Vernor's Story
Vernor is situated between the townships of Lowood and Fernvale, and is bordered by hills to the south-east and Brisbane River to the north-west.
Settlers Arrived From 1868
The district now known as Vernor was once part of 'Fernie Lawn', one of the earliest Crown pastoral runs in the Brisbane Valley, leased by the North family. In 1868 Government leases were opened up for selection and sale. That year the first Europeans arrived in the Vernor district. The following year the first white male was born at Vernor - Charles Litzow, son of Wilhelm and Johanna Litzow.
Surnames of the area's first settlers reflected the large number of Germans and Prussians who settled here and elsewhere in the district - Adermann, Bick, Bischoff, Bulow, Damrow, Falkenhagen, Feldhahn, Fritz, Gozegorek, Heers, Imhoff, Lancaster, Lindemann, Litzow, Michel, Muckert, Otto, Pieper, Rick, Schmidt, Schroder, Spann, Stumer, Weise, Youles, Zuegling.
Settlement Gets Underway
By 1877 all the land had been selected and the clearing of scrub, erecting of buildings and other improvements were taking place. Cotton was an early crop in those days, which was taken to Cribb and Foote's cotton gin at Fernvale.
Railway Opens
In June 1884 the first section of the Brisbane Valley Branch railway line opened from Wulkuraka to Lowood. A small station was built between Fernvale and Lowood which was named ‘Verners'. The misspelt name came from the Vernors of Wivenhoe Pocket.
The Vernors
Captain Robert Vernor and his wife-to-be Sarah Harlin met in 1866 travelling from England to Queensland on the ship, ‘Southern Ocean'. They married in 1868 and established a property of about 1000 acres on prime agricultural land at Wivenhoe that they named "Cluen".
Robert Vernor's role in helping to bring the railway to the district led rail authorities to use his name for the siding, and soon it was adopted - correctly spelt - as the name of the surrounding settlement (a similar process happened in Lowood and elsewhere along the railway).
Vernor Starts To Develop and Grow
Farming changed to dairying and raising pigs. There were several creameries in the district and dairy farming would continue at Vernor for the next 100 years.
In 1869 the first German Baptist services began and later a church was built, but today only the historic cemetery remains. In 1887 the Church of Christ (below) started local services, while other religions were catered for in Lowood and Fernvale.
In the 1930s Vernor locals established a local dipping company, the Vernor Progress Association held regular meetings and cricket was played against neighbouring towns. Vernor farmers regularly entered produce in the annual Lowood Show, winning many awards.
Today, this hidden gem of a district called Vernor doesn't even have a sign to show visitors it exists.
Help Uncover Our History
Historic items, photos and family histories are being collected on Vernor and the district.
If you can help please contact Aaron Heck: (07) 5426 7359 or email: heckaaron@gmail.com