ACF Brisbane South and Logan Community Group invites you to join us for our October Bush Ramble.

WHEN: Sunday October 6 from 7.45 - 10:00 am.

WHERE: WHITES HILL RESERVE, BOUNDARY ROAD, COORPAROO.

Park in the carpark at the top of the hill nearest the playground. Meet outside the gate to the playground – look for the ACF green banner on the fence!

BRING: Hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, water bottle and a thermos of tea or coffee for a cuppa in the picnic shelter after the walk.

We will walk to the summit and back via a circular route that climbs to the top of Whites Hill which offers great views through the trees to the city.

This month the nature ramble will also be of historical interest, for surprisingly, Whites Hill was once a tourist mecca! While we are there we will take the time to read the rich history of Whites Hill.

Long before the establishment of the Moreton Bay Penal Colony at Brisbane Town in 1824, the Whites Hill area was home to Australian First Nations People. Later, in 1873, after the Europeans arrived, Robert (Bob) White acquired 21.5 hectares (53 acres) of land surrounding the 120 metre hill, now known as Whites Hill. In the 1870s the White family built a grand home which included a tearoom and until the early 1900s it was open to the public. Parties, weddings and gaieties ensued as the public embraced the privately owned house of fun. The council attempted to buy the land for development in the early 1920s but Robert refused to sell, staying in the house until he died in 1927. In 1934 Brisbane City Council acquired the bulk of the land known as Whites Hill Reserve. The house fell into disrepair and was eventually demolished in 1964 (Must Do Brisbane, Brisbane City Council).

Today, all the buildings are gone and the peaceful reserve is recognised as an ecologically-significant tract of bushland, offering a diverse range of nature-based and sporting recreation opportunities. Sadly, as was the custom 100 years ago, forests were seen just as timber for building houses, so there are no large trees to be seen, only new growth forest. However, nature works wonders, and there are many varieties of eucalypts and other trees, sedges and some flowering plants to enjoy.

For afterwards, note that the exit to Whites hill is a circular one-way road with speed bumps.