Tarragindi, Queensland

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Tarragindi
city = Brisbane
state = qld


caption =
lga = City of Brisbane
postcode = 4121
est = 1857
pop = 8,949 (2001 census)
area = 4.5
propval = $379,000 [ [http://www.reiq.com.au/BuySellRent/community_view.asp?suburb_id=181 REIQ] (2005)]
stategov = Yeerongpilly, Greenslopes
fedgov = Griffith, Moreton
near-nw = Annerley
near-n = Greenslopes
near-ne = Greenslopes
near-w = Moorooka
near-e = Holland Park West
near-sw = Salisbury
near-s = Nathan
near-se = Mount Gravatt
dist1 =
location1=

Tarragindi is a suburb on the southern side of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is represented through the Holland Park and Moorooka Ward councillors on the Brisbane City Council.

Origin of the name

The suburb appears to have been named after a native from the Loyalty Islands (near modern-day New Caledonia) who was transported in the late nineteenth century to Queensland. Such people, called Kanakas, were a cheap source of labour for sugarcane production. Apparently he escaped and was subsequently employed by Alfred Foote of Ipswich. Later, he cleared land for William Grimes (related to Alfred Foote) on a hill near Sandy Creek and the property was named after him. The grave of Tarra Gindi Tasserone is located in the Ipswich Cemetery.

History

was known to have been maintained in Tarragindi, possibly between present-day Barnehurst and Isabella Streets (BRISBites, n.d.).

Ekibin

One trace of this early occupation persists in the locality and creek name, "Ekibin". According to Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines (2003) the modern name is derived from the aboriginal "Yekkabin" which referred to aquatic plants (possibly "Typha angustifolia" or "Blechnum indicum") with edible roots which grew in the creek. According to Potter (n.d.) the edible roots were common in the diet of Aboriginals of the Morteon Bay area. A sharp stick was used to dig out the stem, which was then dried, roasted, and pounded with a stone.

European settlement

European settlement began 1857 with a survey of land by George Pratten. An early land-owner (and later Mayor of Brisbane and member of parliament), Thomas Stevens, established a woolscour and later [http://enc.slq.qld.gov.au/slq/neg/research/020000/20162r.jpga fellmongery] in the northern part of the suburb near Essie Avenue. Another land-holder was James Toohey who leased properties for cattle runs.

During the Second World War, Tarragindi was the site of a field hospital administered first by the American Army (for soldiers treated for shell shock) and later by the British and Australian forces. According to Dunn (2001) the Ekibin Hospital was bounded by Sexton Street and Toohey Road and encompassed parts of Cracknell, Effingham, Fingal and Lutzow streets. After the war, the site was used by the Housing Commission to accommodate displaced persons. Today, little remains of the establishment except for possible foundations of a gun emplacement in the mid-section of Fingal Street. The Ekibin Memorial Park on Cracknell Road commemorates the establishment of the hospital.

Geography

The main part of the suburb lies in a valley running north-south, surrounded by ridges marked by Wellers Hill to the east and Tarragindi Hill to the west. Sandy Creek has it source in Toohey Forest to the south and flows through the major part of the suburb. The eastern flank of the Wellers Hill ridge drains into Ekibin Creek.

chools

Tarragindi hosts two primary schools. [http://wellhillss.eq.edu.au/ The Wellers Hill Primary School] is located on the junction of Weller and Toohey Roads. The school has a very active music program. In December, 2006 the school lost some buildings due to an arson attack. [http://www.stelizabeths.qld.edu.au/ St. Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School] is located nearby on Cracknell Road.

References

* BRISBites (n.d.). [http://www.brisbites.com/suburbView.asp?suburb=127&topic=2 Tarragindi Aboriginal History] . Retrieved February 5, 2006.

* Dunn, P. (2001). [http://home.st.net.au/~dunn/ausarmy/102aghekibin.htm 102nd Australian General Hospital at Ekibin, Brisbane, QLD during WW2] . Retrieved February 4, 2006.

* John Oxley Library. (1905). [http://enc.slq.qld.gov.au/slq/neg/research/196000/196052r.jpgFoote family on holidays at Land's End, Southport, Queensland] . Retrieved February 5, 2006.

* Kidd, R. (2000), [http://www.linksdisk.com/roskidd/site/Speech12.htm Aboriginal History of the Princess Alexandra Hospital Site] . Retrieved December 30, 2005.

* Ipswich City Council (n.d.), [http://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/documents/heritage/ipswich_cemetery.pdf Ipswich General Cemetery Then & Now] . Retrieved October 2, 2005.

* Potter, R. (n.d.). [http://www.dovenetq.net.au/~piula/Placenames/page23.html Place Names of South-East Queensland Australia] . Retrieved February 5, 2005.

* Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines (2003). [http://www.nrm.qld.gov.au/property/placenames/detail.php?id=11420 Ekibin] . Retrieved February 5, 2005.

External links

* [http://www.ourbrisbane.com/living/suburbs/tarragindi/home/ ourbrisbane.com website - Tarragindi section]