The Zion Hill Mission was a Christian mission founded in the area now known as Nundah, Queensland by German Lutheran missionaries. The mission is notable as being the first free European settlement in what is now the state of Queensland. Despite limited success at converting the local Aboriginal Australians to Christianity, many of the missionaries later became pioneers and farmers in the district, shaping the social fabric of the North Brisbane area for decades to come.
The idea of establishing a Christian mission in the Moreton Bay district was the idea of John Dunmore Lang, who had ambitious plans to establish a series of missions along the Australian coast north of Sydney, ostensibly in order to bring Christianity to the Aboriginal peoples, but also to pacify them and prevent attacks on shipwrecked European sailors, as had happened in the case of the Stirling Castle incident some years prior. Lang justified the placement of the mission far from the main colonial settlement of Sydney to his superiors in Britain by asserting that "Aborigines of that distant portion of the colonial territory would be less contaminated by intercourse with the depraved convict population of the colony than those within the present limits of location." [1]
At the time, the Moreton Bay region was still administered by New South Wales, as a "prison-within-a-prison" for particularly troublesome convicts. Private settlements by free Europeans was not permitted until 1839, and widespread free settlement by Europeans in the Moreton Bay region would not begin until 1840. [2] The proposed mission would therefore be the first free (non-convict) European settlement in the area, although this went unremarked upon at the time, as the area was still a part of the colony of New South Wales. [3] [4]
Although Lang was a controversial figure within New South Wales at the time, he did manage to convince the colonial government to reserve 650 acres (2.6 km2) of land for the missionaries' efforts, seven miles (11 km) north of the settlement at Eagle Farm. Lang was also able to recruit Carl Wilhelm Schmidt and Christopher Eipper, two ordained ministers of German origin who had joined Lang's Australian Presbyterian synod, to lead the mission. He was also able to secure a grant of £450 from the British government, as well as a further £150 from his brother, to finance the expedition. It is likely that Lang borrowed even more money for the project, as £600 would not have been enough to arrange the passage of twenty people, and he remarked in 1839 that he still owed £350 in establishment costs for the mission. [5]
The following missionaries arrived at the site: [5]
In addition to the above, Moritz Schneider was included in the initial party, but died in quarantine in Sydney in 1838 of typhoid. His occupation was listed as "medical missionary". Two further missionaries arrived in 1844, Carl Friedrich Gerler, and J.W. Gericke. [5]
At first, the local Aboriginal peoples were curious about the mission and attended services, despite the language barrier that existed. While they had learned some English from the nearby Moreton Bay settlement, most of the missionaries spoke only German. The missionaries tried to engage Aboriginal peoples in constructing buildings and digging gardens to form a bond with them and recognize a benefit enticement from a nomadic life to being settled. [5] [6] However, the curiosity of Aboriginal peoples waned with decreased interest in the sermons and attendance at the mission services. An ongoing problem was that during services the gardens were left unattended and thefts occurred. The missionaries responses to them, soon began to harden attitudes on both sides. [7]
The mission was visited in 1843 by explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, who responded to those dismissive of the mission by saying: "The missionaries have converted no black-fellows to Christianity; but they have commenced a friendly intercourse with these savage children of the bush, and they have shewn to them the white fellow in his best colour. They did not take their wives; they did not take bloody revenge when the black fellow came to rob their garden. They were always kind, perhaps too kind; for they threatened without executing their threatenings, and the black-fellows knew well that it was only gammon ." [8]
By 1843, it was becoming apparent that the mission was in trouble. Governor George Gipps, who had visited the area in 1842, had indicated to the missionaries that to continue receiving government funding, they would need to move their mission to a new site, further away from Brisbane. This request was likely because newly arrived free settlers in the area were beginning to resent the generous allotment of land that had been allocated to the mission. Eipper and Schmidt therefore undertook a survey of surrounding areas looking for a site to move the mission to, considering areas including the Bunya Mountains and around Wide Bay. [5]
During this expedition, Schmidt uncovered evidence that squatters living beyond the authorised settlement line were involved in poisoning Aborigininal Australian peoples, particularly in the area around the modern-day town of Kilcoy. Schmidt advised Lang of his findings, which were subsequently published in the Colonial Observer in Sydney, sparking off a major scandal. [9]
Upon Eipper and Schmidt's return, they presented a proposal to the Sydney-based organising committee, recommending that the mission be moved. However, frustrated by dwindling funds, increased public opposition, and the fact that the government had decided to stop funding the enterprise, the committee instead decided to terminate the mission. [5]
Despite the failure of the missionaries to convert the local indigenous people to Christianity, the work done by the missionaries in establishing a settlement proved that free settlement was possible in the area, and they had a strong effect on the social character of the rapid expansion of the colony that followed the closure of the mission. [10]
Many places in North Brisbane are named after the missionaries. The suburb of Zillmere was named after Zillmann, [11] as were the Zillmann's Waterholes, a watercourse near the former site of the mission that flows into Downfall Creek. [12] Zillman Road, Gerler Road, and Rode Road are all major roads in the north of Brisbane named after members of the missionary party. An obelisk was also erected in 1938 in Nundah to commemorate the centenary of the settlement. [3]
Brisbane is the capital of and the most populated city in the Australian state of Queensland, and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2.5 million, and the South East Queensland metropolitan region, centred on Brisbane, encompasses a population of more than 3.6 million. The Brisbane central business district stands on the historic European settlement and is situated inside a peninsula of the Brisbane River, about 15 kilometres from its mouth at Moreton Bay, a bay of the Coral Sea. The metropolitan area extends in all directions along the hilly floodplain of the Brisbane River Valley between Moreton Bay and the Taylor and D'Aguilar mountain ranges. It sprawls across several of Australia's most populous local government areas (LGAs)—most centrally the City of Brisbane, which is by far the most populous LGA in the nation. The demonym of Brisbane is "Brisbanite", whilst common nicknames include "Brissy", "River City" and "Brisvegas".
Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are used by commercial operators who provide seafood to market.
Aspley is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Aspley had a population of 12,108 people.
Stradbroke Island, also known as Minjerribah, was a large sand island that formed much of the eastern side of Moreton Bay near Brisbane, Queensland until the late 19th century. Today the island is split into two islands: North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island, separated by the Jumpinpin Channel.
Brisbane's recorded history dates from 1799, when Matthew Flinders explored Moreton Bay on an expedition from Port Jackson, although the region had long been occupied by the Yugara and Turrbal aboriginal tribes. The town was conceived initially as a penal colony for British convicts sent from Sydney. Its suitability for fishing, farming, timbering, and other occupations, however, caused it to be opened to free settlement in 1838. The town became a municipality in 1859 and a consolidated metropolitan area in 1924. Brisbane encountered major flooding disasters in 1893, 1974 and 2011. Significant numbers of US troops were stationed in Brisbane during World War II. The city hosted the 1982 Commonwealth Games, World Expo 88, and the 2014 G20 Brisbane summit.
Nundah is an inner suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Nundah had a population of 12,141 people.
Zillmere is a suburb within the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located 14 kilometres (9 mi) north of the Brisbane central business district.
Andrew Petrie was a pioneer, architect and builder in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Christoph Eipper was a pioneering missionary and Presbyterian minister in Australia.
Reverend Carl Wilhelm Schmidt, also known as Karl Schmidt, was a German missionary, and an ordained minister of the Prussian United Church. Schmidt's missionary work took him to Queensland and Samoa, where he founded a number of Lutheran institutions and settlements.
Thomas Bridges was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland in the seat of Nundah as a member of the Ministerial Party and subsequently as a member of the Liberal Party.
Nundah Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at 88 Hedley Avenue, Nundah, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1840s to 1963. It is also known as German Station Cemetery. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Johann Leopold Zillmann (1813–1892) was a German missionary to Australia. Born in Neu-Ulm, and a blacksmith by trade, he joined Carl Wilhelm Schmidt and Christopher Eipper at the Zion Hill Mission in what is now the Brisbane suburb of Nundah in Queensland. After the mission closed, Zillmann stayed in the area and turned to farming.
The Artemisia was the first immigrant ship to arrive in Moreton Bay bringing the first assisted free settlers from England. She was a barquentine of 492 tons built at Sunderland in 1847 and owned by A. Ridley. Under her master, Captain John Prest Ridley, the Artemisia arrived in Moreton Bay in December 1848.
First Free Settlers Monument is a heritage-listed memorial at Sandgate Road, Nundah, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1938. It is also known as First Free Settlers of Queensland Memorial Cairn. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 26 June 1998.
Edward Barton Southerden (1830–1906) was a businessman and politician in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. He was the first mayor of the Town of Sandgate and was known as the "Father of Sandgate" as he was involved in all aspects of progress and welfare of the town.
Dundalli was an Aboriginal lawman who figured prominently in accounts of conflict between European settlers and indigenous aboriginal peoples in the area of Brisbane in South East Queensland. Traditionally described as a murderer, savage and terrorist, he is now thought variously to have been a guerilla leader or to have coordinated a decade-long resistance to white colonization the area. He was hanged publicly in Brisbane in 1855 by order of the Sheriff of New South Wales.
The Undanbi were an indigenous Australian tribe of southern Queensland.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
The War of Southern Queensland was a conflict fought between a coalition of Aboriginal tribes in South East Queensland, the "United Tribes", and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, from around 1843 to 1855. Following the Kilcoy massacre in 1842, a great meeting was held in the Bunya Scrub of tribes from across South East Queensland north to the Wide Bay-Burnett and Bundaberg regions, fuelled by decades of mistrust and misunderstanding with the British, they united into a loose confederation and issued a ‘declaration’ to destroy the settlements on their lands.