Bulwer

History

Bulwer was probably named after Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803–1873) who was Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1858 to 1859. In 1863 land was offered for sale at Bulwer for the first time, contesting of 36 lots each of 2 roods with 25 sold. In November 1865 a school and teacher's residence were erected but a teacher had not been appointed. The families of the staff of the pilot station were the principal residents at that time. That school opened in 1866-1867. In April 1875, the Queensland Government set aside 2 roods for a government school (suggesting the previous school was operated privately). Moreton Island State School opened circa 1876 and was renamed Bulwer State School in 1878. In 1891 it was downgraded to a provisional school, but restored to state school status in 1895. The state school was closed in 1909 when the pilots' families ceased to live on the island. In the 1930s, three ships were scuttled in the area to form a harbour for small boats. The first on 8 May 1933 was the 337-ton steamer Hopewell formerly owned by timber merchants Hyne & Son of Maryborough. The second on 10 May 1933 was the 716-ton Mount Kembla. The third in September 1935 was the Kallatina, a 646 ton passenger and cargo ship owned by John Edward Burke which operated a route from Brisbane through to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Although the intention was to provide a safe harbour, during a storm in July 1938 the 35-foot motor launch Achilles struck the half-sunken Mount Kembla and sank within 15 minutes, the 12 men on board Achilles climbed onto the Mount Kembla until they were rescued by Robert Alexander Gow in his dinghy.

Geography

Bulwer is on the north-west coast of Moreton Island facing Moreton Bay. It is to the Brisbane central business district. It is one of the few developed areas on Moreton Island which is almost entirely national park (Moreton Island National Park). It consists of a few streets of housing and a long sandy beach. There are no formal road connections to Bulwer, but there are dirt tracks that connect it to other parts of the island.

Most-observed species

• Great Crested Tern

  Thalasseus bergii (M.H.K.Lichtenstein, 1823) · Aves
  2,048
• Pied Cormorant

  Phalacrocorax varius (Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  1,370
• Torresian Crow

  Corvus orru Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  749
• Australasian Gannet

  Morus serrator (G.R.Gray, 1843) · Aves
  684
• Silver Gull

  Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae (Stephens, 1826) · Aves
  652
• Brown Honeyeater

  Lichmera indistincta (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827) · Aves
  640
• Welcome Swallow

  Hirundo neoxena Gould, 1842 · Aves
  575
• Masked Lapwing

  Vanellus miles (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  572