Duncan Richardson grimly depicts the disastrous year of 1864 when as a result of overcrowding, bad governance and bad luck, Brisbane suffered a dire combination of disease, flood and fire. The book analyses the impact of these events on the development of Brisbane, such as drainage systems, an efficient fire-fighting department, and quarantine stations on Moreton Bay.

Available at the Commissariat Store – $25

Ruth Kerr’s biography of John Moffat is a fascinating story of how his religious beliefs, combined with his practical skills in metallurgy and financial management played a crucial role in the development of the mining industry in Far North Queensland; a crucial pillar of economic growth in the region over the past 140 years.

Available at the Commissariat Store – $30

Mary-Lou Simpson’s biography of William Henry Simpson provides an interesting insight of how ex-convicts could become successful if they hid their previous life. This work depicts Simpson rise from ex-convict to one of the key members of the early Queensland parliament over 38 years, and believed strongly in a just society for all Queenslanders.

Copies are available at the Commissariat Store – $66

This amazing book by John Pearn and Danny Tangney provides the incredible story of the brig, The Amity. This includes her epic journey from Sydney to King George Sound which established the first European settlement of Australia’s West Coast in 1826, and her incredible rescue of passengers of the Royal Charlotte, which sunk on Frederick Reef 450 kilometres north-east of Gladstone in 1825.

Copies are available at the Commissariat Store – $15

This publication is the proceedings of The Annerley Conference, 17 July 1994 edited by John Douglas Kerr. The papers presented at the conference represent the history of Annerley from its beginnings as farmland owned by T.S. Stephens to an important inner-city suburb of Brisbane.

Copies are available at the Commissariat Store – $10