Broad Timeline of European Settlement and Land Usage

1823	John Oxley explored the Brisbane River and recommended a site for a settlement. While passing through the Centenary suburbs area, he discovered and climbed Mount Ommaney which he named ‘Green Hills’.
1824	Penal Settlement established in Moreton Bay District.
1842	Brisbane was declared open for free settlement.
1852-3	Two grazing properties operated in much of the area between Fort Road, Oxley and Wolston Creek, on land leased from the Crown: see Pre-Suburban History for more information.
1859	Queensland became a separate State.
1863 & 1864	Bird at historic home. Image courtesy of Gordon Hanley. All land in same area was auctioned for freehold. First settlers moved in. The northern part of the area (current suburbs of Jindalee, part of Mount Ommaney, riverside parts of Sinnamon Park and of Seventeen Mile Rocks suburb) became the Seventeen Mile Rocks farming district. Southern part (Riverhills, Westlake, Middle Park, Jamboree Heights, Summer) was part of the large Wolston Estate pastoral property based at Wolston House, now in Wacol.
1901	Wolston Estate was put up for sale. The current Centenary suburbs’ southern and south-westerly area (Riverhills, Westlake, Middle Park, Jamboree Heights, Sumner) was broken up into small farms and small acreage lots and sold. This area was part of Darra at that time.
1959	With expansion of Queensland’s population, Hooker Rex began planning, in Queensland’s Centenary year, the Centenary project to redevelop 1416 hectares of farmland from the Seventeen Mile Rocks farming district and adjacent parts of then-named Darra into suburbs.
1962-3	First suburb, Jindalee, was established.
1964	In October the Centenary Bridge was opened and the first stage of the Centenary Highway linked the northern and southern suburbs.

For more information see Timeline Links.

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