Brisbane City Council’s Nostalgic Stroll Through Nundah Heritage Trail helps locals and visitors discover the rich history of one of Brisbane’s most historic suburbs.
With its 18 points of interest, Nundah Heritage Trail takes its guests back in time and shares the stories of the events that helped in shaping the suburb.
The Nostalgic Stroll starts at Toombul Shire Hall and heads along Sandgate Road to the Royal Hotel, then to the Nundah Baby Clinic, and passing Nundah State School. It also includes a visit to the Nundah Cemetery and concludes at the Toombul shopping centre.
Highlighting significant heritage trails and historic sites, the Nundah Heritage Trail travels through the following spots:
Toombul Shire Hall
Located at 1141 Sandgate Road, this iconic building dates back to 1891. John Hall and Son designed the Toombul Shire Hall that served as a municipal office for the Toombul Divisional Board as well as a public hall.
Sandgate Road
Sandgate Road played an important role in the business of the famous Australian coach company, Cobb and Co. carriages. From 1875 Cobb and Co. began running their coaches from Brisbane to Sandgate. The route they have chosen was along Sandgate Road and through German Station.
Royal Hotel
The Royal Hotel was built in 1888 for John North when Nundah was a flourishing town. Gerald Maloney, an Anzac veteran who had fought at Gallipoli later owned the license of the hotel.
Imperial Picture Pavilion
Opened in 1918, the Imperial Picture Pavilion originally showed silent films and served as a social centre in Nundah. The establishment, however, was demolished in 1965.
First Free Settlers Monument
Located at the Corner of Sandgate Road and Nundah Bypass Tunnel, the stone cairn honours the first free European settlers of Queensland at Nundah’s Zion Hill.
Nundah Air Raid Shelter
Built in 1942, this air raid shelter is a preparation for the possibility of Japanese bombing raids. Nundah was a potential target because the United States Army Petroleum Warehouse was just one kilometre away from the Nundah Railway Station.
Nundah Baby Clinic
Built in 1934, the Nundah Baby Clinic played a big role in the lives of many families in Nundah. The clinic provided new mothers with free advice on the care of babies as well as education on maternal and children’s health.
The Salvation Army Hall
This is the Salvation Army’s second hall in Nundah. The new hall was constructed in 1952 to replace the previous hall that was destroyed in a cyclone in 1948.
Nundah State School
This state school is one of Queensland’s oldest schools. It was established in 1865 as the German Station National School. The school was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 15 July 2016.
Tufnell Home Orphanage
The Anglican Church established the home in 1901 under the care of the Sisters of the Sacred Advent, as a memorial to Brisbane’s first Anglican bishop, Edward Tufnell. The orphanage operated from 1901 to 1970s.
Corpus Christi Catholic Church
The Corpus Christi Catholic Church is one of the best examples of Romanesque Revival architecture in Queensland and remains to be one of Brisbane’s most distinctive church buildings.
Nundah Memorial Park
Nundah Fire Station
In 1914, the Nundah Volunteer Fire Brigade was formed and its equipment was purchased with community donations. Lacking a fire station, the brigade stored their equipment in the coach house at the Royal Hotel.
Three years later, the first fire station in Nundah was built on a property along Buckland Road.
Pineapples
Interestingly, pineapples played a major role in Queensland’s agricultural history. Nundah was the first site where German missionaries began to cultivate the fruit as early as 1838.
Zion Hill
One of the most historic places in Nundah, Zion Hill is the site of the first free European settlement located several kilometres away from the penal settlement at Moreton Bay.
Aboriginal History
The word ‘Nundah’ comes from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘a chain of waterholes’. Nundah has been home for many Aboriginal people as the creek and nearby waterholes provided them with a fresh supply of food and water.
Nundah Cemetery
Another iconic landmark in the suburb, Nundah Cemetery is Queensland’s oldest surviving cemetery. The Zion Hill missionaries established the cemetery in the 1840s.
Toombul Shopping Centre
Established after the war, Toombul shopping centre opened in 1967 and was the first shopping centre built in Queensland with air-conditioning.
