Hamilton retaining wall No. 2

The first known settlement in the area was the establishment of Eagle Farm in 1829. During 1829-30 the present main thoroughfare, Hamilton Road (now known as Kingsford Smith Drive), was hewn from rock along the riverside and linked the convict women’s goal at Eagle Farm with the city settlement.

Land in the area was cleared by convicts and by the 1840s wealthy free settlers were attracted to the area by the elevated hilly country which offered river views and sea breezes. However, rough and swampy roads deterred settlement generally and residential development in the area was slow. In 1899 the tram line was extended from Breakfast Creek to Ascot and heralded an influx of settlers.

The wall was initially a raw rock embankment remaining along Hamilton Road after the road was cut through. As part of efforts to widen Kingsford Smith Drive in the 1950s, a Brisbane Tuff retaining wall was constructed by 1960 to support the embankment, as residences had been established on land immediately above the embankment. 

Retaining Wall No. 2

From Crescent Road a quarry-faced Brisbane Tuff retaining wall extends approximately 200 metres west along Kingsford Smith Drive and ranges in height from 0.3 metres to 6.5 metres. A long flight of concrete stairs with a mid-landing sweeps up from the Crescent Road corner to the tarmac pedestrian footpath running along the top of the wall providing access to the properties overlooking the road. The wall terminates at a modest flight of concrete stairs further along the Drive. A plain metal balustrade and handrail runs to the south of the flights of stairs and along the top of wall. A pedestrian footpath runs along Kingsford Smith Drive at the base of the wall.

A secondary wall matching the large wall retains to the Crescent Road corner property supporting a white timber picket fence and continuing around into Crescent Road.