Colmslie Beach Reserve

In 1913 the Swifts Meat Works Company, an American company, purchased large amounts of land beside the Brisbane River at Cannon Hill with the intension of building an abattoir. As a result of the establishment of this industry Cannon Hill’s development intensified. Many of the employees moved to Cannon Hill and a small village community developed. 

Prior to the construction of the abattoir buildings in 1913 the land beside the river was quarried away to remove a large hill. Once constructed, the abattoir exported large quantities of frozen meat throughout the world. The industrial facility was one of the largest in Queensland in this period. A wharf was established along the river front of the abattoir providing a convenient means of shipping the export meat and for stock delivery.  In 1913 a large siding was constructed from the Cannon Hill Railway Station down to the Brisbane River to the abattoir. The livestock was transported through the Cannon Hill station toward Lytton Road where it was unloaded into holding yards. In 1915 this siding was further extended to reach the abattoir wharf. The siding also provided transport for the meat workers. The meat works was credited with providing the only passenger rail service for its workers in Brisbane. 

From 1930 the Queensland State Government introduced a bill to de-privatize abattoirs in the Brisbane metropolitan area. The Queensland Meat Industry Board was created with the purpose of controlling the industry. The role of the board was outlined in the provisions of the bill:

The powers of the board are to establish, maintain, and conduct abattoirs or saleyards for the sale of cattle in any metropolitan abattoir area; to establish, maintain, and conduct works for canning, preserving, chilling, or freezing meat….to make such arrangements as it thinks fit as to regard to the purchase, collection, and disposal of meat, offal, or other matter, and apply any manufacturing process thereto…All slaughtering in the metropolitan area is prohibited except with the consent of the board1.

This was undertaken as concerns were raised in relation to the disintegrating hygiene standards at some of the slaughterhouses around Brisbane and the perceived danger posed to those consuming the meat products. In 1931 Swifts Meat Works was taken over by the Queensland Meat Industry Board with the intent of providing safe meat to the public as well as continuing the export trade.

Under an agreement between Swifts and the Queensland Meat Industry Board, improvements to the plant were planned, “The most important development in the building industry last week was the announcement that extensive alterations and additions were to be made at Messrs. Swift (Australian) Co.’s works”1. Between November 1930 and February 1931 a series of Tender notices were published in the Queensland A&B Journal (Queensland Architect and Builders’ Journal) for these improvements to the Swifts Meat Works. Part of this agreement included the construction of the Cannon Hill saleyards on land adjacent to the abattoir. The architect engaged for the project was Richard Gailey jnr, son of one of Queensland’s most important architects, Richard Gailey. Gailey jnr was a prominent architect in his own right having been a partner in his father’s firm since 1896 and credited with designing several important Brisbane buildings in the interwar period, including the Brisbane Arcade on Queen Street.   

The newly improved industrial facility was officially opened by the Premier, Mr. A.E. Moore and the chairman of the Queensland Meat Industry Board on the 24 November 1931. In the 1980s the industry moved to a new site further up the hill away from the river where it continues operations. In 1998 the land on which the original abattoir was situated was acquired by the Brisbane City Council to be used as public parkland. 

Throughout the abattoir’s history its gardens were a source of pride. Lines of flowers were planted along the railway siding and entrance drive into the abattoir and included roses, poppies and sweet peas. A Bougainvillea hedge was planted along the river wall. An avenue of Jacaranda and African Tulip trees were planted by Swift Meat Works along the front drive of the site; this avenue still exists in the park. The trees are mature and contribute to the aesthetics of the park. The avenue of trees is significant as an important reminder of one of Queensland’s most important industrial sites throughout the twentieth century.

1. The Brisbane Courier, Saturday, 13 September 1930, p17

2. The Brisbane Courier, Tuesday 4 November 1930, p3

3. Historic Titles, Department of Environment and Resource Management

4. Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Survey Map

5. Richard Apperly (et al), A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian architecture Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1989

6. University of Queensland, ‘Queensland Places: Cannon Hill”

7. Cannon Hill School of Arts: 75th Anniversary 1923-1998, Cannon Hill Community Association, 1998

8. Brisbane City Council Building Cards

9. John Kerr, “The Evolving Railways of Brisbane”, Public, Practical, Personal, Brisbane History Group Papers, 1981

10. Bruce Buchannan Architects A Heritage Management Survey, Queensland Railways, 2002

11. Pullar, Margaret, A History of Colmslie Beach Reserve, A Report for the Brisbane City  Council, May 1998

12. The Brisbane Courier, Friday 3 September 1909, p2

13. The Brisbane Courier, Wednesday 7 January 1914, p4

14. Morning Bulletin, Friday 16 January 1914

15. The Brisbane Courier, Tuesday 8 September 1914, p6

16. The Brisbane Courier, Wednesday 8 July 1914, p4

17. The Brisbane Courier, Saturday 3 May 1913, p4