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Saunders Beach, Queensland, Australia

~ Tales from the Past

Saunders Beach, Queensland, Australia

Category Archives: LOCAL HISTORY

Community Christmases at Saunders Beach

27 Sunday Dec 2015

Posted by saundersbeachhistoryproject in COMMUNITY ACTIVITY, LOCAL HISTORY, SAUNDERS BEACH

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Beach Banter, Community Centre, Delta Dogs, NanKivell Park, rural fire brigade, Saunder Park, Springfield, Volunteers

By all accounts the Saunders family generously opened their home Springfield in the late 1800s and the early twentieth century. George Saunders and his wife Elizabeth were from rural backgrounds – George came from the small village of Whitwell in Hertfordshire, England and Elizabeth was a farmer’s daughter from Cappyroe, Offaly, Ireland. They carried the hospitality of rustic life learnt in their homelands to Springfield, hosting such activities as a New Year’s Eve 1891 house party for thirty guests.

Modern Saunders Beach unknowingly carried on this tradition when the Saunders Beach rural fire brigade put on the first kids’ Christmas Party on the beach at the northern end of Reef Street in 1990.

1990 Tug-of-war.

1990 Tug-of-war.

1990 Santa

1990 Reef Street car park (now Saunders Park).

 

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Memories of 30 Years at Saunders Beach

23 Friday Oct 2015

Posted by saundersbeachhistoryproject in LOCAL HISTORY, SAUNDERS BEACH

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Althaus Ck, Atoll St, Cay St, crocodiles, Crown Land, david luxton, Halifax Bay, Jalloonda, les tyrell, mangroves, Ultralight

1997 Atoll St, Saunders Beach

1997 Atoll St, Saunders Beach

Saunders Beach History Project is pleased to share with you an oral history from a long time resident (“L.”), looking back at memories from Saunders Beach in days gone by. Included below is a recording and the transcript.

Listen

https://saundersbeachhistoryproject.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/soundtrack-saunders-beach.mp3

Way back in the dim dark ages (that is, 1971) an auction took place at the Land’s Office for 6 Lots at Jalloonda (now known as Saunders Beach). One lot in Atoll Street was successfully purchased by a man who many years later I met and married.

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The Mangroves of Saunders Beach

04 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by saundersbeachhistoryproject in BIRD LIFE, LOCAL HISTORY, SAUNDERS BEACH

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Althaus Ck, Bohle, bush medicine, bush tucker, butterfly, crabs, crocodiles, Crown Land, flying fox, George Saunders, Halifax Bay, lanette west, mangroves, surveyors, Townsville City Council, wharves, Wulgurukaba, Yasi

Althaus Creek at Saunders Beach where mangroves line both sides in the intertidal zone. March 2011.

Image 1. Althaus Creek at Saunders Beach where mangroves line both sides in the intertidal zone. March 2011.

We now know that, “approximately 17% of Australia’s mangroves have been destroyed since European settlement, with mangroves near developing centres being removed and destroyed for land reclamation.” [Source]. Previously the enormous environmental value of mangroves was little understood. Just ask any barramundi fisherman about why we need mangroves!

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Nature Inspired: Visual Artist Lanette West

01 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by saundersbeachhistoryproject in LOCAL HISTORY, SAUNDERS BEACH

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artist, lanette west, local newspaper, mangroves, rachel afflick, shae beplate, townsville sun, umbrella studio, visual artist

Lanette West is a visual artist inspired by the natural beauty of the unspoiled mangroves at Saunders Beach. “I first visited Saunders Beach in the mid-1970s as a teenager when one of my friend’s families owned a holiday house in Cay Street.”

It's Party Time by Lanette West

It’s Party Time by Lanette West

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The Whales Are Back!

05 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by saundersbeachhistoryproject in LOCAL HISTORY, SAUNDERS BEACH

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Aust Govt, baleen, flensing, Great Barrier Reef, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Halifax Bay, humpback whales, NanKivell Park, Robert Towns, Sperm whales, Tangalooma, Townsville, whales

The annual migration of the whales through Halifax Bay has started. They have been seen with the naked eye from the beach at Saunders Beach, swimming northward past Herald and Rattlesnake Island or just taking a break in the warm waters near Magnetic Island.

This pic from the Townsville Bulletin captures the wonder of the whale.

This pic from the Townsville Bulletin of the 2015 migration season captures the wonder of the whale.

Humpbacks live in the cold waters of Antarctica where there are rich feeding grounds and migrate to warmer tropical water from about May to September to give birth. Remarkably it wasn’t always this way. There was a time when sightings of whales as far north as Halifax Bay was a rarity. What happened to the annual migration in times gone by and why are they back now?

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The Saunders’ Selections at the Bohle

11 Saturday Jul 2015

Posted by saundersbeachhistoryproject in LOCAL HISTORY, SAUNDERS BEACH

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Bohle, Cape Pallarenda, Halifax Bay, Qld Govt, Queensland State Archives, Town Common Townsville, Townsville City Council

Over the years ‘The Bohle’ has come to mean locations in the vicinity of the Bohle River. Geographical features bear this name – the Bohle Plains and Mount Bohle. As well, man-made features – Bohle Industrial Estate, Bohle River Bridge and the Townsville suburb of Bohle – carry ‘Bohle’ in their name. George Saunders selected his first Portion of Crown Land in the Parish of Bohle in 1873.

Image 1. The mouth of the Bohle. The cluster of houses on the left is Mt Low (Bushland Beach). Taken from Many Peaks Range in 2009.

Image 1. The mouth of the Bohle. The cluster of houses on the left is Mt Low (Bushland Beach). Taken from Many Peaks Range in 2009.

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Movies under the Stars

29 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by saundersbeachhistoryproject in COMMUNITY ACTIVITY, LOCAL HISTORY, SAUNDERS BEACH

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

8mm projector, Community Centre, NanKivell Park, Saunders Beach, Saunders Beach Progress Association, Volunteers

The beautiful tropical evenings we enjoy at Saunders Beach provided a perfect backdrop for Cinema Under the Stars.

Full moon rising over Maggie at Saunders Beach

Full moon rising over Maggie at Saunders Beach

Saunders Beach Progress Association (forerunner of today’s Community Centre) always had a keen eye on including fun events – the kids were never forgotten. Continue reading →

NanKivell Park

02 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by saundersbeachhistoryproject in LOCAL HISTORY, SAUNDERS BEACH

≈ 8 Comments

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Beach Banter, Great Depression, Saunders Beach Community Centre Association Inc, Springfield, Thuringowa City Council, Thuringowa Shire Council, Townsville City Council

NanKivell Park is a large open well-tended grassy space situated between Coral Street and Lagoon Avenue, Saunders Beach. Continue reading →

The first European Settler in Saunders Beach

27 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by saundersbeachhistoryproject in LOCAL HISTORY, SAUNDERS BEACH

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Queensland State Archives, Saunders Beach, Springfield, West End Cemetery

The first European family to settle at Saunders Beach were the Saunders in about 1882. Continue reading →

Black Swans on Halifax Bay

30 Monday Mar 2015

Posted by saundersbeachhistoryproject in BIRD LIFE, LOCAL HISTORY, SAUNDERS BEACH

≈ 3 Comments

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Black Swans, Halifax Bay, Saunders Beach, Town Common Townsville

In May 2005 Black Swans paddled serenely in the waters off Saunders Beach. Continue reading →

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Saunders Beach History Project acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of Saunders Beach, the Wulgurukaba people.

THANK YOU

Thank you everyone for your kind contributions of photos, stories and memorabilia to the history of Saunders Beach.
We at Saunders Beach History Project take great delight in hearing your memories of the Beach. Please email saundersbeachhistoryproject@yahoo.com or add a comment to one of the stories if you have something to share.

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  • Saunders Beach: Bird Smuggling Destination
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