It is not apparent
that any Aboriginal tribes lived on the Blackall Range, but
certainly members of the Kabi tribe gathered every two or three
years on the banks of the Obi Obi Creek at Baroon Pocket to
feast on the fruit of the Bunya Pine (Bonyi Bonyi). It was a
place of enrichment and celebration; a place to exchange songs,
stories, tools and ornaments, for marriages to be arranged,and
conflicts resolved. The lagoon in Russell Family Park to the
west of the Montville shops was a watering hole on the way to
Baroon. An old track came up from the coast, opposite where
"Gallery D" is now.
Timber getters knew of the rich timber resources from before
the Separation of Queensland in 1859 but it is not until the
eighteen-eighties that land selections were permitted to E.J.Burnett
and G.L.Bury. The first true settlers were T.P.L.Weitemeyer
and his family, who took up residence in 1887 on what is now
Mill Hill Road. Remingtons, Butts, Burnetts, Smiths, Muirheads,
Mills, Skenes, Vinings, Harveys, Daltons, Burys and others joined
them at this time.
The first task of the settlers was to clear some land for their
sustenance and living. The clearing was in itself the industry
of timber getting, and "shutes" such as Remington's were used
to slide the huge logs down the mountain to bullock wagons or
creeks, to take the timber to mills on the coast. Farming followed
old European patterns for a time, and dairying was a staple
industry, but soon the subtropical climate fostered the farming
of citrus, pineapples, macadamias and avocados.
In the 1890's, Henry Smith and his brother Alfred selected land
on the Back Road (Western Road) and acquired more along the
Main Road. Henry was a man of business. He built the first cattle
dip, opened the first store and Post Office, had a store in
Palmwoods by the railhead, and ran the first private telephone
line between the shop and his Montville home. That house still
exists, a beautifully preserved private home called "Belbury"
looking down on the park. Henry proposed the name for the settlement,
calling it after a district in Connecticut USA where he had
lived with his parents who emigrated there from England. Alfred
built a shop on Main Road, which grew up, to become known now
as "Misty's". |
The road to the coast was a rough track
down the Razorback ridge, it was not until 1929 that the "Palmwoods
Road" was completed. The sports ground was also opened in that
year for cricket and tennis. It has just undergone major improvements
to accommodate junior soccer.
Those early families were endowed with great community spirit.
In 1896 a school was established, the first teacher was Miss Emily
Palmer. Descendants of Miss Palmer still live on the range, and
the original school, the first public building, is incorporated
in the old teacher's residence on Razorback Lookout. The School
of Arts, built in 1903, is our Montville Village Hall, and contains
a fine gallery of early photographs. The Memorial Gates, erected
in front of the School Of Arts in 1921, are very special, for
they acknowledge not only those who served their country, and
died, but also those who volunteered and, for whatever reasons,
were "rejected".
The Methodist, now Uniting Church, was built in 1912. St.Mary's
Church of England was consecrated on a day in August 1914, when
unbeknown to this little mountain village, events in Europe were
about to catapult the old Empire into war. Montville does not
have a cemetery, but in the 1990's St.Mary's Guild established
a Memorial Garden behind the church, looking over the coast, with
a walled area for memorial plaques.
From the 1920's Montville was a thriving mountain holiday resort,
with many legendary guesthouses. Sadly, fires decimated most of
these wonderful old structures. The 'Lachlan" building still stands
on Main St, now called "Rothley". "Belvedere" is a private residence
now, which may be seen on Balmoral Road south of the village.
In the 1970's, as the roads improved, Montville became accessible
as a pleasant day trip from the coastal strip and from Brisbane,
and the focus of local industry began to change from farming to
tourism. The population increased dramatically as did commercial
development. But one wheel has turned full circle, and one of
Montville's features is the number of new guesthouses that have
been established, offering all styles of accommodation from bush
cabins to luscious luxury.
Words & images © M.V.A. |
