Settlers chose to build on the floodplain

Aboriginal people warned many settlers about flooding. In 1842, the McConnel family were warned about a flood from the previous year. In 1890, the Cooyar people told a journalist about a large flood on Magenjie (upper Brisbane River). Turrbal and Jagera camp sites were built at least 14 metres above water courses. Still, “settlers chose to build on the Maiwar flood plain, putting themselves in harm’s way.”

Margaret Cook et al (2022) Cities in a Sunburnt Country: Water and the Making of Urban Australia Cambridge University Press p36

Image: Brisbane River System, date unknown. Courtesy: Mobsby Collection, Fryer Library, UQ.