A Brief History of Fortitude Valley

On 20 January, 1849, the ship "Fortitude" brought Presbyterian Minister Dr John Dunmore Lang and 256 free immigrants to Moreton Bay, which was then part of New South Wales. The immigrants settled on swampy land to the north of Brisbane Town and, to commemorate their arrival, named the area Fortitude Valley.

Originally, the area was dense bush and swamp land, home to Aboriginal people and native fauna. The original inhabitants were steadily displaced from the area with increased European occupation and by the 1860s the remnants of the "Duke of York's Clan" had been forced to camp at Breakfast Creek or Enoggera.

Between 1850 and 1880 the land was cleared and sub-divided. Some allotments were purchased by traders, foreshadowing the Valley's future development as a commercial centre. Residential development in the area also increased. By 1854 when the Valley's first brick building, the "Lamb Inn" was erected on the present site of the Royal George Hotel, there were about 150 dwellings in the Fortitude Valley area, stretching as far as Breakfast Creek.

Further development was facilitated by the first cutting of the formidable Duncan's Hill in Ann Street (opposite All Hallows) in 1865. This enabled better access between the city and the Valley and beyond. The hill was cut down 15 feet and the stone was used for the formation of Lower Ann Street and Wickham Street, near Brunswick Street.

In the 1880s most of south-east Queensland, including Fortitude Valley, experienced a building boom. The wealth and optimism of the decade were reflected in the buildings constructed. Among these were the Forester's Hall on Brunswick Street, three substantial new churches, several large hotels, and a magnificent new post office, all of which remain today.

The establishment of the competitive commercial emporiums of T.C. Beirne, McWhirters and Overells in the 1890s added life and bustle to the Valley. It became one of the major shopping venues for Brisbane and a popular residential area being close to centres of employment.

To cater for the influx of working class families, new housing was built on the tiny allotments in the streets beyond the commercial centre concentrated in Ann, Brunswick and Wickham Streets.

As more people lived in the suburb, social and religious institutions were built to cater for their needs. These developmental trends explain the present diverse nature of the Valley, characterised by commercial buildings, hotels and churches side by side with residential buildings.

In the 1920s another boom prompted a renewed wave of development in the Valley. Many buildings still exist from this period including Tranberg House and the Valley Baths.

When Fortitude Valley celebrated its centenary of settlement in 1949, its enthusiastic retailers boasted the Valley was "...one of the greatest commercial centres in Queensland." However changing shopping patterns, more widespread use of private transport and increased competition from suburban shopping centres resulted in a decline in its status as a major retail centre.

In recent years there has been a renewed sense of pride and community in the area and Fortitude Valley is regaining some of its former prosperity and vitality. The recognition of the history and cultural diversity of the area has formed an integral part of this renewal.