There is a long tradition of combat and competition in Woolloongabba. Plus some fascinating old pubs and hotels, sacred sites, an accident-prone church. And a duplex. #woolloongabba #brisbane #queensland
I'm from Toowoomba but Woolloongabba is a regular haunt for me due to regular specialist appointments at the Mater hospital. Keen photographer also and love the streetscapes in the area. Did you happen to pop into Paul De Luca's Barber Shop that you walked by at the start of the video? He's a wealth of knowledge and worth a short video in his own right. Took over the shop there when he was around 18 year of age.
The old Gabba cop shop, a firehose wash down wake up call in the pre dawn after a spending the night from too much beers from the cricket, a boot to the bottom send off by the SGT as you walk into town soaking wet to find a way home. Remember it well :)
Great video 👍I just got service back...damn optus...so much information, so many beautiful old buildings. Not a bad Mr Darcy costume...you looked very dapper 😊
Hey Rob, Great Vid mate, That place has a complex history, I read a story recently of the sisters of mercy accommodating and comforting dying AIDS patients in the 70s when the Holey Joh Gov of the day just let them die because of their sinful ways. All mostly in the Gabba. Its part of the Mater Hospital dogma now ways, and well earned. T-Rocks
Those picture frames on the wall I put up for the kids to muck around with on New years eve one year. We used to closed Sword Street down New Years eve to traffic and bring rugs and tables out on the street and have bbqs, put a few bands on and hang out with the community. Once the towers started getting built the council were less inclined to let us do it and we had to stop it but at the time Sword st and Flower st got to meet up in a safe family friendly invriroment. Some of Flower st and Sword street would meet in park you went to with the shelter on the first Friday of the month for drinks and nibbles, till someone fell of the table lol. I have old post and rails from a fence late 1800s that came out of the South City Square work site that my neighbour thought was great fire wood. Under my house was a sandal workshop. I have a framing shop up on Deshon/Logan road. It's a great place to live, I barely leave the suburb but I wish the new comers had a little more respect and clean up after themselves and their pets. Always cleaning rubbish and poo out the front of the shop. It flows into the creek and in turn Morton Bay.
I don't think that history does actually repeat Rob but it does rhyme. One of the most gringe things that I have ever seen was when the premier jumped up out of her seat to celebrate winning the bid for the Olympics that we were the only bidder for. I think that it will prove to be a very bad decision to host it. There are some extremely bad economic times ahead.There is another global financial crisis much worse than the one of 08 in the works which will be followed by a 1930's style depression. (We won't have to wait very long at all to see if I am right about it or not). Also, there are many more important things that need attention that are being ignored by all levels of government. One of them being the current housing crisis, and I can speak with some authority about that I am watching this video on my phone in my car that I am presently living in after they doubled my rent over the past 2 yrs and I could no longer afford it. Anyway,rant over,I enjoyed that one Rob,Cheers mate.
i live in the valley and i love when you put up a video of the parts i usually do walk arounds when i am getting some exercise in it makes all the parts i see every day so much more interesting
Well done Rob for digging out the indigenous history of our neighbourhood, and your theme of continuity and relatedness is a sensitive approach. Apart from your accurate contextualising comment on the raiding of the farms at Kangaroo Point, however, your approach downplays the history of serious conflict. Nearby the now-derelict Chalk/Railway Hotel is an organisation, Link Up, which helps Aborigines relocate the families they were separated from as children. It also helps those who were sexually abused in foster homes and orphanages to apply for redress. Feel free to delete this comment if it attracts racists.
@allangardiner2515 Thank you for your thoughtful and interesting feedback. I must say that there was no deliberate or conscious decision to downplay "the history of serious conflict". My documentaries offer a general overview of an area, to help everyone gain an overall understanding of the development of a locality. In other words, I never allow my work to get bogged down in tiny details, politics, social causes etc et al. These things are outside the scope of what I am trying to achieve. Sure, I could devote the entire show to exploring just things like social injustices, but that then makes my channel into something else. I'm sure this thread will not attract racists, and thankfully thus far I have never had had the need to delete any comments.
Rob mate I am a Queenslander since birth. And have fed magpies with bird feed and have not been swooped anywhere on the Gold Coast since I moved here from Coorparoo in 1987. Carry bird food and they will pass the Maggie word that you are a friend. I promise it works. They are very smart birds. It may take about 6 months but very worth it.
I just moved from my house at 15 Hawthorne st. after 14 years due to termites been found there (you're walking away from it at 14:26. It is about 114 years old, was quarantined like you said because of the plague, and was also a women's refuge at one stage. It has MANY rooms, and was one of the last affordable share houses in the area...sadly now empty.
I know a guy in Woolloongabba called Barrie, Barrie watt. He has a business in the Gabba called Watts Buses. Barrie is about to turn 90 and still works harder than anyone I know. The council just named a park after his family in the gabba, I think it's Watts Park. I would highly recommend making contact with him, his workshop is a museum, the amount of photos and his knowledge of the Gabba is incredible.
Barry is my uncle. We lost his wife, my aunt Dawn a few months ago. Barry will never stop working till he drops. Barry was also a Speedway champion and is still involved in the sport even today. He has one of his old Speedway cars under his house. The Bus business was started by his father, I remember him, a big man called Sherrif. One of the things that Barry did in the early 70's was to start a thing called Double decker bus racing. It didn't go for long, but it was funny watching these huge busses going around a racetrack. If anyone remembers an old English comedy called On the Busses, the main character in that sitcom was a guy called Reg Varney. Varney came out to Australia when the sitcom was still running and had his picture taken with Barry.
The old Broadway Hotel has always fascinated me. Rumour has it that somewhere on the site is an air-raid shelter. That piece of history would be no more if developers had gotten their way.
The Woolongabba transit development recently dug up the remains of the railway turntable which they quickly destroyed. It was where the newly built trains from up at Kangaroo Point were turned and loaded onto the main rail system. I was disgusted to see them wreck the remains instead of donating them to the Ipswich Rail Museum. As it was the biggest turntable in Brisbane ever.
As our VP was involved in the project, there was no remains except the rubble of concrete remains of the former turntable into the pit, we doubt that would be a worthy cause for preservation as most of it was removed in 1970 upon closure of the Goods Yard. As the turntable was unique as being non standard but not the largest in Brisbane. It was a standard 60ft turntable, common and well documented for future generations.
So many beautiful old buildings in Woollongabba, and fascinating history about the First Nations people and how they used the area. Thanks for the brilliant video Rob!
I lived on Lockhart, Broadway and Hawthorne street in the 90s and walked up, down and around so many of those streets so often. As a band member played a few times at the Railway Hotel with other local punk bands. Great to see so much history laid out here!!
Love your work. I lived so long in this area and loved it. Would love you to come up and spend time around Tiaro and Maryborough. Theres some amazing stuff here, and a huge chunk of families living in qld would of come via Maryborough if not moreton bay. Would love to gain more insight up here
Was a local, lived in Coorparoo. Had a beer in all of those hotels including the railway hotel and chalk bar. They closed the railway hotel for a year or two and reopened as the chalk bar. Another local watering hole was the stones corner hotel which changed hands and reopened as something else (don't remember the new name) but it was haunted before and still after. Was sitting watching a game one night and the main doors flew open and soon after (seconds) the door behind me to the toilets, will never forget that because the main doors were very heavy and you had to use your body weight to open them. But that night they flew open like a Moreton bay breeze had touched them, the staff said many had seen a teenage female "apparition" on more than one occasion throughout the old hallways and upstairs rooms. Late 90's (1990's haha)
The first house I ever lived in was in Hawthorne St. There's a block of flats there now. It makes me really mad to think how the wretched beast that is the Olympics is going to destroy this neighbourhood and all those around it. All so the unions get a payday and for Palaszczuk's mad dream of opening it. A brief guide to the historic pubs of the Gabba: 1. The Red Brick - best pub in the Gabba. Back in the day, first port of call for many folks in their first hour out of Boggo Road. 2. The Broadway - Back in the late 80's, the place where ladies who liked ladies used to meet and greet. 3. The Normie - lovely pub and if you don't mind paying 80 bucks for a steak, a very much lovelier one. 4. The 'Gabba. You'd get a steak dinner at Jacks (which was owned by Pauline Hanson's dad) and hit the corner bar at that Gabba -a lively, bumptious place prone to the occasional bar clearing brawl. 5. The Morro - I played in a band there at a country and western night in 1981. 6. The Recovery - not there any more - the derro's pub in the Gabba. Terrifying 7. The Railway - used to be a niteclub area out the back which shared, with The St Paul's Tavern, the nickname of The Parachute Club. You can guess why. 8. The Clarence Corner. Used to be a wonderful pub - you used ot be able to see bands there at nights and get a massive $5 pasta lunch during the days.
W double O double L double O N G A double B A. I had to spell that a lot to people who would call us at the Woolloongabba Post Office and would want to know how to spell it. I worked there in the late 80's early 90's. It wasn't the most exciting area to work at during those years.
I remember Logan Road closing at the five ways, 1969, wow that long ago? Am I that old? I recall my dad working at ‘The Hollywood’ theatre not sure which suburb had thought it was Woolloongabba. The story of the little boy drowned was told to me everytime we passed the area.
"The canon is apparently still there." Buried there or his ghost appears there? That might have been what young Master Rob experienced in the upstairs rooms all those years ago?! 😱😉😁
I cycle past that old style green water fountain most days, have never noticed it, will have a look for it next time. I also spent some time working at the Woolloongabba Post Office in the mid to late 80s.
I know EXACTLY THE SPOTS MATE !!! I grew up 500 m literally at Kangaroo point ! EXTREMELY VIOLENT PLACE ? I remember the walk to school EVERYDAY, Like literally speeding Traffic 2 foot away off the footpath! ( no CAMERAS ) back when we lived their 1975/1984 ! Then `THE SCHOOL YARD ‘ well we had to fight all the Adults kids from videos like this one , as they would pick on EVERYONE!! Arrhhh THE GOOD OLD DAYS !! Our primary school was literally half way tucked under THE STADIUM! School is still at the Gabba too ! Great place to grow up 🎉🇦🇺🦋 lived all around their back in the day ! Cooparoo / Norman park etc … Actually ferry from Norman park STRAIGHT to the city near McDonald’s their , we must of CLIMED THE STORY BRIDGE Like 15/20 Times over the years ! Especially at night ! We had a cubby on top of the south side of the bridge ledge tower ! WICH an old wino bum chased us off !! Loved every minute of my youth 🇦🇺🦋
Western Sydney was like that back in the day, we had westies with flano shirts, jeans and desert boots, usually with some sort of metal shirt under the flano, ac/dc, wasp/kiss/gnr/Metallica /motorbreath/ anthrax/ you would see these westies pushing there trail bikes out the bush. That was way before all these bs underground murders, with these money hungry lebos. You wouldn't have no lebo gangs back then, there were but they stayed in lakemba and couldn't speak English. It was violent back then, but it was fair, for instance if you didn't like someone, you would offer them out to the park, at 3 after school, and everyone would go and watch with no teachers, form a circle, but after the fight, who ever got dropped accepted it, and repented, but then wogs starting getting in on the action, but they would have there whole family there, and some brother would get emotional seeing his bro getting flogged by Aussies. So they would jump in, but cos they were scared of Aussies, they would pull knifes, and then that's when all the, hip hop violence streamed over to Australia from, la, with the likes of nwa, public enemy, mc hammer, that era, homeboy era baggy pants doc Martins, and now it's evolved into, gloryifing drug dealers, hence the state being some drug murder capitol. Now some one described Sydney well the other day, he said Sydney is just full of junkies, now, I sort of believe him, cos thats what is fuelling, what's going on with the underground lebo family, bs. there now.
Great video, as always. Still waiting for the day I run into you throughout Brisbane. At the beginning of your video, where you punch the camera, you were out the front of Paul De Luca's barbershop. Please consider interviewing him about the history of Woolloongabba and Brisbane. He's been working out of that very shop, 6 days a week for over 60 years and is a die hard Broncos fan. I'm sure he'll have a lot of stories to share. The second time I ever visited him, a long term customer was sharing his wisdom and lamented that Brisbane isn't the same as it was in the '60s. Back then you could get a prostitute for only $2.50. Quite the interaction for 19yo me.
Mate I just watched your north to south video and it broke my heart where the TAB building is on Sandgate Rd was my family's property when I was young, we also had the mobile service station at Albion five way's. My dad was Dr H.P. Flanagan ,his practice was at Cavendish Rd. Coorparoo. My mums uncle was named Colin Stones, as in Stones Corner.
very interesting. I am old enough to remember when Woolloongabba used to be a tram terminus. A massive tree used to be right in the middle; since gone. Also grain supply.
Great walking tours! The city of my birth, wonderful to see it with fresh eyes - so much has changed in 40 years, so much has stayed the same. Thanks Rob!
I grew up in this area. Used to walk past that water fountain to get to south bank. So weird seeing it on youtube. Your the only channel doing great Brissie content!! Keep it up!!!!!
I'm agnostic but I'm open-minded about the existence of certain forms of the paranormal. The Normanby Hotel is definitely haunted. Despite that, it used to have such an inviting atmosphere before they cut down the fig tree and put a road right through the beer garden.
I still haven't forgiven BCC for that travesty. Drank there in my youth when I lived in Red Hill in the 90s. Such a great little pub and they absolutely fckd it.
The Broadway Hotel is supposed to be fully restored by the owners by law but they want it to fall down. Out the back is a World War 2 bunker which the developers want destroyed aswell and they made a submission to destroy it saying it is dammaged . Go take a look dyanmite and wrecking balls could not break that bunker
Next to the drinking fountain is the stairs to the Mater Hospital which had an opening since sealed which as an enterance to the underground hospital and bunker used in World War 2. It was sealed up after the war.
I've previously lived in a couple of places in Woollongabba. Was a busling area to live in being so close to the city. Nice pubs and places to eat. One of the places I lived in though had so much paranormal activity going on there, I ended up having to leave. Couldn't sleep properly at night it was getting increasingly scary.
Another great show thanks mate there must be something about the area around the GABBA with competition I now know it goes back tens of thousands of years probably longer.
@walkaboutwithrob Great coverage, of just about everything (close to anyway) that I remember, growing up living in 'the Gabba'. Loved the aerial shot of the Morrison hotel area; I used to live in the flats shown on the corner up the street from it - was trippy to see it, and the ones 2 doors up that I also lived in again! In later years (still as a kid), I then lived for years in Wilton street, parallel to Hawthorn street, and used to of course ride my 'pushy' in all areas. Mum worked for years at the Qld cricketers club; waste of money tearing it all down to rebuild, but then again I'm against all the developments just for the stupid coming Olympics! Just as I was lamenting that you didn't cover the East Brisbane state school where I went; there it was near the end! Thanks mate! - I've of course driven past it in the ensuing decades (I go through that area every week or so), but not walked...Was awesome to see what I could, and how it STILL looks the same, with the verandas, main stairwell etc that I walked on daily for too many years. It's THE biggest reason I'm anti-Olympics, as they're going to demolish and build a new version of it, oddly enough in the grounds of my old Coorparoo high school; but - at LEAST (which again I didn't know) they're going to keep PART of it, as a museum...Memories hey? Who'd want to live without any?
It's funny you point out how some places are reliving/replaying past events just with new characters over different timelines almost as if it's fated that way. Now Rob you say you don't believe in the supernatural however you r spooky experience and your feeling regarding energy stored at certain sites..... kind of sounds like what most paranormal believers would agree with. That unexplainable uncomfortable scary feeling you felt upstairs in that pub is a big indicator or "evidence" of something there, of course we don't know what it is and we all like to assume it's loved ones or past occupants but we really have no idea. Of course that's just my opinion from my experiences in life, I never believed in anything supernatural until we moved to a 15yr old average 3 bedroom low set house at Redbank plains. Within 3 months we (who never go to church unless weddings/funerals) had a priest come to bless the house and 4months later he had to come back for round 2. We couldn't understand why as it was a relatively new house and the neighbour next door told us the original builder would collect stones from a nearby creek to build the retaining wall. I'm guessing he probably found a sacred burial mounds and thought the skull sized stones would be perfect for his wall, because I've been throughout the local bush and creeks and you'd be hard pressed finding and cache of stones anywhere. Keep it up, love your vids.
@user-hd8zj1yw2f great feedback, thanks for that. I don't know if events being perpetuated over the years across cultures is "fated". Fate is such a subjective term and means different things to different people. It may just be that the Fiveways area of the Gabba lends itself a convergence of trackways and that the geography of the region was suited to open contests of strength. But like you said, we really have no idea. As to what the cause of the sensation was in the Norman Hotel, it might just have been youthful hormones or a bad slice of pizza!
Arrh The 'Gabba. My parents owned and ran a thriving business in Stanley Street. Our storage was up an old wooden staircase, old windows opened out. The upstairs area was filthy with heavy black, grainy dust. Apparently, possibly still from the steam engines which used to, as you showed... choo choo their way through the area. Great memories you've brought back. 😊
Gabba is dutch for friend. I was told from elders that Roma street parklands was the meeting place for all the tribes.. of Australia they knew when to come and meet and start walking to make the meeting as they did it once a year .. all things where sorted there weddings fights and tribe politics and wars
Rob, Im surprised you didnt mention any of the multiple Orthodox churches in woolloongabba. This is definitely rare in Australia, but specifically the st Nicholas cathedral is the oldest Russian orthodox church in Australia, and recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. I understand you probably just arent aware of this history, but the church with the green roof next to the anglican church is st seraphims. Or the serbian orthodox church on ross street, or holy annunciation which was a missionary parish established in the 60’s. Your videos are always informative, but I feel like youve missed a lot of history there, especially since st Nicholas is the oldest building on vulture street.
It also might be worth mentioning that in the early 1900’s a lot of russians immigrated to woolloongabba because of the revolution, and specifically a lot of ural Cossacks. They are the ones who built st Nicholas, and this is why there are 3 of the 4 ROCOR churches in brisbane all within view of one another in the gabba. Also nearby are the greek churches in west end, and the antiochian churche arent too far either so it would seem overtime more orthodox immigrants came to the area because thats where the only churches were. I was once told that the cross procession from st Nicholas on pascha (easter) used to end up meeting the cross procession of one of the greek churches. And the 100th anniversary I mentioned before was quite unique. Not only was our bishop present, but bishop luke of jordanville, archbishop gabriel of montreal and all the clergymen of australia and new Zealand in ROCOR and some clergy from other dioceses aswell. (60 or more clergymen.) Its the first time something that large has taken place in Australia.
@enclave3908 Thanks for your feedback. My approach to making these shows is to cover the places and landmarks that I personally find interesting. Yes, I'm aware of the St Nicholas Cathedral and that it is actually in the suburb of Kangaroo Point. Vulture Street splits KP from Woolloongabba. This Cathedral is not the oldest building on Vulture Street, there are still houses there that date from the 19th century. Yes, I could have included all of the churches you mentioned, plus all the churches from all the other denominations plus every school and every old shop etc etc. But if I were to do so, these shows would run for hours. It's just not possible to put everything in, so I make a decision about what to include and what to omit. I hope this helps explain my point of view and approach, but again I do thank you for your feedback.
Thanks for pointing out the locations of the Dens of Iniquity of various gangs of Religious Nutters. Couldn't be more appropriate that they reside on Vulture Street! 😱🙄😈
Im glad to see recent years with stuff like the CRR and rail expansions the local govs seem to be a lot more aware of how bad it’d gotten Though still got a lot to go
Fantastic Rob, you should give up your day job and do this full time, I have seen on RU-vid mikes which reduces background noise, could be useful for traffic noise, all the best
G'day Rob. Watch all your videos here in Toowoomba. Love them. Needed someone to do these and you do a wonderful job. Big ask and probably somewhat difficult, but any chance considering a story on Cribb Island and of course it's connection to the Bee Gees. Thanks mate. Trevor.
Absolute disgrace that the Broadway has been left in that state! Owners should be forced to do something not allowed to leave it to fall apart and rot!
……Highgate Hill former resident. Used to bicycle down Park Road West, past the timber mill, onto Annerley Rd, school friend’s parents’ owned the ‘Red Brick Hotel’. Cycle past Princess Theatre, then back home…………
At the five ways intersection, on the corner near the bus way and Stanley, there is a bollard amongst the rest thats a bit of the hidden landmark similar to the water fountain.
Oh God. I actually recognise some of your fellow students from Film School. I'm reminded of the old Dental Hospital and Fire station at the Gabba. After that was the State Government Printing Works. We use to watch the Cricket from "the Hill", which was open parkland embankment. Now it's an arena where you have to pay.
Jonathan Sriranganathan has some really great, progressive ideas for Brisbane, which are sorely needed. Broadway Hotel fire was devastating. (The dodgy developer's favourite trick)
His ideas are typical greeny lunacy. He advocates for home invasion and squatting. He also actively encourages shop lifting. He wants to shut down massive businesses that employ thousands and would also seriously affect secondary suppliers and their families. HE IS DANGEROUS.
the guy who said to squat in peoples grandparents homes who were in hospital or aged care because lifes not fair for young people? Yeah sounds like a great person.
It was fascinating to hear about the young boy drowning in the quarry. My Great-Great Grandfather lost a boy on Boggo Road in a water hole. I had the police inquest, and it was very hard to read. It is even stranger, his wife's maiden name was Hansen. They then lost the next child due to her being so upset and could not feed her little girl
