The Redcliffe Historical Society Inc was formed in 1967 to preserve and document the history of Redcliffe and the surrounding area.
It conducts monthly meetings which feature a speaker with a subject of historical interest.
Our members enjoy the informative monthly meetings as well as working together on historical projects. As a result our membership grows while we develop our relationships and friendships with each other.
The Society researches and publishes a newsletter, Humpybong and After quarterly. From time to time it has published books and brochures about Redcliffe history. These books are able to be purchased through the Society or the Redcliffe Museum.
The Society is able to provide tour guides for the Henry Miller Trail Walk and mini bus tours of the Peninsula.
History Redcliffe acts as a contact point for Redcliffe residents who have valuable memorabilia which they may wish to donate or are willing to have recorded by the Society for future generations. In this function and in a range of other activities it supports the historical culture of Redcliffe working in conjunction with the Redcliffe Museum and the Moreton Bay Regional Libraries local history team.
History Redcliffe is strong, healthy and pro-active.
Our Committee
The management committee meets monthly in our History Den on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.
L-R: Cheryl Salisbury (Junior VP); Fiona Murgatroyd (ICT, Newsletter editor); Helen Young; Cathy Mallon (Senior VP); Valerie Edwards; Janet Franklin (President); Jennifer Mott (Secretary); Rae Frawley (Treasurer).
Our Achievements
History Redcliffe proudly hosted the 4th Queensland State Local and Family History Conference with History Queensland. This year’s conference was called Sands of Time. It was held at the Dolphins Leagues Club from 21st to 23rd October 2022 and was a resounding success!
The conference website https://sandsoftime.org.au/ will remain available for a short time and then be accessible via the Wayback Machine.
In 2024, History Redcliffe organised an eight-day special festival titled Redcliffe Remembers 1824-2024 to mark the bicentenary of the arrival of the brig Amity and the first European settlement on the Redcliffe Peninsula in September 1824. The festival spanned from 7th to 14th September and included a range of events designed to engage the community in remembering, reflecting and commemorating this important milestone.
One of the central highlights was the conference held on Saturday 7 September: Wunya Ngulum: Welcome Everyone – The Moreton Bay Bicentennial Commemoration, organised in partnership with the Royal Historical Society of Queensland and the Bribie Island Historical Society. This day brought together historians, community representatives and descendants to explore the history of the penal settlement, the Indigenous connections to the land and the significance of the event in Queensland’s history.
Following the conference, the festival included guided walks, talks, exhibitions and a family-friendly event on Saturday 14th September: the Picnic in the Park at Corscadden Park, Redcliffe. On that day, the newly created Humpybong Trail was officially opened, symbolising the connection between the past and the present community landscape.
Throughout the week the festival honoured both Indigenous heritage and European settlement. Activities included a Welcome to Country and culturally-informed performances at the Picnic in the Park. Importantly, History Redcliffe framed the bicentenary not as a celebration of settlement but as an inclusive community remembrance—acknowledging the long history of the land’s first peoples and the layered historical narratives of the peninsula.
Redcliffe Remembers 1824-2024 brought together community, scholarship and public commemoration, embedded heritage in the local landscape, and invited reflection on 200 years of change on the Redcliffe Peninsula.
Visit the Redcliffe Remembers 1824-2024 site to find out more.