Brisbane 1862 [Panorama]

The images for this panorama were individually printed in the Dr Wilton Wood Russell Love album https://digitalcollections.qut.edu.au/view/sub-collections/2057/Dr_Wilton_Wood_Russell_Love_Album.html. They were digitally compiled into a panorama by Leon Frainey, retired QUT photographer. To complete the sequence for the 1862 panorama three additional photos were required from the John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. In 1894, as a mark of their respect and appreciation, twenty-one chemistry and pharmacy students at the Brisbane Technical College presented their lecturer Dr Wilton Love, with an album of photographs. A significant component of this album was a series of separate photos presenting sectional views of Brisbane in 1862 and 1892. All of these views were taken from the old windmill/observatory on Wickham Terrace. The elevation and position of this convict built building provided the perfect vantage point for panoramic photographs of Brisbane. For us today these two panoramas visually track the development of Brisbane over a 30 year period. Brisbane as the capital of the new colony of Queensland was being promoted in Britain by immigration agents a thriving metropolis; however this 1862 panorama reveals the true state of affairs. At this time it was little more than a town with a population of 7000, with no made road, no running water and an assortment of scattered small wooden houses.