Frog's Hollow was a historic neighbourhood in the

Brisbane central business district Brisbane City is the central suburb and central business district of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is also colloquially referred to as the "Brisbane CBD", "the city", or simply "town". The CBD is located on a point ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. It was a colloquial name used for the low-lying land surrounding the intersection of Albert Street and Margaret Street. However, in recent years, the name has seen something of a revival in common usage.

Geography

Although not formally bounded, the neighbourhood was generally regarded as being from George Street (which is a ridge) down to Edward Street and between Elizabeth Street and Alice Street. A creek used to pass through this swampy area joining the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...

in the vicinity of the intersection of Alice Street and Edward Street. Although little more than a plank of wood, Brisbane's first British made bridge was over this creek, allowing the convicts to cross to their farm.

History

Being low-lying and swampy, with mosquitoes and periodic flooding, the area was not the most desirable part of colonial Brisbane. Being cheaper, the area attracted warehouse developments and housing and businesses catering to the lower classes. It was both the

red light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are partic ...

of colonial Brisbane and its

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

Prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

, sly grog, and opium dens could be found in Frog's Hollow giving it a bad reputation.During the 1880s, many Anti-Chinese Leagues were formed which organised many Anti-Chinese demonstrations to persuade the government to cease immigration from China. On Saturday 5 May 1888, one such demonstration in Brisbane, fuelled by alcohol, turned into a riot, where the mob of an estimated 2000 people attacked Chinese homes and businesses. The riot spread to Chinese premises in other parts of Brisbane, including South Brisbane and Fortitude Valley. The police did little to quell the riot with Police Inspector Lewis saying afterwards that ''"the majority of the people in the street were respectable citizens and would probably have been injured had this been done!"''. The only person arrested was subsequently acquitted.

Present day

The creek is no longer visible but the approximate location of the bridge is marked by a modern sculpture at the former Port Office. The convict farm is now the

City Botanic Gardens The City Botanic Gardens (formerly the Brisbane Botanic Gardens) is a heritage-listed botanic garden on Alice Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was also known as Queen's Park. It is located on Gardens Poi ...

References

External links

* {{coord, -27.4727, 153.0282, type:city_region:AU-QLD, display=title Brisbane localities History of Brisbane Race riots in Australia