Location

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History

Loganholme evolved as a placename from the ferryman Holmes, who operated the Logan River ferry here in 1867–68.

The region was originally part of three large estates established under the regulations covering cotton, coffee and sugar. In 1863, land was set aside for Thomas Oldham and the Queensland Co-operative Cotton Growing and Manufacturing Company. Oldham’s land bordered Carbrook and the Cotton Company estate stretched from Slacks Creek to Drews Road. From 1865, surveyor William Fryar had a sugar lease on land between Drews Road and the Pacific Motorway.

The most famous Logan cotton plantation was that of Robert Towns, located at Veresdale. He was the first person to use Kanaka (Pacific Islander) labour to work the cotton fields. The cotton plantation at Loganholme was not successful and the estate changed hands a number of times. Louis Hope, of the Ormiston cotton plantation near Cleveland, turned to sugar growing. In 1867, he sent his manager John McDonald to encourage farmers along the Logan River to plant sugar and send it to his mill for crushing. Hope's engineer at the time, James Strachan, had previously worked at Pettigrew's sawmill in Brisbane. Hope acquired Kanaka labourers, as did many Logan River farmers.

In 1867, a ferry was established on the river at Loganholme. Henry Eden was awarded the first official ferry lease. He employed Mr Holmes to run the ferry. A wharf reserve was established in 1868.

By 1869, Strachan had gone into partnership with William Fryar and established the first sugar mill on the river at Loganholme. This was initially a very successful business that employed up to 100 men at crushing time, including labourers and punt operators who brought the cane to the mill by river boat. James McMillan established nearby a store in the early 1870s.

The area continued to grow, and in 1871 residents started to lobby for a school. In May 1873, the Loganholme school opened with 37 pupils.

The Loganholme Post Office opened on October 25, 1876, presumably either located at the mill or the store. The first post master was Charles Welsh.

Pastoralist James Tyson purchased the Loganholme plantation in 1876, and Fryar and Strachan continued to run the mill. However, Fryar and Strachan were declared insolvent later that year, because of problems with the delivery of new equipment from Glasgow. Tyson installed some of his nephews to manage the mill, and ultimately they relocated the best of the machinery to a new venture in Tully.

The Loganholme mill continued to operate with old equipment, and despite the acquisition of a distillery licence in 1884, the business struggled to survive. At that time it was managed by William Castles for the Queensland Mercantile Company, which had purchased the estate.

Major flooding in January 1887 caused much damage to surrounding farmlands. Up to two metres of sand was deposited along the banks of the river in Loganholme, and eye-witnesses thought it resembled the Sahara Desert. The sugar industry went into rapid decline in the late 1880s, following the flood of 1887 and the drought of 1888. Kanaka labour was being phased out, and many sugar farmers had relied on their cheap labour. In 1885 there were 40 sugar mills in the region, and by 1888 there were only 9. Farmers in the region turned to dairying, which became increasingly important, particularly after the opening of the Kingston Butter Factory in 1907.

The Loganholme ferry continued to operate, even though the ferry and ferryman's house suffered from Regular River flooding. The ferry punt was lost in the 1873 floods. In 1887, the ferry, punt and house washed away. The house was again lost in 1893. After the 1893 flood, the house site was relocated from the Beenleigh side of the river to higher ground at Loganholme.

Water hyacinth became a problem on the river from around 1908. By 1914 the water hyacinth was so thick that a boom was constructed across the river to allow the ferry to cross. From 1910, the first cars started to use the ferry. Traffic increased and, by 1930, ferry operator Vince Kunde built a second ferry to cope with the demand. The days of the ferry were numbered, however, because a bridge was under construction.

The Loganholme Bridge opened on 1 July 1931. It was a toll bridge, with the toll collector occupying the old ferryman's cottage. The toll booths operated until November 1945, even though the bridge had more than paid for itself by then. A serious flood in January 1947 washed away the bridge approaches but left the bridge intact. The Waterford Bridge was destroyed in the 1947 flood, increasing the traffic on the Loganholme Bridge.

In the early 1950s, the Albert Shire established a park under the Loganholme Bridge. It was known as Logan Park, and provided a pleasant stopover for travellers to the South Coast. By 1967, a new bridge was built in conjunction with an upgrade of the Pacific Highway. The new bridge carried southbound traffic, and the old bridge carried northbound traffic. During the 1974 floods, the southern approaches to the old bridge washed away and for the 10 weeks it took to repair the road only the new bridge could be used.

In the 1960s, the tourism industry began to develop. Both Ashton’s and Bullen’s Circuses lobbied the Albert Shire Council to approve construction of lion parks. In December 1968, Bullen’s negotiated to purchase land at Stapylton. In April 1969, Ashton’s opened Ashton’s Animal Kingdom on the corner of Bryants Road and the Pacific Highway. Both ventures were short lived.

In October 1977, Ashton’s Animal Kingdom was bought by Myer Queensland Stores Ltd as a site for a regional shopping centre. In July 1979, a new tavern opened in Loganholme. The Wild Waters Water Slide Park opened in October 1982, adjacent to the old Ashton’s site. While Myer delayed plans for the major shopping centre, the smaller Loganholme Shopping Village opened on Bryants Road in December 1987. Throughout 1984, ongoing negotiations for a regional shopping centre involved the sale of Wild Waters. The planned regional shopping centre eventually got underway, with the first sod for the Hyperdome turned in September 1988. The Logan Hyperdome officially opened in July 1989.

The Logan Motorway, initially known as the Goodna–Loganholme Road, was constructed to link the Cunningham and Pacific Highways via Carol Park, Browns Plains, Loganlea and Loganholme. Stage one was completed in December 1988. In October 1995, the company announced the duplication of the road between the Ipswich Motorway and Wembley Road. In 1997, this was linked with the Gateway Motorway, by the Gateway extension via Kuraby. One of the region’s last links with its history was lost in this process, with the Logan Motorway consuming the old Cotton Company Road at Loganholme.

In 1986, a new bridge at Loganholme was constructed with bi-centennial funding. This led to the decommissioning of the old 1931 bridge, but left the 1968 bridge in use. In April 1996, plans for the Pacific Motorway were announced. The northern interchanges of the motorway included the completion and integration of the Logan Motorway duplication. Construction began in late 1997 and was completed in September 2000. As part of the motorway construction, another bridge was built in 2000.