Like most of Northern Brisbane, the area around Nundah was dominated by the Turrbul tribe. Their traditional coastal trade route passed through Nundah, near the modern-day Hedley Avenue. There are also many significant Aboriginal sites near Nundah, such as Dinah Island, which was reportedly the site of the last traditional Aboriginal burial in the Brisbane area. There were a number of bora rings in the area, indicating that the Nundah area was densely populated by Aboriginal people before European settlers arrived.
European Settlement
The first permanent European settlement in the area was a mission built in 1838 by German Lutheran missionaries, under the guidance of Reverend Carl Wilhelm Schmidt and later Reverend Christoph Eipper with the aim of bringing Christianity to the local Aboriginal people. They first called the area "Zion", and the mission was located in the vicinity of the modern-day street "Walkers Way". It later became "German Station" and then "Nundah", derived from the Aboriginal name for the area. The explorer Dr. Ludwig Leichhardt visited the area in 1843, and spoke very highly of t he mission, but despite this the mission met with limited success and was closed at the behest of the colonial government in 1846. This first settlement is nonetheless commemorated with a monument at the corner of Sandgate Road and Wood Street unveiled in 1938 by the then Premier of Queensland William Forgan Smith. The names of these German settlers can be seen in the names of streets in Nundah and surrounding suburbs such as Rode Road and Gerler Road. Nundah remained an agricultural area until the 1880s, when the construction of a railway between Brisbane and Sandgate in 1882 resulted in a suburban residential construction boom on Brisbane's northside. This urban sprawl was also encouraged by the Undue Subdivision of Land Prevention Act 1885, which mandated minimum lot sizes for new urban developments. Nundah became known as a suburb where working-class families could obtain cheap housing on reasonably-sized lots not too far from the city. In 1909, Surrey Street in Nundah became the site of the first public housing dwelling in Queensland. In the early twentieth century, Nundah became a major suburban centre, due to its location on Sandgate Road, one of Brisbane's busiest arterial roads, and the adjacent Nundah railway station. Sandgate Road and nearby streets were lined with shops, pubs, cinemas and other commercial premises. Nundah was also the seat of Toombul Shire, which was absorbed into the City of Greater Brisbane in 1925. The Toombul Shire Hall still exists as a community centre. In 1926, George Walker suggested a monument be built to mark the beginnings of Nundah, which was unveiled by the Queensland Governor Sir Leslie  Orme Wilson on April 23, 1938 as part of the First Free Settlers' Centenary Celebrations. This First Free Settlers Monument is listed in the Queensland Heritage Register.
Nundah's commercial precinct suffered a precipitous decline from the 1970s with the construction of the nearby Westfield Shoppingtown (Later Centro) Toombul shopping centre. Increasing motor traffic along Sandgate Road also reduced Nundah's appeal as a shopping precinct. However, in recent times a road tunnel has been constructed under nearby Bage Street, diverting through traffic away from the suburban centre. A Brisbane City Council suburban renewal programme has seen new art installations, cafés and commercial enterprises open in Nundah, creating a village-like atmosphere along the now-quiet Sandgate Road.
The Nundah and Districts Historical Society is collecting and documenting Nundah’s history from first European settlement.
The For more information on the history of Nundah and surrounding districts, call the Nundah and Districts Historical Society on (07) 3260 6703.
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