Industrious entrepreneurs grab early opportunities

It was said that in the year 1900, mullet, snapper and tailor were so thick in Pumicestone Passage, you could almost walk across the water.

Two fish canneries were set up on the northern tip of Bribie Island: one was owned by James Clark and the other by Thomas Maloney & Sons.

By 1913, both canneries  had closed. The reason given is that they could not compete with cheaper imports.

The Maloneys owned boats and operated a cargo service bringing much-needed supplies to Caloundra and delivering oysters to the city until the mid-1920s.

From the 1920-40s, they collected shell grit which was needed for the poultry industry to avoid soft-shelled eggs.

Leases were held at Shelly, Dicky and Golden beaches and the grit was shovelled by hand into bags. Horses were used to snig the bags up the beach where the grit was dried out, rebagged and delivered by boat to produce agents in Brisbane.

In the 1920s, oyster shells were taken from Aboriginal middens in Pumicestone  Passage and crushed for lime  to be used in the Brisbane building industry.

The empty boats returned with supplies for the settlers and were more economical  and efficient than carting by wagons overland.

Bli Bli and Pumicestone Passage were noted for oysters. Oyster cutters carried away the rich bounty to Brisbane.

Passengers also travelled on the oyster cutters but some took the long route and, after 1890, came by train to Landsborough and travelled over a very  rough track by horse and buggy to Caloundra.

As early as 1917, pineapple canneries were set up at Woombye and Palmwoods.

Farms in this area were renowned for their citrus orchards and pineapple farms.

Strawberries and gooseberries were also in demand for canning.

Moxey, Smith and Dawson owned the MSD Cannery. It was one of the biggest ventures and was able to produce 400 cans of fruit a day. From 1921, there were three good seasons  before bigger companies undercut the company.

Some smaller companies were owned by Mr Renouf and Mr Fitzgerald at Palmwoods and Mr McClintock at Woombye.

The Blanch Brothers, of Bli Bli, operated a sawmill, making cases for pineapples. When timber ran short, they decided to start a pineapple cannery.

They grew their own pineapples and collected them in a German wagon. After eight years, production was too costly – so, that cannery closed as well.

In 1927, Ben Love and his son Jim operated a sawmill, making cases for the fruit and vegetable market. He also operated a mill where arrowroot flour was made until the 1970s.

The growth of the fruit industry, especially bananas, produced a demand for cases  for transportation.

Using second-grade timber, numerous case mills supplied pre-cut or ready-made cases.

Often these mills were small family businesses. The Atkinson family, of Cooloolabin, had a mill “that followed the forest”.

By the mid-1960s, cardboard cartons replaced timber cases. That marked the end of all those smaller mills making cases for local agricultural produce.

 Audienne Blyth is a member of the Nambour Historical Museum, open 1-4pm Wednesdays to Fridays, and 10am-3pm Saturdays.