Rembrandt Street Park

Carina was named after the estate of Ebenezer Thorne who owned land on Creek Road in the 1850s. He named his homestead 'Carina' after his daughter Kate Carina, and this name passed on to the suburbs of Carina, Carina Heights, and Carindale.  The area was first visited by timber men gathering timber, and lots of cleared land were first sold in 1863.  The area was fist occupied by German settlers who had dairy farms and vineyards.  Twenty years later there was a land boom, and many sold out.  Carina did remain mostly bushland until after world war two, when there was a major development of war service and housing commission homes.  The housing estates at Carina were first served by trolley buses, but in 1948 the tramline was extended along Old Cleveland Road to Carina, to what was known as Belmont Terminus.   Sadly the trams no longer exist.  What a waste.  
There are some lovely parklands in the area, Seven Hills Bushland is my favourite, as it is untouched, but Rembrandt Park is really nice.  There is a nature reserve on one side.  A large storm water drain drain runs through the park and out into Bulimba Creek.  There is some amazing wildlife  in the park.

I went down late this afternoon with the purpose of sketching the Lorikeets.  Sadly as soon as I got near them they flew off.  I think it is my red hair, next time I go down to the park, which is five minutes walk from my house, I am going to wear my black hat.  I settled for sitting in the picnic shelter and sketching the park out to Creek Road.

Thunderstorm over Moreton Bay

Moreton Bay - Wynnum Manly - Brisbane Australia. Location Sketch

We had a major thunder and lightning storm late this afternoon. 

I shot down to Breakwater Park on the Wynnum Manly Waterfront, 

and found a picnic shelter to set up my plein air kit. 

I sketched the storm over Moreton Bay.

Where I was standing, was just behind the mouth of Wynnum Creek, 

and I was watching the water pouring into the bay. 

The clouds were amazing, the lightening exciting. 

The thunder made me jump a couple of times.

Moreton Bay is 25 km from Brisbane CBD. 

It is a paradise for water sports. 

At 125 km in total it is home to approximately 360 islands. 

The Bay was formed 6000 years ago, as the water rose and 

flooded the flood-plains of the Brisbane river. 

The aboriginal name is Quandamooka. 

Captian James Cook named it Moreton Bay when he traveled past 

on the 15th May 1770. 

The bay is seperated from the Pacific Ocean by 3 sand Islands

Balmoral Cemetery, Morningside, Qld Australia

This is a sketch I did today for the Urban Sketchers Weekly Challenge.

Balmoral was part of the area Aborigines called “Tugulawa” which means “heart”. This was probably a reference to the heart-shaped piece of land that constitutes Bulimba and Balmoral. The cemetery was opened in 1874. The first burial took place in 1874. Sadly, it was that of George Wilson Pointon, a 6 year old boy who had drowned in Norman Creek on 26 June 1874.
The Brisbane City Council has records of approximately 15,277 interments but it is likely there are more since it is not known how many of the very early graves are occupied. The Brisbane City Council holds some original burial registers dating from 1888 to 1949. Hemmant Cemetery office holds the original portion books dating from 1875. FOBC Inc maintains a full list of monumental inscriptions. The cemetery closed in the early 1960’s but burials still take place for those who own family plots. Vandalism, and lack of care has made this cemetery a lonely desolate unkempt place and it is a real shame. A huge part of Brisbane's history lies here.