Redcliffe

History

Before European settlement, the Redcliffe Peninsula was occupied by the Ningy Ningy people. The Aboriginal name is Kau-in-Kau-in, which means Blood-Blood (red-like blood). A famous Ningy Ningy Bora ring structure, consisting of two separate rings, large and small, joined by a ritual pathway, once existed between Kippa-Ring and Anzac Avenue. Aboriginals as far away as Noosa would travel there to perform initiation ceremonies. It was razed by the Council around 1950. The town's name originates from "Red Cliff Point" named by the explorer Matthew Flinders, referring to the red cliffs at Woody Point. Redcliffe became Queensland's first colony in 1824; however, it was soon abandoned for Brisbane. Redcliffe holds the distinction of being the first European settlement in Queensland, first visited by Matthew Flinders on 17 July 1799. Explorer John Oxley recommended "Red Cliff Point" – named after the red-coloured cliffs visible from Moreton Bay – to the Governor Thomas Brisbane for the new Moreton Bay penal colony, reporting that ships could land at any tide and easily get close to the shore. The penal colony was established at Redcliffe on 13 September 1824, under the command of Lieutenant Henry Miller with 14 soldiers, some with wives and children, and 29 convicts. However, this settlement was abandoned after one year and the colony was moved south to a site on the Brisbane River at North Quay, south, that offered a more reliable water supply. This settlement lead to the establishment of Brisbane, now Queensland's capital city. Redcliffe became a pastoral district in the 1860s and in the 1880s boomed as a seaside resort town. In 1878, a suburban subdivision called Portwood Estate (around the present day Portwood Street, Sheehan Street, and Sylvin Street) was offered…

Geography

Redcliffe is situated in the east north-east of the Redcliffe Peninsula on the western shore of the Moreton Bay. It is approximately north-north-east of the Brisbane CBD. It serves as the Central Business District for the Redcliffe Peninsula and its surrounding suburbs.

Most-observed species

• Torresian Crow

  Corvus orru Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  18,913
• Noisy Miner

  Manorina melanocephala (Latham, 1801) · Aves
  17,469
• Australian Ibis

  Threskiornis molucca (Cuvier, 1829) · Aves
  16,023
• Rainbow Lorikeet

  Trichoglossus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1771) · Aves
  15,873
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  15,409
• Welcome Swallow

  Hirundo neoxena Gould, 1842 · Aves
  14,362
• Masked Lapwing

  Vanellus miles (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  13,390
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  12,462