Samsonvale, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Samsonvale is a locality within the Moreton Bay Region of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.

The district is dominated by Lake Samsonvale, the waters of North Pine Dam
North Pine Dam
North Pine Dam is built across the North Pine River, north-west of Brisbane, within Moreton Bay in Queensland, Australia.The damming of North Pine River created an artificial lake called Lake Samsonvale to secure a supply of drinking water for the Moreton Bay region and Brisbane's northern...

, one of the three main water-suppliers to the metropolitan region. Samsonvale sits below the highest peak in the area, Mount Samson
Mount Samson, Queensland
Mount Samson is about half way between Samford and Dayboro located in South East Queensland, Australia. It is roughly 34 km north west of Brisbane. It is located in the local government area of Moreton Bay Region...

.

History

Samsonvale began as a pastoral run in 1845 predominately of the Joyner
Joyner, Queensland
Joyner is a suburb north of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the Moreton Bay Region.Joyner is located east of Lake Samsonvale. The area was originally known as Harrisons Pocket before the modern day adaptation and implementation of the name Joyner...

 family, after whom a nearby suburb is named.

The history of Samsonvale is, it seems, one of forced resumptions with three quarters of the Joyner's original pastoral run in the 1860s being taken from them.

A little over one hundred years later, the district's farming families were once again be forced from their farms, this time to allow for the construction of the North Pine Dam
North Pine Dam
North Pine Dam is built across the North Pine River, north-west of Brisbane, within Moreton Bay in Queensland, Australia.The damming of North Pine River created an artificial lake called Lake Samsonvale to secure a supply of drinking water for the Moreton Bay region and Brisbane's northern...

.

For the first half of the last Century Samsonvale was predominantly a dairy farming community centered around a station on the Dayboro railway line.

The construction of the North Pine Dam
North Pine Dam
North Pine Dam is built across the North Pine River, north-west of Brisbane, within Moreton Bay in Queensland, Australia.The damming of North Pine River created an artificial lake called Lake Samsonvale to secure a supply of drinking water for the Moreton Bay region and Brisbane's northern...

 and the flooding of Lake Samsonvale in the 1970s caused a series of forced resumptions of family farms. The flooding of the Lake also closed the Presbyterian Church, community hall, and post office.

All that remains today at the site of the old village is a cemetery with much of the former district underwater, along with the original Samsonvale pastoral run and much of the district's best farming land.

The current Samsonvale Rural Fire Brigade facility sits above what was once the center of the Kobble Creek
Kobble Creek, Queensland
Kobble Creek is a locality within the Moreton Bay Region of Queensland, Australia.Kobble Creek, the locality, is situated along Mount Samson Road to the south of Dayboro, approximately 45 km NW of Brisbane central business district....

 community.

In 2006, during a drought seeing water levels of Lake Samsonvale falling to unprecedented lows, archeological works were considered by the local council to preserve historic artifacts from flooded homesteads dating back to the 19th Century. In 2010 Lake Samsonvale is once again filled to capacity, covering the historical sites and much of the district's best farming land.

The area around the cemetery has a natural beauty and a large biodiversity, with over 250 species of bird recorded.

External links

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