Location

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History

Daisy Hill lies to the north of the South East Freeway. Urban subdivisions nestle into the hills of the Daisy Hill State Forest.

The earliest European settlers in the area were the Dennis family. James and Mary Anne (née Markwell) Dennis selected 60 acres in 1868 and, by 1882, held over 800 acres of land. They had 18 children, of whom 13 survived. James Dennis fenced and farmed the land and was also a lay preacher for the Wesleyan Methodist Church and a representative on the Tingalpa Board. He died unexpectedly at only 51 years of age.

After James Dennis died in 1893, the huge estate was worked and kept by Mary Anne and her children until 1912, when 381 acres known as Oakey Mountain was sold. In 1914, Alf Shailer purchased 120 acres and married Nanny Dennis. Two further portions were retained by the family and were owned at various times by Joey Dennis (son of James), Frank Dennis and Sam Dennis (both sons of Joey and Lilly Dennis).

The first recorded use of the name Daisy Hill was in 1905, when it appeared on the marriage certificate of Tilly Dennis to Robert Morrow. Daisy Hill is named after the many native daisies that grew in the area.

Other important early settlers were the Usher family, who owned the land around Usher Park. The Ushers first settled in the area in the mid-1880s and called their property Norwich Vineyard. They grew grapes and Thomas Usher produced wine for sale. He also kept bees and grew many varieties of fruit.

The Winnett family came to Australia on the same ship as the Ushers and moved to Slacks Creek. Elizabeth Winnett taught at the Slacks Creek school from the late 1890s until about 1912. George Winnett was secretary at the Kingston Butter Factory from 1920 until the late 1930s.

During the 1920s, quite a community had developed at Daisy Hill. The area included Tom Harris' butchery, Fred Mollinhauer's blacksmith shop, William Howcroft the plumber and Watt’s timber-hauling business. It was supported mostly by farmers and fruit growers. By 1925, Syd Floate had taken over the butchery and his wife was the post mistress. Many more timber getters had moved to the district in the late 1920s and early 1930s, including Charles Ford, Alex Mullins and Alf Harrison.

By 1940, Syd Floate was operating a carrying business and Mr Holzheimer had opened a garage. The Daisy Hill State Forest was originally gazetted as a timber reserve in 1874 and in 1917 was declared a State Forest. During this time, the forest overseer managed the forest so that logging caused minimal damage to surrounding timber. Many ironbarks were felled to provide electric light poles. Other varieties include:

• red ironbark
• grey ironbark
• white stringybark
• tallow wood
• red mahogany
• swamp mahogany
• spotted gum
• brush box
• grey gum.

The forest was also used for honey production, gold mining and grazing. The gold mine was started in 1934 with a shaft of 425 feet sunk along the southern boundary of the forest. In 1986, it was declared the first State Forest Park in Queensland.