Aboriginal history | Urban development | Notable residents
Landmarks | Moreton Bay | Adventure

Wynnum / Manly

Whether you're looking for a relaxing picnic in the park or after something a bit more strenuous, there are plenty of recreational and sporting facilities to choose from in this area. Sister suburbs of Wynnum and Manly, complimenting each other and offering the visitor and locals alike many activities, adventures and restaurants.

With many activities for the young and not so young, from beachside activities, water activities, sailing, fishing and diving to the not so energetic activities of enjoying the many restaurants , clubs and picnicking on the beautiful esplanade.    Each has its own distinctive personality with Wynnum Central a commercial and very family friendly hub, and Manly Harbour Village offering spectacular waterfront restaurants, activities and the Manly Marina home to many fabulous yachts and cruisers. 

With suburbs complimenting each other so superbly the visitor or local resident is never short for an activity, commercial centre, shopping or restaurant or club.  Not to mention the activites to enjoy on beautiful Moreton Bay with wildlife galore. Turtles, Dolphins, Dugong, Mantra Ray to name a few. You may be lucky to receive a visit from a dolphin whilst walking along the esplanade or enjoying a bitre to eat in a waterfront restaurant or club.

Wynnum/Manly is a vibrant precinct that is easily accessible from the city centre with a refreshing ambience that belies its proximity to Brisbane’s CBD.  The trains stop at both Wynnum and Manly and esplanade is a short walk to the vibrant waterfront. An easy 20 minute drive from the city and easily sign posted all the way.

The Esplanade at Wynnum features a terrific wading pool and a new water park for children,.  Many generations of locals and visitors have enjoyed the wading pool in the safe environment  Also to be enjoyed is Pandanas Beach, which with its imported sand makes a swim in the ocean ,20 minutes out of the city incredible.     Manly Harbour Village foreshore is host to many restaurants, a marina full of magnificent yachts, and is an excellent spot for a leisurely bike ride or walk along its spectacular esplanade.  Life cannot get any more relaxed than at the Brisbane waterfront suburbs of Wynnum and Manly.

For a truly memorable experience, book a day  on one of the many day trips available in the bay or sailing on ‘Solo’, the famous four-time winner of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.  Relax on the deck or pitch in and help hoist and trim the sails as you tack across Moreton Bay. Watch the abundant wildlife at your keel and enjoy the salt in the wind.
For the ultimate wet ‘n’ wild experience, try boom-netting off the back of a boat with Manly Eco Cruises which operates daily outings in the bay. Expect to get wet and for the not so hardy enjoy the spectacular!

Wynnum/Manly is aplenty with foreshore parks and public spaces that makes for  a popular destination for picnics, and outdoor activities.  And with a superb assortment of cafes and restaurants in both areas, all tastes are catered for, from laid back, casual to sophisticated and urbane.   Take advantage of the many restaurants and takeaways situated right on the waters edge. Something for every occasion and budget. Enjoy the superb weather all year round and outdoor living Brisbane is world renown for. Best of all this is a short drive or train trip from the city, and close to the motorways to the Gold Coast and Sunshine coast.

History is significant in the area with the colonial prison of St Helena Island just a short boat ride away, and the 19th century garrison at Fort Lytton also nearby.  These and other important sites can be visited on the Heritage Trail. A B Sea Cruises operates tours to St Helena which depart from Manly Harbour.  For the truly adventurous, book the Night Ghost Tour!   So much to see all year round , day and night. Nearby Stradbroke Island has a well documented Aborigine history.  From Aborigine to Colonial History to present day lifestyle, all is catered for close by to Wynnum manly Hideaway.

Go to the Wynnum North bird -hide to view native birds feeding and resting in the wetlands.  For children, the nearby Wynnum Mangrove Broadwalk has a storybook trail to follow which teaches the importance of the mangrove environment and its purpose in the area.   This trail is close to Wynnum By The Bay house and is an easy walk along the boardwalk.  With a dog park close by to let the dogs run free the whole family can enjoy this day out.

You can get to Wynnum Manly by car, train or bus.  Click here for details to Wynnum.  Click here for details to Manly.

Click here to view a detailed map of the Moreton Bay region.  

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Discover Manly



Manly
To describe Manly is to use all the water words and action words to describe
Sparkling, blue waters, a scattering of islands, and the masts of the thousand boats moored in the second largest marina in the southern hemisphere, provide a picturesque welcome to Manly.
The marina is home to large and small craft alike and  the marina is enjoyed by the local and tourist alike.
The special village-like atmosphere of this community makes it a popular residential choice for many, and more recently an increasingly popular day trip destination. Whether you are wanting an adventure filled holiday or relaxing peaceful days, your taste is catered for by the many restaurants and tour operators in the area.

A 25 minute drive from the city and accessible by train, Manly and its neighbouring suburbs of Wynnum and Lota, have much to offer the visitor, and most particularly as a great family getaway.  All suburbs are joined together by the Esplanade which acts as an artery for the walker or cyclist or driver. Early morning, midday or evening walkers need never be alone on the esplanade.

Cool breezes, glorious views and kilometres of waterfront walkways and parkland are part of the appeal. We’ve outlined a few of the highlights but they are just the start. Visit the area for yourself and see!

Play: Walk, ride or run along the foreshore from Wynnum to Lota. Cool off with a quick dip in the Wynnum Wading Pool and then adjourn to the nearby water park for some more wet fun in the new children’s playground complete with spurting whales. Adjoining Pandanus Beach provides some sandy entertainment and a touch of the beach.

Eat: The choice of restaurants continues to grow with Cambridge Parade offering the best selection. The premier restaurant for food and its location remains the Fish Café Food and Wine Bar. Dine in and enjoy the streetside atmosphere, or grab some takeaway fish and chips and enjoy them on the waterfront. Further along the Esplanade at Wynnum, an old favourite for fish and chips is the Pelican’s Nest, directly opposite the Wading Pool.

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Aboriginal history

The Wynnum area was occupied by the Winnam (meaning ‘pandanus') people. They lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle with several campsites within their area and adjacent islands. Elanora Park was an aboriginal campsite and was known as ‘Blacks Camp' until 1976.

The coast and river provided abundant seafood. Pandanus, bangwall (fern root) and other plants were eaten and small mammals and birds were hunted, particularly the flying foxes on St Helena Island, where inter-tribal feasts and corroborees appear to have taken place.

As settlement grew the aborigines were confined to the coastal fringes. While agriculture was not possible, the good fishing and hunting meant they could survive. By the 1870s closer settlement around Brisbane was making this outskirts living impossible.

The main destroyers of the Moreton Bay Aborigines were new diseases brought about though contact with the white population. Diseases such as smallpox and tuberculous decimated the indigenous population.

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Urban development

Three cedar cutters were blown off course from Sydney in 1823. They were wrecked on Moreton Island and, with the help of local aborigines, explored the coast and inland until they met up with John Oxley’s party. It appears likely that they crossed to the mainland at Emu Point and travelled north along a native path, much of which is now Tingal Road, to the top of Lytton Hill where they became the first white people to see the Brisbane River.

From 1824 to 1839, Moreton Bay was a penal colony and no free settlement was allowed, but in 1842 this restriction was lifted. The area was surveyed by James Warner in 1859 and the first land auction took place in 1860. Among the earliest purchasers were Shepherd Smith, general Manager of the Bank of New South Wales, and John Balfour, who selected four blocks, comprising 87 acres in all, which stretched from Wynnum creek to Wynnum North State School and down to the bay. Most of the initial settlement was concentrated in the Wynnum North region. Grazing, viticulture, farming and fishing were the primary occupations for these early settlers.

In 1882, the first subdivision in the area took place, at Manly Beach Estate, but the first subdivision in Wynnum was the East Wynnum estate in 1884. In 1888, the estimated population of the Lytton to Lota district was 200 with 50 households. The arrival of the railway in 1889 ensured that the area continued to boom. It was a popular holiday spot, with many guesthouses and camping sites, and at one stage around half the houses in the area were solely used as holiday homes. Farming and fishing were the primary occupation, with it being for a time the second largest fishing catch in Queensland.
In 1902, the Wynnum Shire Council was created and in 1913 it became the Town of Wynnum, before being amalgamated into Greater Brisbane in 1925.

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Notable residents

The Green family had a timber yard where G and B Motors now stands. John Greene was a builder and sawmiller. His sons were building contractors in Wynnum and built most of the early buildings, including the Misses Greene School for Girls in Bay Terrace (later Moreton Bay Girls College), established by their five sisters. They also built and operated the Star Theatre, which burned down in 1959, and Sam Greene published the Waterloo Bay Leader. Sam Greene was elected Alderman in 1913 and his son John was the last mayor of Wynnum and the second Lord Mayor of Brisbane.
Englishman Edward Kelk and his brothers bought land near Hemmant and named their property Lindum-mere after the Roman name for Lincoln (after their home Lincolnshire). In 1869, Edward built a house not far from Pleasantville. The Kelks built Kianawah sugar mill in the 1860s and pioneered the growing of sugar in the area.

Joe Sands came to Wynnum as the Shire Clerk in 1907. He and his family lived in the Shire Clerk’s Cottage, where they kept milking cows, poultry and a vegetable garden. In 1913, when Wynnum Shire became a township, Joe Sands became the Town Clerk. His duties were varied, including overseeing town works, processing rates and fines, and, temporarily, administering the town. In 1917, the Court of Queensland dismissed the current Town Council (following great disagreements and even violence amongst the councillors) and Mr Sands was the town’s highest official until an election four months later.

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Landmarks

The Shire Clerk’s Cottage on Tingal Road was built in 1890 as a residence for the clerk of the Kianawah Divisional Board. The State Government donated two and a half acres of land along the creek and tenders were called for the construction of a hall, offices and residence. Mr J.G. Gross tendered 820 pounds, of which 255 were for the cottage. This was accepted and he started building immediately. Sixteen weeks later a ball was held to celebrate the completion of the building work. It later became the Shire Clerk’s cottage and, was for many years the home of Joe Sands, the Shire Clerk. In 1984 the building was extensively renovated and restored.

St Helena Island was used as Queensland’s state prison from 1867-1932. For many years it operated as a prison farm, with its own cane fields and mill, dairy cattle, farmyards, workshops, and tram. After the prison closed, various families leased it, but it is now a National Park and a popular tourist spot.
Wynnum Central State School was opened in 1894 with an enrolment of eighty. By 1901, another room was required and a third was built six years later. Further annexes were built in 1917 and 1919, which for three years catered for a secondary school.

Wynnum Wading pool was a depression era project and opened in 1933. The parkland was reclaimed from the sea, a revetment wall was built and backfilled, with an area left empty to create the tidal pool. The pool is around 200 m by 65 m with automatic valves to maintain the water depth from the tide.
The Waterloo Bay Hotel was built by George Gibb and opened in 1889. He was born in Cornwall and migrated with his wife and child, but they returned to Cornwall after the baby’s death. In 1875, he returned to Australia with his second wife and four children. They settled in Kelvin Grove, but after the Cleveland rail line was opened, he was granted a hotel licence and built the Waterloo Bay Hotel. Due to ill health he sold the hotel and moved to Gibbs Street, where he died in 1906. He was a well-known stone mason in the district.

Reference: K. Harbison, BRISbites, 2000

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Adventure

How about jumping out of a perfectly good plane … and landing on a beach? 

Would you like to try your hand hoisting up the sails on one of Australia’s most famous racing yachts? 
Or perhaps you’d prefer to stay on terra firma, so maybe quad-biking down some of the world’s highest sand dunes is more your style?

Believe it or not, all these and many more thrilling activities are available right here in Moreton Bay. 
Click on the options below for some ideas to get your heart pumping across the region:

Water Air Bikes 4W Driving Thrills

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Moreton Bay and Islands on Brisbane's doorstep.