Rochedale Historical Landmarks:
Roche Homestead - A historical landmark that was still present in 1988, was Roche homestead, which was situated along Rochedale Road, set back from the road amongst six large Bunya trees. The Roche property stretched from the current Rochedale State School, north to Ford Road and east to Priest Gully and included the site of the present day Redeemer College.
The homestead was built between 1868 and 1875 on Portion 334 of the original Roche property, by Emil Lorisch for William and Kate Roche. It was built of timber in the grand Queensland style, with the main front of the house consisting of four large bedrooms completely surrounded by a wide verandah. A large living area was then built on the rear (eastern) section. William Roche planted grapes and a citrus orchard and after his death, the property passed to his wife and eventually to their son Thomas. Around 1916, the property became known as Rochedale and when, in 1918, the land was subdivided, William retained ownership of the original homestead block for himself. More small crops like tomatoes and pineapples were planted on the subdivided blocks by the 1930's and Thomas established a dairy and milk run in the area. After the Second World War, the last section of Rochedale Homestead was sold.
Rochedale Homestead was a popular gathering place for the area with socials and musicals popular there. An annual cricket match for Brisbane journalists was also held. Catholic Church services were held at Roche’s house when the priest came from Beaudesert every three months. Pictures below show Mary Roche in front of the homestead around 1909-10 on the left, and Tom and Kathleen Roche (right of photo) sitting on the running board of their modern transport in the 1920's. (Photos copyright.)
Photos from "Logan.. The Man, The River and the City" by Joan Starr. All copyright is acknowledged.
Rochedale State School - By 1928, the number of children living in the area was great enough to petition the Government for a school. Mr King MLA was the Member for Logan and he was approached as he was also Minister for Public Instruction (Education). The Government negotiated the purchase of 4 acres of land from Mr Hughes for 80 pounds and it was necessary for the school committee to clear the land before the school could be built.
This clearing was all done by hand with using any machinery at all. The school committee consisted of:
Mr F. Heineman - Chairman
Mr N. Stewart - Secretary
Mr F. Vanstone - Committee Member
Mr B. Haack - Committee Member
Mr. O. Obrist - Committee Member
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These men worked hard to prepare the school site and some heavy clearing was contracted to Mr Ben Albrecht who had the necessary equipment for this job. When clearing was completed, approval was given to erect the school building and although it was completed in late 1930, it was 1931 before the school opened.
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When the school opened in 1931, it had 27 pupils and one single classroom. It was expected to have more than 40 but this did not eventuate. Many had transferred to the new school from the Eight Miles Plains school.
The first Head Teacher was Mr H. Ridgway who was also in charge of the 27 children. The original part of the school (pictured left) is still in use today as the Learning Centre. (Photo: Klupp family)
The photo above on the right, is the first class of 27 pupils in front of the original schoolroom when it first opened in 1931. The first teacher/headmaster, Mr Ridgway, rode his bike to school and the children often rode their horses.
William Roche was involved in the erection of the school at Eight-Mile Plains in the 1870s.
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Photo to the right shows the Junior class of approx. 1950. Kindly sent in by Gwyn Morris, he is "the dork with a coat – from UK with conservative parents. They did not like me going to school barefooted."
Pictures below show the front steps of the original building and the view from the old parade ground.
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St Phillip's Church - The Anglican church that once stood on the corner of Gardiner and Miles-Platting Roads, was originally built by the Evangelistic Lutheran Church. The Lutheran Church purchased timber from some World War II buildings at Ekibin and built a church at Moorooka then used the left over timber to build this church. It was dedicated in 1948 and used by the Lutherans until 1956, when it was sold to the Anglican church for 1 800 pounds. Services commenced in late 1957. At one time, Canon W.P.B Miles was the circuit minister who serviced this and other churches over a wide area. When asked what his initials stood for, Canon Miles always replied, "Waste Paper Basket." The Stuart family were well known in the district and their daughter married a local farm hand name Lennie, in the church with Canon Miles presiding. When the Canon asked, "Who gives this woman...." Mr Stuart called out, "Take her away Lennie, she's all yours." Most of the congregation were surprised to see Mr Stuart dressed up to the nines for the wedding as he was well known for not wearing shoes on most occasions. Services continued until the church's removal to make way for a new shopping centre which services the many houses now in the Rochedale Estates.
Present Day Landmarks:
Brisbane Landfill - A large landfill was constructed in Gardiner Road in 1992/3 on 76 hectares of land that was formerly a clay quarry. Fiercely opposed by the local landholders when it was proposed, the landfill was constructed despite this opposition. The Brisbane Landfill, operated by Pacific Waste Management, was the subject of prolonged controversy between local residents, the Brisbane City Council, and the Department of Environment. In June 1998, an appeal was lodged with the Planning and Environment Court for orders amending the terms of the Environmental Protection Order and the conditions of the BCC's environmental licence. The landfill is valued at $99million and has an expected life of 28 years.
The landfill is used for the disposal of putrescible waste. It is a fully engineered landfill, employing a double liner system to protect local groundwater. Systems are in place to collect and treat leachate and control stormwater runoff. Late in 1997 the first stage of a landfill gas extraction system was established to collect and utilise landfill gas. Facilities constructed on the site include a gatehouse with weighbridge, offices and environmental education centre, leachate treatment plant, truck and wheel wash, parking area for refuse vehicles and sealed access roadways. Uncontrolled landfilling of waste can have a number of negative impacts (odour, litter, noise or vermin) on the surrounding environment. The operation of the Brisbane's landfill is strictly controlled to minimise any impact it may have on the surrounding environment.
The actual working area and tipping face where refuse is deposited is kept to a minimum by continually compacting refuse as it is deposited and covering it with soil. Covering with soil helps minimise odour and reduces the risk of waste being carried away by the wind and causing a litter problem. The bulldozers working the refuse have deodorising sprays on their blades to help reduce odour. The continuous extension of the landfill gas extraction system further aids in reducing odour.
Five metre high mobile screens are used around the tipping area to shield landfill operations from adjoining properties, to minimise the risk of litter blown out of the working area on windy days, and to absorb noise from machinery operating at the tipping face. Dust is kept to a minimum through the use of sealed roads and parking areas in some parts of the site, and by wetting down temporary internal dirt roads on a regular basis. Vehicles leaving the landfilling area exit via a wheel and truck wash to minimise the movement of dirt from the site onto external roads.
Noise is minimised by placing all internal roads, away from the site boundaries and by limiting the operating hours as much as possible. The standard operating hours are from 7am to 6pm on weekdays. The landfill is closed on weekends and public holidays. The landfill is not open to the general public. All mobile equipment such as bulldozers and compactors are fitted with noise control packages and are tested regularly for sound emission levels.
Information - "Community Education & Learning - Facts about Brisbane Landfill"
Rochedale Brickworks - Originally established in 1907, Austral Bricks has been operating as part of Brickworks Ltd since 1945. The brickworks at Gardiner Road, Rochedale is one of eight across Australia owned by Austral bricks.
Physical Landmarks:
12/8/22
1930 Rochedale Fruit and Poultry Farmlets - 92 years ago today
Rochedale, Brisbane
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Today, 92 years ago, on Tuesday, 12 August 1930, the Rochedale Fruit and Poultry Farmlets in Rochedale was being advertised for sale.
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"A Splendid Opportunity for Poultry Raisers, Market Gardeners, Orchardists and Bee Keepers."
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The Rochedale Fruit and Poultry Farmlets covers the following streets in Rochedale:
- Gardner Road
- Miles Platting Road (map shows as Rochedale Road)
- School Road
- Gateway Motorway
- McDermott Parade
- Kate Circuit
- Cooper Crescent
- Francis Avenue
- Obrist Place
Check out the Estate Map, Newspaper article and 1946 Aerial Photo of the area.
https://suburbmaps.com/.../1930-rochedale-fruit-and...
(Adapted from images sourced from the State Library of Queensland, Trove and State of Queensland)
Physical Landmarks:
Rochedale - Rochedale has some low-lying areas but its main characteristic is a high ridge with city views, along which Rochedale Road runs. These aerial photos below, show Rochedale State School at the junction of Miles-Platting and Rochedale Road which is the highest section of the ridge. Some small farms can be seen in the foreground of the photo on the left. The land to the west of the ridge is fairly flat and slopes gently down to Bulimba Creek and this land was used for small crops and large residential blocks. To the east of Rochedale Rd, behind the school are large tracts of bushland which can be seen in the top of each photo. This bushland houses many species of wildlife and is mostly State Forest, National Park or Conservation area. It fronts the suburb of Priestdale and much of the area is the catchment area for the Lesley Harrison Dam. Bulimba Creek forms its western boundary and Priests Gully part of its eastern boundary. Several smaller tributaries of these creeks also cross the suburb.
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Click here for Rochedale South Landmarks
Bibliography:
Logan..The Man, The River and the City (Logan City Council)
Phil Reeves - Member for Mansfield
Logan City Library Local Studies Kits