#OnThisDay 4 May 1842 the penal colony of Moreton Bay, on traditional Turrbal and Yuggera land, was declared a free settlement. It had been established by John Oxley in August 1824 and up until 1842 was primarily a place of secondary punishment for convicts who committed serious offences while serving their original sentence in New South Wales. At the height of the penal colony in 1829 there were nearly 1000 convicts and by 1839 only 107 remained. Queensland was declared a separate colony from New South Wales in 1859.
Source: Queensland Times. (1909). Early history of Queensland
Related
- Search the Assisted Immigrants Index (includes Moreton Bay arrivals 1848-1859)
- A Tracing of a Map of Brisbane in 1842 is available in the Colonial Secretary's Papers (4/2565.1 Letter 42/8789) and can be viewed in the Reading Room
- Digitised entries in the Colonial Secretary's Papers under John Oxley
- Digitised entries entry in the Colonial Secretary's Papers under Moreton Bay
