly beautiful. The birdlife was plentiful around the lakes and wattle was in full bloom, as golden as the sunshine. |