Page 7 - Heritage A5 compile

attachments 6).

By 1887 the name Innis Island had been dropped and the popular
aboriginal name anglicised to Coochiemudlo was used. First land
sales occurred in 1888 but in 1895 the only permanent residents on
Coochiemudlo were Henry Wright and his teenage son Norman, who
20
eked out a living until 1900. Norman Wright later established
Norman Wright and Sons, a nationally regarded boat building
company. Among the vessels the company constructed was the MV
Miramar, which made regular tourist cruises past Coochiemudlo until
21
its conversion to a survey vessel in World War II. Industries which
at the time of the Wrights’ occupancy exploited Coochiemudlo’s
natural resources were the getting of cypress logs for wharf building
in Brisbane, the grazing of cattle swum over from Victoria Point,
22
fishing and oyster harvesting.

Coochiemudlo Island’s three safe beaches are the closest sandy
beaches to the cities of Brisbane and Cleveland and have attracted
visitors from these centres and beyond. As early as 1896 tourists
were offered the chance to ‘get away from the muggy heat’ of
Brisbane by sailing on the paddle steamer Natone to Coochiemudlo
23 (see attachment 7). Boats were hired out by Tom Dixon at Victoria

20 Jones, ‘Coochiemudlo Island in the Nineteenth Century’, p.31
21 Coochiemudlo Island Historical Society, A Short History of Coochiemudlo
Island http://www.coochiemudlo.net/html/history.html accessed 20 July 2017;
‘MV Mirimar, a part of Queensland’s history’, Mirimar Cruises
http://www.mirimar.com/site/history/ (accessed 11 July, 2017); ‘Seeing the
Bay, first of regular trips’, The Telegraph, 17 May, 1935, p.9. (CITY FINAL
LAST MINUTE NEWS). http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article182429451
(accessed 5 August 2017).
22 Jones, ‘Coochiemudlo Island in the Nineteenth Century’, pp. 28-29.
23 ‘Excursions’ (Advertising), The Telegraph, 11 April 1896. p. 1