From Tulsk to Cooktown In The 1860s

THE IRISH INTO QUEENSLAND

By Don Alexander                                    

Whilst searching for information on O’Beirne Family History I came across lots of stories of the early days in the young State of Queensland. I was looking for data on my great grandfather Fergus O’Beirne who came to Australia as a young man along with many other Irish immigrants.

In 1859 Queensland's population had reached 50,000 residents and reflected a diversity of peoples. The Irish were well represented shortly after the influx of 6,000 Irish between 1863 and 1865 following the 1861 Irish famine. Growth ceased in 1867 with a world depression and unemployment was rife. Soon after came the gold rush such as Gympie, Charters Towers and the Palmer River. Queensland was the only colony which settled immigrants on the whole coastline and not just the capital city.

Fergus O'Beirne (1840 - 1896) was born in Camogue, Tulsk, Roscommon, Ireland to Fergus (1799 – 1888) and Margaret Beirne (nee McDermott). He was the 7^th born of 11 children, 5 girls and 6 boys. Fergus O’Beirne became one of the immigrants and came to Australia on the "Golden City" which left Cork for Brisbane on 10th December 1862. The ship had previously taken on passengers in England before sailing to Cork to pick up 287 Irish Men, Women and Children immigrants at Cork. The "Golden City" arrived in Brisbane on the 9th March 1863. Fergus is registered on the manifest as Fergus Beirne (21 years old) under serial No.468. Luke Byrne (23) and Peter McDermott (26) are also registered under serial, No.468. Peter McDermott was a 1 st cousin of Fergus and together they later took up the lease of Laura station near Cooktown.

Fergus and his cousin Peter went to Rockhampton. Fergus was supposed to have had a store in Rockhampton (not confirmed). A Fergus Beirne held the a license for the Hibernian Hotel outside of Rockhampton in 1874/75. Fergus married Mary Dwyer (who had emigrated from Co. Tipperary) at Rockhampton on 2nd May 1870 in St. Joseph's RC Church and is described as a miner on the marriage certificate. The place of residence of both Fergus and Mary was stated as being Crocodile Creek, which was a gold mining area 27 kilometres from Rockhampton. Crocodile Creek was a one of a number of gold mining locations, in the Rockhampton area.

In October 1865 there were reported to be 100 diggers at Crocodile creek. Less than a month later the number had swollen to over 500 diggers and the area population grew to over 1,000, with numerous stores and 5 publicans holding licenses. Race riots occurred in 1866 with the diggers upset with the Chinese diggers. Claim jumping was rife and was designed to drive the Chinese from the gold fields. John Jardine was the Gold commissioner for the Rockhampton District from 1867 and was concerned about "the strong Irish Mob determined on annoying the Chinese" and he had noted a continual expression of feeling "by a certain class of Diggers.'' The riots at Crocodile were probably motivated by a mixture of racial antagonism on the part of a few and jealous greed of the good returns obtained by the hard working Chinese, but another factor later became apparent. Many of the Chinese worked either for their families back in the homeland (as some Europeans did) or for their landlords or other capitalists in China and so most of their gold was sent out of the colony. Gold was discovered in late 1866 at Morinish with many miners moving to Morinish discouraged by the riots. By March 1867 there were 1,200 miners at Morinish. Further diggings opened up in the area and the population increased to around 3,000 by the end of 1867. Many miners left soon after to go to the newly discovered Gympie (north of Brisbane) and Charters Towers (west of Townsville) gold mines.

Life was very hard at the diggings with no guarantee of finding gold. It was a lonely life for some. The climate and life style was in stark contrast to that of Ireland. There are only two seasons in North Queensland, 'the wet" and "the dry". The wet season usually begins with storms starting about late November to monsoon rains in January to about April. The dry starts around May or June with rains tapering often until the storms start again in late November. Newcomers to this type of weather can find it quite daunting.

A letter by one of the diggers writing home to his parents illustrates the times and conditions. An extract from the letter is: "Father you enquired of me in your last was there any ministers in this place and to tell the truth, there is none but mind you, where I am far in the interior ....... I am upwards of 300 miles of a township but at times a Parson will pay us a visit but this is once in seven years." Even though the young digger exaggerated a little, he probably felt this necessary to bring home the differences between the old land and the new. More importantly, through the inland mail service he was not completely cut adrift from his cultural background or family roots. By the mid 1860's most outposts of settlement in Central Queensland were in touch with Rockhampton through fortnightly or weekly mail services, but because some people were still restlessly seeking a permanent address, each issue of the Government Gazette listed hundreds of unclaimed letters in the region's post offices. This difficulty is illustrated in a letter from a digger to his mother in 1869, in which he advised her to address his mail to Crocodile Creek, Rockhampton: - I have been thinken about you but would not wright till I was stopping in one place to get a hancer (answer). Would you ancer this by return maile....."

Fergus and Mary had two children born at Rockhampton. John Philip was born on 25/6/1871 and Julia was born on 18/12/1872. Fergus and Mary, together with their two children and Peter McDermott, left Rockhampton to settle in Charters Towers. They are supposed to have gone by bullock dray. Charters Towers was a gold mining town and which had its own Stock Exchange. Fergus Joseph was born on 30/12/1875 and Matthew Joseph O'Beirne was born on 31/1/1878 in Charters Towers. Charters Towers was a large gold mining town during this era. The time spent in Charters Towers is not known, however the family then traveled to Cooktown by bullock dray, which would have been a long and arduous journey. A family story related that Mary drove the bullock dray with the children and belongings whilst Fergus and Peter rode horses and mustered the stock they took with them to Cooktown. There more children were born in Cooktown. Mary Margaret was born on 30/6/1880, Peter Paul Roderick William on 8/6/1882 and Kathleen Rose on 22/7/1885.

Gold had been discovered at the Palmer River. The Laura property was located on the main route from Cooktown to the Palmer River goldfields. Laura Station, to the west of Cooktown, became vacant following the death of the original Lessee at the 12 Mile Hut, which was the site of the first homestead. He was supposed to have been killed by wild aboriginals. An application for the license to occupy Crown Lands in the unsettled districts was made by Fergus O'Beirne and Peter McDermott for Laura Station and they built a new homestead on the boundary line on the Laura River, the site of the now restored buildings. The lease was recorded with the Crown Lands Office on the 14th October 1879 and granted on the 23rd October 1879, the cost being £8-15-0 for an area of 50 square miles (12,800 hectares or 32,000 acres). A further increase in the property was granted in August 1880 and the official survey plan was approved in 1883. On 11th December 1885 an application for the lease of the Lower Laura was made by Fergus and Peter. Approval was not to be granted until an official survey was completed. Peter McDermott died on the 17th June 1886 before the survey was carried out and Fergus acquired all the runs associated with Laura Station in 1886. This increased to a much larger area so that by 1894 the property was carrying 8,000 cattle.

Mary O'Beirne received a victualler's license for the Commercial Hotel in Cooktown on the 4th July 1896 and held the license until her death, when it was taken over by daughter Julia O'Beirne. Julia held the license until 1899. Fergus O'Beirne died in Cooktown of Cirrhosis of the liver on the 19th November 1896 aged about 56 years old. [Ed: The cirrhosis was probably caused by Hepatitis, then prevalent in tropical areas such as northern Queensland.] His wife Mary O'Beirne died shortly after of Dengue fever on the 3rd February 1897, being ill only for 4 days. She was aged about 52 years old. Both are buried in the RC section of the Cooktown cemetery in plot No.165. Buried in the adjacent plot is their son Peter Paul Roderick William O'Beirne (1882 - 1907) who died as a result of a fall from his horse and their grandson Rodney O’Beirne (1919-1921) the infant son of Fergus Joseph and Ethel O'Beirne.

An account of the detail of Laura Station was printed in the "Queenslander" on 2nd January 1897. The author wrote under the pseudonym of Basalt and the article was titled THROUGH CAPE YORK

"’Whitefellah come up’. Is the first signal of your approach to Laura Station. This announcement comes from the dusky labourers who, judging by their numbers evidently hit it well with Mr. Fergus O'Beirne. The Homestead, situated on the best rise hereabouts, is built on the north bank of the Laura River. With the rich evergreens redundant on the riverbank, running north and south, backed up at the rear with a well-assorted fruit garden, it is so to speak, a spot abounding in picturesque charms. Away to the northeast, taking what may be termed the front view of the station, is a landscape of little interest and of less beauty. It is some considerable time since, on the demise of his partner, Mr. Peter McDermott, Mr. Fergus O’Beirne became the sole owner of Laura Station, a property which, if not possessing marvellous resources, is nevertheless a place productive of good living. Being at the time meagrely stocked: and not anticipating the early advent of the tick Mr. O’Beirne purchased some two thousand head of cattle from Dunbar Station, bringing his herd in the beginning of the year 1894 up to the respectable number of 8000 odd. What number of cattle the place possesses at present, after its severe "doing" by the ticks, it is utterly impossible to estimate. In addition to cattle, there are some very good specimens of horse flesh on Laura. Windsor, a thorough-bred stallion of some repute, has left his stamp well impressed on the generality of the young stock to be seen on this station and barring a tendency to "leggings" they are of good class. In conjunction with the station, Mr. O'Beirne runs a butchering business in Cooktown, where, failing other outlets, he can obtain a price for his hides and tallow. Mr. And Mrs. O'Beirne have a family of boys and girls that any country could justly be proud of- boys that are ready and fit for any work, and girls that a future date will grace and comfort some lucky man’s home (Since this is written Mr. O’Beirne has died _ ED.)."

On Laura station Fergus Joseph built a school to educate his infant children and the station aboriginals. Laura O'Beirne recounts the early school days at Laura Station before being sent to the convent school at Cooktown and then Herberton with her sister Thelma. Her brothers were sent to Nudgee College, established by the Christian Brothers, in Brisbane for schooling.

There were aboriginal camps near Laura station. These aboriginals were still wild and dangerous. The white men would go away from the Laura homestead to muster cattle and could be away for days at a time. On these occasions the wild aboriginals would raid the station to steal flour, sugar, tobacco or what ever else they could get. Ethel O'Beirne and her children would barricade themselves, with the station aboriginals, in the upper part of the house. The wild aboriginals were not game to hurt the whites. The Chinamen who had a market garden on the riverbank would run off into the bush and hide. When the men returned and found the aboriginals had raided the homestead they would make a token raid on the aboriginals camp to teach them a lesson.

Following the deaths of Fergus and Mary O'Beirne, the lease on Laura transferred to "O'Beirne and Company." By 1908 the O'Beirne family had acquired the Lakefield lease. After the deaths of Fergus and Mary, Fergus Joseph O'Beirne worked Laura station and Matthew Fergus was on Lakefield station and Julia ran the Commercial hotel. The leases remained in the name of "O'Beirne and Company" until 1925 when the family decided to sell the properties.

Laura homestead was abandoned in 1966 and a new homestead was built at New Laura. The old homestead built by Fergus and Mary fell into disrepair and was almost reduced to ruins. In 1978 Laura and Lakefield stations were purchased by the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service. In 1984, the Queensland National Parks commissioned the National Trust to assess the cultural significance of Laura Homestead and as a result Operation Raleigh used volunteers to restore the buildings and Laura Homestead is now a tourist attraction.

Donald Graham Alexander, great-grandson of original settler Fergus O'Beirne, is the Principal Hydrographer for the State of Queensland.