Cardwell & District Historical Society

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Hubinger exhibition

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Lord Edward Cardwell, after whom Cardwell is named, created a powerful legacy through reforms that directly affect lifestyles worldwide today.

One of his most significant, benefited those serving in the military forces, and we featured this as part of our 150th anniversary commemoration which somewhat fittingly, coincided with the 100th anniversary of World War One.

In addition to our exhibition featuring Edward Cardwell we recall the lives of the disproportionately high number of young men and women from the Cardwell district who volunteered to serve abroad in World War One: men and women whose names survive in the JCHM on the marble war memorial recently heritage listed.

Another special 150th anniversary exhibition in 2014 featured the story of Johann Christian Hubinger after whom our museum is named, including something of the life he left behind in Europe to settle in the bush near Cardwell in 1869.

A highlight of the Hubinger exhibition at the time, was be the well-preserved 1892 wedding dress of Johann’s eldest daughter in law, Ethel Hubinger.

2016 History Prize goes to Cairns

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dawn-pauline-cocktails

Dawn & Pauline at cocktails

The 2016 John Oxley Library Community History prize has been won by Cairns Historical Society. The Society’s manager of Imaging, Pauline O’Keeffe, accepted the award at the annual awards ceremony at the State Library in Brisbane on Thursday evening, June 9th.
Pauline and Dawn May, pictured at the cocktail function that followed, are both volunteers with the Cairns Historical Society, which is scheduled next year to move into new premises in the old School of Arts building.
Cardwell & District Historical Society won the prestigious John Oxley Library Community History award in 2012.

Cyclone Yasi – Our Stories

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This 130 page book of A4 size is a collection of stories in the words of individuals from communities that bore the frightening brunt of Cyclone Yasi in early February 2011.

Researched and published by some of those individuals in the immediate weeks and months following Yasi, it offers a very personal and down-to-earth insight into the experiences and reflections of many people of this area.

The book also included many photographs, including a section in colour, and is priced at AUD$15.

National Trust Award for Sunbeam House

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The Resurrection of Sunbeam House has been recognised by the National Trust of Australia as demonstrating excellence in heritage conservation work.

A High Commendation was awarded to the Cardwell and District Historical Society which undertook to rebuild Sunbeam House to its original authenticity after the 120 building was flattened by cyclone Yasi in February 2011.

The Society president, Anne Mealing accepted the award at a glittering public ceremony at old Government House in Brisbane in September 2015.

The Calophyllum Shore – A Cardwell Memoir

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The-Calophyllum-Shore-A-Cardwell-MemoirThe Calophyllum Shore – A Cardwell Memoir is our Historical Society’s first publication and another 150th annversary project.

Launched in April 2011, it offers a detailed insight into the intriguing history of Cardwell, the first shipping port in Australia’s far north east.

The author, the late Sandy Hubinger (1912-2005) was born and died in Cardwell and his four grandparents were among Cardwell’s pioneers in the 1860s.

The book has a 16 page index of family names and begins with a unique local perspective into pre-pioneering history when Aboriginal communities were the only occupiers of this land. It also traces the local route of the landmark Edmund Kennedy expedition in 1848.

The Calophyllum Shore is on sale at several outlets including our museum and can be purchased now via an online order. ‘Calophyllum’ pronounced ‘Callow fillum’ is the name of the large evergreen trees that grow naturally and prolifically along Cardwell’s beach.

See all our publications here

The Calophyllum Shore launch

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The-Calophyllum-Shore-A-Cardwell-MemoirThe Calophyllum Shore – A Cardwell Memoir is our Historical Society’s first publication and another 150th anniversary project.

Launched in April 2011, it offers a detailed insight into the intriguing history of Cardwell, the first shipping port in Australia’s far north east.

The author, the late Sandy Hubinger (1912-2005) was born and died in Cardwell and his four grandparents were among Cardwell’s pioneers in the 1860s.

The book has a 16 page index of family names and begins with a unique local perspective into pre-pioneering history when Aboriginal communities were the only occupiers of this land.

It also traces the local route of the landmark Edmund Kennedy expedition in 1848. The Calophyllum Shore is on sale at several outlets including our museum but can be purchased now via an online order.

Sunbeam House beside Highway One just north of Cardwell became an iconic symbol of the district’s history until collapsed by cyclone Yasi in February 2011.

It was built in the 1890s as part of a 19th century meatworks in Cardwell, as a smoke-house to cure tongues.

The remains of the 120 year old building have been gathered and preserved by our Historical Society which has lodged a development application with Cassowary Coast Regional Council to re-erect Sunbeam House.

Our Society has raised funding from Newman’s Own, part of the philanthropic foundation of the late American actor Paul Newman, and expects to begin rebuilding Sunbeam House shortly.

The landmark site of Sunbeam House, beside the highway just north of Sunbeam Creek, is also notable for a large gum tree which earlier Aboriginal elders told the Hubinger family, was growing there when the Edmund Kennedy Expedition passed by it in 1848.

The gum was reduced to little more than a very large and tall stump by Yasi, but has since regenerated.