History of The Old Tower Mill, Brisbane

 

Brisbane's Tower Mill is the oldest surviving building in Queensland, having been built in 1824 under the direction of Commandant Logan. It is located in Observatory Park on the southern side of Wickham Temce and is a major landmark of the City of Brisbane.

The Tower Mill (or Old Wind Mill as it is sometimes known) is one of only two Brisbane buildings remaining from the convict era (the other is the Commissariat Store built in 1829). It has the longest historical record of any building in Queensland.

The Old Windmill originally had wind-powered sails. The grinding of the grains was done by treadmill from October, 1828, with the wind-powered sails being used from December, 1828. It played a vital role in the existence of the Moreton Bay penal settlement by providing flour for survival of the colony.

In the late 1830s the miller was Martin Frawley, who still operated the mill for the free settlement in 1845 as an ex-convict.  The government put the windmill up for auction in 1849, but such was the local outcry that it was retained as a landmark for public use.

The Tower Mill also served as Queensland's museum of natural history from 1862 to 1868.

During the 1890s the roof was used by the local fire brigade for night fire-spotting.

In June 1922 the Tower Mill and its surrounding reserve became the Observatory Park by an Order of the Governor in Council and control of the park was transferred to the Brisbane City Council as trustees.

In 1923 the Queensland Institute of Radio Engineers began using the site for experiments in radio signalling which continued until 1926. From 1926 the lessees were Dr V. McDowell and Thomas Elliot who successfully engaged in radio experimentation throughout the late 1920s and the 1930s as well as the first television experiments in Queensland. There is some suggestion that they continued to use the building to store equipment until 1949.

In May 1945 the Brisbane City Council decided to preserve the historic value of the Tower Mill and in 1950 major restoration work was carried out and the park was landscaped in 1951.

In 1962, a report detailed the poor condition of the Tower Mill and in 1967 the council decided to floodlight the Tower Mill with amber lighting for the Warana parade.

In 1973 the University of Queensland gained permission for changes to the park boundaries so that an access road could be built to its Dental Hospital, located at the rear of the reserve.

There is a gap in the record until 1988 when the Brisbane City Council undertook large-scale repair and renovation works which included the erection of a replacement flagpole (the original was removed in 1949) and the removal and replacement of all the cement render on the tower. Also in 1989 Whitmore used techniques of industrial archaeology to investigate the extant structure of the tower and to assess it in terms of its history.

The tower was then placed on the Queensland Heritage list in 1992.

Currently in 2013 it is now used as a weather observatory.

Nearby, is the current Metro Hotel Tower Mill, which had been called the Tower Mill Motel.

Location: Wickham Tce Brisbane, QLD 4000 Australia

When you next visit Brisbane or want to be close to the CBD and near the Old Tower Mill, book a stay at the Metro Hotel Tower Mill next door.

Metro Hotel Tower Mill offers guests panoramic views of the Brisbane city centre and surrounding suburbs from your own private balcony.

The hotel is only 600m from the CBD and major shopping centre, 500 metres from central station Brisbane city council operates a free loop bus service from just outside the hotel.

If a friend or a family member are at the Brisbane Private Hospital (Formerly known as The Holy Spirit Hospital) Metro Hotel Tower Mill is the perfect choice as you could not ask for a more conveniently positioned hotel just minutes walk away.

Features:

• Ground floor restaurant & bar
• Wi-Fi throughout the hotel
• ATM in reception area
• Complimentary Foxtel TV
• All rooms are 100% Smoke free
• Conference and function facilities

Location of Metro Hotel Tower Mill: 239 Wickham Tce Brisbane, QLD 4000 Australia

For Bookings: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/brisbane-hotels/metro-hotel-tower-mill-5
Specials @ Metro Hotel Tower Mill: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/special
Phone: +61 7 3832 1421
Email: towermill@metrohg.com

Shows Australia: Vans Warped Tour Australia 2013 Dates Announced

Using the most professional and cheapest method of communication, the promoter dropped the dates via his Twitter account this morning.

The venue details and artist lineup have yet to be revealed, but that’s expected to come in the next few months.

Splendour In The Grass sells out in under an hour

AJ recently revealed his excitement at working with Warped Tour founder, saying “Kevin Lyman IS warped and always the man to thank. I’m just privileged to assist him…

Warped is about mayhem & DIY punk rock spirit. [Soundwave] is about delivering a slick & orchestrated day of performances.”

It will be the first Australian leg for the Vans Warped Tour in more than a decade and we can’t wait to see what it brings to our shores.


First launched in 1995, three years later in January 1998 the festival first made its way to Australia with a lineup that featured Pennywise, Frenzal Rhomb, Blink 182, The Living End, Bodyjar and more. Warped hasn’t been back here since 2002.

Maddah hasn’t dropped any hints about the lineup yet, but did confirm that the Vans Warped Tour won’t have any sideshows.

Brisbane: Friday, November 29
Coffs Harbour: Saturday, November 30
Sydney: Sunday, December 1
Canberra: Friday, December, 6
Melbourne: Saturday, December 7
Adelaide: Sunday, December 8

Announcing the Disney-Pixar Fun Zone Featuring Mack the Transporter

Tickets to main event required (V8 supercars)

Kids 12 and under receive free general admission with a paying adult.

The all-new Disney-Pixar Fun Zone includes four new worlds of entertainment from Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters University and an expanded Cars Zone. It’s another world first for Australian and New Zealand fans, thanks to a unique initiative between The Walt Disney Company, Australia, Mack Trucks, V8 Supercars and the Entertainment Store.

Aspiring young cowgirls and boys will love the colourful Toy Story themed attraction within the Disney-Pixar Fun Zone, as they test their roust-about skills in Woody and Jessie’s Lasso Challenge. They’ll also get creative in Woody’s workshop, and build their own bandit moustache and sheriff badge to take home with them!

The all-new Cars Zone features the awesome new Cars-themed bouncy two-track giant inflatable slide and a revamped World Grand Prix Training Track with brand new electric cars. Young Cars fans will once again be able to meet and take their photo next to the life-size replica of Mack The Transporter, thanks to the continued support of Mack Trucks who celebrate their 50th year in Australia in 2013, and enjoy the ultimate Race-O-Rama PS3 play-offs in the decked-out B-double trailer!

Where and When:

• Sat 6 and Sun 7 April - V8 Supercars Tasmania Microsoft Office 365
• Sat 4 and Sun 6 May - V8 Supercars Chill Perth 360
• Sat 18 and Sun 19 May - Southbank, Brisbane  - Adjacent to Brisbane Truck Show - Free entry
• Sat 15 and Sun 16 June - V8 Supercars Skycity Triple Crown, Darwin
• Fri 5 and Sun 6 July - V8 Supercars Sucrogen Townsville 400
• Sat 27 and Sun 28 July - V8 Supercars Coates Hire Ipswich 360
• Sat 14 and Sun 15 September - V8 Supercars Sandown 500
• Fri 11 to Sun 13 October - V8 Supercars Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
• Fri 25 to Sun 27 October - V8 Supercars ARMOR ALL Gold Coast 600
• Sat 23 to Sat 24 November - V8 Supercars Phillip Island 360
• Fri 6 to Sun 8 December - V8 Supercars Sydney 500

For more information about Disney-Pixar Fun Zone visit: http://www.lifeliketouring.com/disneypixarfunzone/

Lloyd Webber's Superstar to be Resurrected

ANDREW Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's smash-hit musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, is returning to Australia for another arena tour in May, starring a comedian, a Spice Girl and a reality TV talent show winner in the lead roles.

In 1992, when the musical toured Australia's arenas for the first time (the show made its Australian premiere at Sydney's Capitol Theatre 20 years before, in 1972), John Farnham, then one of the country's biggest pop stars, starred as Christ, sporting a glorious blonde mane. Flanked by Kate Ceberano as a sultry Mary Magdalene and Noiseworks frontman, Jon Stevens, playing the treacherous Judas with a mullet to rival Jesus', the show became one of Australia's most popular ever, selling almost 1 million tickets over 16 weeks and grossing more than $40 million. The original cast recording soundtrack went platinum four times.

Twenty years later, after a record-breaking opening run in arenas across Britain and Ireland last September, a contemporarised version of the musical is returning to Australia and will debut in Perth on May 31. The three leads from the British production are reprising their roles here, with Perth-born comedian, singer and actor Tim Minchin playing Judas, former Spice Girl Mel C as Mary Magdalene and newcomer Ben Forster as Jesus, who won the role after appearing in Lloyd Webber's British TV talent show, Superstar.

Stevens returns to the cast for the Australian production, this time playing Pontius Pilate, while Andrew O'Keefe, host of TV game show Deal Or No Deal and nephew of '50s rock star Johnny O'Keefe, makes his major debut as King Herod.

The musical will travel to Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne in May and June. Three dates at Rod Laver Arena have been announced.

The story traces the last week of Jesus' life, beginning with his arrival with his disciples in Jerusalem and culminating in his crucifixion. In the updated version, the musical is set in the midst of a global financial crisis, inspired by the London riots and Occupy movements. The set is accordingly modernised, as are the costumes - Forster, as Jesus, evokes a brooding Johnny Depp, while Mel C's Mary Magdalene has dreadlocks and piercings. Reviews for the British leg have been largely positive, with both The Telegraph and The Times giving the show four stars. The Guardian was less impressed, describing Forster as having "only two facial expressions: (pained, or faintly smouldering, like a bit of damp kindling)".

Jon English.

More than 100 people will come to Australia from Britain for the show, which tour promoter Michael Gudinski hopes is the first in a series of collaborations with Lloyd Webber.

Bon Jovi Book in For Australian Tour

BON Jovi have joined the growing band of superstar touring groups booking visits to Australia next summer.

After Mick Fleetwood confirmed Fleetwood Mac would head back to Australia on their world tour in late 2013, Jon Bon Jovi announced his band would be here in December.

As the group kicked off their What About Now tour in a blizzard-ravaged North America last week, the rock frontman said a summer run here was giving them "something to look forward to".

"We are coming (but) not until the end of the year in December," he said.

SHOWS IN:

SYDNEY, MELBOURNE, BRISBANE & ADELAIDE

Under-Strength Australia Face World Champions in Brisbane

Joe Burns might make his international debut for Australia (Getty Images)

Three years ago, Cricket Australia's chief executive James Sutherland suggested that Twenty20 was such a specialist game that the day might come when Australia could have completely separate Test and T20 teams playing on opposite sides of the globe at the same time. Effectively, that day has arrived, although this one-off occurrence is not quite what Sutherland had in mind.

Australia's Test players have now flown to Chennai to prepare for the first Test against India, unquestionably the correct priority. But the packed schedule means they still need to put out a national team for this T20 against West Indies at the Gabba, without David Warner, Shane Watson, Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc and Xavier Doherty, to name but a few.

Apart from the captain George Bailey, it is hard to say for certain how many members of the squad for this match would be part of Australia's first-choice T20 side. Shaun Marsh, perhaps. James Faulkner might soon get to that point, and so might Aaron Finch. And that's about it. That's not necessarily a bad thing, although the fans buying tickets for the Brisbane match might disagree.

A year out from the next World Twenty20, it gives the selectors a chance to have a look at some men who could push their cases. There is the uncapped quartet of Ben Rohrer, Joe Burns, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Coulter-Nile, there is Faulkner, Ben Cutting, Ben Laughlin and Clint McKay, all jostling to become regular members of the T20 attack, while the batsmen Adam Voges and Aaron Finch hope to make the most of their last opportunity of the international summer.

For West Indies, this is a chance to finish on a high after a miserable five-match ODI series. They are the reigning world champions in the Twenty20 format and there is no question that the short matches suit their dynamic style. But after such a lacklustre display in the 50-over games, can they switch on for their last outing of the tour?

See this Article and keep track of the score at Cricinfo.com

Ringo Starr Arrives in Brisbane

Ex-Beatles drummer Ringo Starr has arrived in Brisbane to kick-off his Australian tour.

Starr is touring the country with his newest All-Starr Band this month, starting in Brisbane on Monday night.

The supergroup is the twelfth incarnation of the All-Starr Band and includes Steve Lukather from Toto, Gregg Rolie of Santana and Journey fame, Mr Mister's Richard Paige, Gregg Bissonette, who played drums for Dave Lee Roth, and multi-instrumentalists Todd Rundgren and Mark Rivera.

While the likes of 'Yellow Submarine' and 'I'll Get By With A Little Help From My Friends' are regularly dusted off during an All-Starr tour, the show also sees each band member perform hits from their own career.

Starr hasn't played an instrument in Australia since the Beatles twisted and shouted their way across the world on their legendary 1964 tour.

He remembers the "screaming atmosphere" and says he can't wait to return for longer shows than The Beatles' historic performances.

Ringo and his All Starr Band tour dates:

February 11 - Brisbane Convention Centre

February 13-14 - Sydney Hordern Pavilion

February 16-17 - Melbourne Festival Hall

February 19 - Adelaide Entertainment Centre

February 21 - Perth Challenge Stadium

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