South Sea Islander Wall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids South Sea Islander Wall |
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South Sea Islander Wall, 2009
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| Location | Grange Road, Mon Repos, Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | circa 1884 |
| Official name: South Sea Islander Wall | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 1 October 2001 |
| Reference no. | 602230 |
| Significant period | 1880s (fabric) 1880s-1900s early (historical) |
| Builders | South Sea Islander labour |
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The South Sea Islander Wall is a special wall in Mon Repos, Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built around 1884 by workers from the South Sea Islands. This wall is important because it shows the huge effort these workers put into building Queensland's sugar industry. It is now protected as a heritage site.
Building the Wall: A Look Back
The South Sea Islander Wall at Mon Repos was likely built around 1884. It was constructed by workers from the South Sea Islands.
The Mon Repos Sugar Plantation
The Mon Repos Sugar Plantation started in 1884. By 1887, it was a main supplier of sugar cane juice. Augustus Purling Barton owned the plantation. He was from a wealthy English family. Barton came to Australia in 1855. He later bought land in the Bundaberg area. He built a large house there. He called it "Mon Repos," which means 'My Rest' in French. He wanted it to be a peaceful place for his family.
Growing the Sugar Business
The first sugar cane from Mon Repos was harvested in 1882. It was processed at nearby mills. By 1884, Barton had his own mill. He kept making his sugar business bigger. He even moved a small mill from another area to Mon Repos. His plantation grew to include nearby farms. In 1887, his mill was a major supplier for a big sugar refinery. Barton continued to expand his sugar operations.
Later, in 1899, a bank bought Mon Repos mill and plantation. The name Mon Repos was then changed to Qunaba. This new name came from "QUeensland NAtional BAnk." Today, Bundaberg Sugar Pty still owns the land where the wall stands.
The Role of South Sea Islander Workers
Augustus Barton strongly supported using South Sea Islander workers. The land in the Woongarra area had many rocks. These rocks were gathered and used to build stone walls around the sugar cane fields. South Sea Islanders had been working on sugar farms in Bundaberg since the mid-1870s. They were brought to Bundaberg from 1879 onwards. Before that, planters got workers through Maryborough.
Herbert Turner later wrote about how South Sea Islanders cleared the land. He said that much of the Woongarra land had loose rocks. After burning tree stumps, the next job was to deal with the stones. Workers would break them into smaller pieces. They loaded them onto carts. Then, they took them to the edge of the farm. There, they built stone walls about 1.5 meters (5 feet) high. Many of these stone walls are still standing today. Large stones were sometimes blasted with dynamite. Or, horses would drag them to the boundary line.
Local stories also tell us how the work was done. Wooden sleds pulled by horses followed as the land was cleared. Rocks found were placed on the sleds. Big rocks were broken up with special hammers. These pieces were then put into corn bags. Two Islanders would carry each bag to the sled. When the sleds were full, they were taken to the end of the field. There, the rocks were unloaded.
The walls were built without mortar. This means they used no cement to hold the stones together. They were built in layers. Larger stones were placed on the outside. Smaller stones filled the inside. This way of building was common in the Woongarra area.
What the Wall Looks Like
The South Sea Islander Wall at Mon Repos is very long. It is about 1,580 meters (over 1.5 kilometers) in length. About 307 meters of it are inside the Mon Repos Conservation Park. Some parts of the wall near the sea are covered by sand. There is also a gap of about 88 meters in the middle. It is not clear if a wall was ever there.
The wall is about 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) tall on average. Its base is about 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) wide. The top surface is about 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) wide.
This wall is built like other dry-rubble walls in the area. There are only about six such walls left in the Bundaberg district. The Mon Repos wall is a great example of this type of construction.
Why the Wall is Important
The South Sea Islander Wall was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2001. This means it is a very important historical site.
Showing Queensland's History
The wall shows how much South Sea Islanders helped build Queensland's sugar industry. It proves their hard work in the Bundaberg region. This area became one of the richest sugar areas in the state. The wall also shows that this work was done by hand. Without these workers, farmers could not have grown sugar.
A Rare Part of History
This wall is over 1.5 kilometers long. It is one of the longest and most complete walls of its kind. Around the year 1900, many such walls existed. But now, this wall is rare.
Learning from the Past
The wall can help us learn more about the role of South Sea Islanders in Queensland's history. It offers a chance for more study and understanding.
A Great Example of Building
Even though some parts are gone, the wall is mostly complete. It is a good example of how dry-rubble walls were built in the late 1800s in Bundaberg.
Special Meaning for the Community
The wall has a strong connection for the local South Sea Islander community today. It reminds them of what their ancestors went through in Queensland.
Connected to Important People and Groups
The wall is also linked to the large number of South Sea Islands workers. They were employed in the Bundaberg area in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
