Munbilla township

In the early days the Munbilla township consisted of the Railway station and Station Master's house, Hurfords general store, Mrs. Bridget Kennedy's Munbilla Hotel, a chemist and dentist Mr. John Erskine Brown (J. E. B.) MacLean [1], and a row of houses which fronted the Dugandan line. With Green Swamp nearby, the Railway Department retained rights to a water reserve in the southern end.

From October through to November of 1887, a determined advertising campaign was undertaken to promote selling housing allotments for the Lakeville Township. [2]

130 allotments in the Lakeville Township, on the well-known Kent's Lagoon. This is a beautiful situation for a township, on high ground, overlooking Kent's Lagoon, and, in a short time, this must be very important centre, as the via recta survey starts from Mumbilla Railway Station, and, without doubt, when we have through trains running daily to Sydney, this will be the most important railway-line in Queensland, besides being centre of a large farming population.

In May of 1889, the township began promoting horse racing at Munbilla. [3] In June of 1889, a Sporting writer in his Turf report, mentions that the racing venue as being only a couple of hundred yards from the railway station, the club is called the Fassifern Race Club with its secretary as Mr. R. H. Fitzgerald of Mumbilla. [4] An advertisement for the races promoted by R. H. Fitzgerald identifies the laocation as at Wilson's Plains. [5]

Newspaper articles 1887 - 1914

In 1914, large areas of nearby land were owned by the Wienholt Estates, managed by Mr E. O. W. Hill. Some of the land in Munbilla belonged to the estate and new subdivisions of portions 180 and 181 were utilised. Mr Hill considered the railway junction to be an ideal location on which to build a town. During this time also, the Railway Goods Shed in Anthony was closed making it difficult for the Anthony and Milbong residents to drop their produce off. Petitions were put in place for a new access road linking Milbong to Munbilla directly. It took another 2 years to come to fruition. [6] [7]

In 1915, a plan was drawn up for the future town of Munbilla, with the land being surveyed into 131 building blocks (predominantly at 1 rood each) with 5 streets laid out and named. However, the plan carried the name MUMBILLA TOWNSHIP (Munbilla spelt incorrecltly) [8]: At Mumbilla Railway Station, Junction of Via Recta and Dugandan Line, Fassifern Branch. Marked on the plan was the location of the Munbilla Hotel. And, at the time, the main Warwick road passed through Munbilla, was also detailed on the plan.

MUMBILLA For Sale - Wienholt Estates [9]

Munbilla - Surveyors - 1916

During Normanby Shire Council meeting 29 January 1916, the proposal of a new road access to the Munbilla township was discussed. This eventuated at a later date and is the present day Milbong Road. [10]

Cr. Chauvel reported the interview with Mr. R. Roderick relative to proposed new road through the Roderick Estate, giving access to Munbilla from Lower Milbong. He stated that satisfactory arrangements had been made, regarding the fencing, &c., and he moved that the overseer prepare an estimnate of the total cost, and that the clerk submit it to the petitioners, and ask what assistance they were prepared to give toward the project.

Proposed Milbong Road - 1914-1916

The demise of Munbilla?

In 1916 the railway to Kalbar was completed and by 1922 it had reached to Mt. Edwards. During this time the railway construction gangs had moved away from Munbilla.

The Munbilla Hotel burnt down in 1917 and was never rebuilt. Several home owners soon moved their homes to nearby towns. A number of property owners sold their farms and moved to pastures anew. The chemist, Mr. J. E. B. MacLean died in 1918. His daughter Dr. Alexa MacLean and her husband Dr. E. M. Lilley, both practiced in Boonah and visited Munbilla, moved to Brisbane to open a new practice.

After World War 1 the northern end of the area was enclosed for soldier settlement. This was taken up by the MacFarlane Bros. The swamp has since been drained.

In 1930, The proposed rail link from Mt. Edwards, which was to pass through a tunnel in the main range to Maryvale and Warwick, was abandoned and doomed the Via Recta line to Sydney. This was brought about by a standard gauge line planned and built by the NSW Government from South Brisbane station via Kyogle, which linked up with the main northern line from Sydney to Murwillumbah at Casino.

Also during this time, a new main road, the present day Cunningham Highway, was being built on an entirely new route. It bypassed Munbilla by miles and the road traffic bound for Warwick no longer used the old road. [11]

In the 1930s, the roads from Amberley to Aratula and from Warwick to Maryvale were both sealed, but because there was no road between Aratula and Maryvale, motorists wishing to travel from Ipswich to Warwick and beyond had to go via Gatton and Clifton. It wasn’t until 1946 that construction began on a road through Cunningham’s Gap. The new sealed road through the gap was eventually opened in November 1949.

In 1932, new houses were still being built in the Munbilla township. [12] And in 1937, houses were advertised as rentals. [13]

New House. - Mr. H. Pearson has erected a new house on his property at Munbilla. Messrs. G. Harding and B. Stolz were the contractors.
HOUSES to Let, Munbilla, one four rooms and kitchen, one five rooms and kitchen. For particulars, apply Store. Munbilla. c120

Newspaper articles 1934 - 1950

In 1950, Mr. O. Lewald's store and dwelling burnt down. [14] The School of Arts had closed its doors in 1961 and sold the building.

KALBAR. March, 16. - Mr. O. Lewald, whose shop and dwelling at Munbilla was totally destroyed by fire at the weekend, had carried on a flourishing grocery business there for the past five years and the service to the district will be greaty missed.

The final blow to the town occurred on 30 June 1964, when the railway officially closed, and within the next few months the lines were taken up and the bridges demolished.

In 1971, the store, the storekeeper's home and the old station house was all that remianed, as well as an underground well (topped with concrete and bricks) that was a reserve souce of water for the old Munbilla Hotel.

Munbilla - the Town that never was [15]

Today only the bottom triangular portion is lightly popoulated with a handful of properties, bordered by Munbilla Road, MacLean Road and MacFarlane Road - with Hunt Road running parallel to Munbilla Road. The Munbilla development a "forever nightmare" for the Scenic Rim Council. [16]

An overhead of part of the district of Munbilla with the intersection of Munbilla Road and Macfarlane Road marking the start of the triangular-shaped historic town subdivision.
Munbilla development a 'forever nightmare' for Council.
ITS FIRST iteration was known as Lakeville. A total of 130 town allotments forming the core of what was expected to become the capital of the greater Fassifern area.
Today, it represents a decades-long development nightmare for successive local...

Town of Munbilla - cadastral map 1936

Munbilla township plan 2020 srcc

• [1] The surname has been recorded and noted with several versions - Maclean, McLean, M'Lean
• [2] QT article Saturday 01-11-1887
• [3] QT article Saturday 04-05-1889
• [4] QT article Saturday 22-06-1889
• [5] QT article Saturday 29-06-1889
• [6] QT article Thursday 05-05-1914
• [7] QT article Thursday 15-05-1914
• [8] The name Munbilla originally began as Mumbilla
• [9] Courtesy of the Harrisville & District Historical Society
• [10] QT article Wednesday 02-02-1916
• [11] Wikipedia - Cunningham Highway
• [12] QT article Wednesday 06-07-1932
• [13] QT article Tuesday 08-06-1937
• [14] QT article Saturday 18-03-1950
• [15] QT article Wednesday 10-03-1971
• [16] Fassifern Guardian article Wednesday 27-09-2023

[some data sourced from Boonah & District Archives]