The Redlands - History & Heritage
Visit the Redlands and take a trip into history. You'll discover many significant heritage sites and a fascinating past.
The Redlands region is steeped in history spanning back to the epic journeys of early explorers such as Cook and Flinders. Early exploration centred around the islands in Moreton Bay and in 1842, free settlers began arriving with small townships subsequently developed on the mainland.
Many historical buildings and points of interest remain from bygone days and one of the best ways to discover some of the Redland's history is to visit the Cleveland Point Heritage Precinct (maps are available from Redlands Tourism). Some of the historic buildings along the way include the Old Courthouse, Cassim's Hotel, Grand View Hotel, the Old Schoolhouse Gallery and Saint Paul's Anglican Church - a rare example of a Gothic style suburban church. You can also see Queensland's oldest banyan tree and the Cleveland War Memorial. The Cleveland heritage trail ends with the landmark of the Old Cleveland Point Lighthouse, which was originally built in 1864 as a simple kerosene light on a pole and is now surrounded by parkland.
The Redland Museum in Cleveland offers an impressive display of photographs, artefacts, period dolls and information on early Moreton Bay. The museum also houses an outstanding collection of faithfully restored horse drawn and mechanical vehicles.
A trip to the Redlands is not complete without a visit to the magnificently restored Ormiston House. Captain Louis Hope, was the founder of Queensland's sugar cane industry, had the homestead built by Scottish craftsmen using bricks baked on the property and local cypress pine.
Other historic buildings in the Redlands include Saint Andrew's Church at Ormiston (left), and Whepstead Manor at Wellington Point. There are also many significant historical sites in the Wynnum and Manly areas including Nazareth House which opened as an orphanage in 1925, the Wynnum Hotel, Shire Clerk's Cottage and Lota House.