The present-day John Oxley Reserve and Castle Hill Estate, at Murrumba Downs, was once a prominent dairy farm. In December 1929, Frederick Charles Kruger Senior purchased 219 acres fronting the North Pine River and present-day Dohles Rocks Road from a Redcliffe plumber named Washbrook.
The area has a long history of Turrbal occupation. In the nineteenth century, land in the district was subsequently taken up by European settlers, including Griffin, Tom Petrie, the Hopkins family and Charles Ogg.
The property was also in the area where Lt. John Oxley landed on 1 December 1823, during his exploration of Moreton Bay. Oxley’s party had navigated the North Pine River and landed at Oxleys Inlet before climbing a hill in the area now occupied by John Oxley Reserve.
Depression Hardships, Community Service, and Farming Evolution
Being a dairyman in the 1930s Depression was difficult. The Kruger family struggled financially when milk prices plummeted to sixpence a gallon. In Julie Lewis’ book Murrumba Downs, 1823-1991, Fred’s son described how his father caught mud crabs in the river each day and in 1931 was “nearly taken” by rising floodwaters whilst checking his pots for crabs.
In 1937-38, Kruger transformed one of the property’s existing two houses (previously relocated from Barry Parade, Fortitude Valley), into a community dance hall in aid of Kallangur school, reflecting a philanthropic spirit and active involvement in community affairs, a trait that characterised his life.
Kruger was the first chairman of the Kallangur School Committee during the 1930s and attended a Royal Commission in 1946, advocating for a quota system for agricultural production. From 1936 to 43, he served as a Pine Shire councillor, purchasing a bike to facilitate riding to the council meetings held in Strathpine.
After the war, the Kruger farm shifted from dairying to small cropping, cultivating cauliflower, cucumbers, and later, pineapples for the Golden Circle Cannery. In 1959, they had 80 acres under cultivation.
During World War II, A.I.F. soldiers trained on Kruger’s paddocks, arriving one morning with 13 bulldozers to build a dam and a road on the property. Irrigating crops was difficult because of the river’s salinity, so in the 1950s, Kruger attempted to drill for underground water. A Methodist parson, Rev. Palethorpe, divined a spot 113 feet down into sandstone, and the well yielded 2,500 gallons an hour before it was lost.
Kruger’s sons farmed the property until 1987, and it was developed into John Oxley Reserve and the Castle Hill residential estate.
Featured image: Dairying at Krugers Farm c1950s_ Photo_ Daphne Blatchford
Read more stories from The North Lakes Guide print magazine here:
- In the North Lakes Loop: Updates from the Community
- What’s Hot Around Town
- Eco Eve: Living a More Environmentally Friendly Life!
- Podcast Review: The Pub Quiz Pod
- The Fox
- The Calm Before the Storms: What Jobs to Tackle Now
- Get Hands-On at Gaming and Hobby Expo
- Spangled Perch Leiopotherapon Unicolor
- Organic Gardening in November
- Thank Your Teacher With a Thoughtful Gift
- Shop Local and Handmade This Christmas at Dayboro’s Artisan Market Weekend
- Northside BrickResales Pop-Up for LEGO Lovers
- Old Clothes Given New Life to Help Kids in Need
- Moreton Bay Ecofest Returns
- Fast Cars and Family Fun at the Notta Grand Prix 5
- Community Event Shining Light on Local Food
- Farce Gets Up and Running
