Joshua Jeays

A carpenter from Leicester rose to prominence as a successful developer, alderman, and mayor of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. He constructed buildings and supplied stone from his Woogaroo quarry. One of the initial structures, Female Wards 1 and 2, was built using local sandstone from his quarry, which also provided materials for Old Government House (1862) and Parliament House (1865).

The Riverbank and Nyunda Park Area, nestled between the main hospital complex and the old Farm Complex, extends northeast around the reservoir towards the Basil Stafford Centre.  This bushland area, west of Explorer’s Walk, showcases remnants of the former sandstone quarry operations and transport routes. The quarry has two primary sites (north and south) and several smaller ones, identifiable by vertical worked faces and horizontal benched areas, connected by a track used to transport stone to a northern jetty on the river, about 600 meters away.

Another track branches southeast towards the main hospital complex. In 1980, Nyunda Park was established, featuring bushland, Joshua Jeays’ old sandstone quarry, a dam, and pathways, as an outdoor recreational space. The John Oxley Centre, a forensic psychiatric facility, was erected on the site's western edge beside the Brisbane River in 1990.

Joshua Jeays passed away at 69 on March 11, 1881, and was interred at Toowong Cemetery. His legacy endures through the buildings he left behind.

Interesting facts about Joshua Jeays:

• He fervently supported Queensland's separation from New South Wales.

• He served on the inaugural Brisbane Municipal Council.

• He was the fourth Mayor of Brisbane.