MoB Sunday Stories: Cribb Island

For millennia, the Traditional Owners have cared for the lands and waters of Brisbane. Prior to European invasion, the swampy mudflats, freshwater estuaries and open woodlands of what became Cribb Island were important grounds for trading, hunting and camping. Today, the area continues to hold great local significance.

In 1863, soon after Brisbane opened to free settlement, businessman John George Cribb purchased 150 acres of coastal land from the Queensland Government. Paying 160 pounds, he sought to develop the land for farming. As was common at the time, he named the newly acquired lot after himself, giving birth to ‘Cribb Island’.

Situated 16 kilometres north-east of Brisbane’s CBD, just north of the mouth of the river, Cribb’s lot faced the calm waters of the Quandamooka region (Moreton Bay). At high tide, flooded creeks and mudflats would isolate the coastal strip from the mainland. So, although Cribbie was not a true island, it was referred to as such.

In 1885, Cribb sold 65 acres of the lot to a young James Jackson, who went on to operate the successful fruit plantation and cannery, Bramble Farm, with his wife Ella. Before long, the Jacksons began accommodating holidaymakers on their picturesque waterfront. With campers starting to return year after year, the Jacksons decided to lease out sections of the land, on which vacationers began to construct increasingly permanent holiday dwellings. This area on the northern edge of the island became known as Jackson’s Estate.

Before long, owner-built weekender accommodation and holiday shacks emerged alongside Queenslander homes. Beach shacks like those at Cribbie were soon a common sight across many of the state’s coastal areas. These low-cost dwellings were constructed from timber and fibro, in addition to found and recycled materials, including car crates.

In 1916, after Cribb died, his remaining land was subdivided and sold. “Cribb’s Island Estate” was advertised by auctioneers as the “nearest watering place to the city”, boasting a “broad sandy beach along [its] whole frontage” and offering “lovely bathing” and “good fishing”. [2]

An idyllic seaside location within easy reach of the inner-city suburbs, Cribbie continued to attract many Brisbane families. Warm waters and the sprawling mudflats revealed at a low tide were an ideal playground for children, while teens and adults were entertained by locally-organised, holiday fun programs. At Jackson’s Estate, an open-air hall hosted popular concerts and dances, while the Bramble Farm Social Club organised races, sporting events and theatre shows. Cribbie’s annual sand garden competition – a regular feature of the holiday season at many Queensland beaches – was sponsored by local Brisbane newspapers.

By the 1920s, Cribbie was not only recognised as a premier holiday destination, but also as a suburb. When the Great Depression hit Australia, many Brisbane residents searching for affordable housing found homes here. This period saw the island’s population surge, slowly transforming the beachfront suburb into a tight-knit residential neighbourhood. Like many of the holiday shacks, much of the communal infrastructure was constructed by residents themselves, often within a day’s work. Cribbie was soon home to a post office, police station, school, medical clinic, cinema, kiosk, children’s playground and two churches. A private bus service brought locals to the city and city dwellers to the beach.

Today, nothing remains of Cribb Island other than some remnants of the foreshore structure and discarded debris beneath the sand. In the hearts and collective memory of many, however, Cribbie lives on; not only as the brief childhood home of the Bee Gees, but as a tight-knit community that shared Moreton Bay as their backyard.