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Community & Business

25 November, 2025

The trials and tribulations of Scottish migrant, Peter McIntyre

When Peter McIntyre and his wife Jane McFarlane married in 1834 and became a tenant farmers on the banks of beautiful Loch Lomond, he probably thought he would never leave the district. At first they lived at “Edintaggarl”, where their four older children were born, before moving in 1841 to “Stuckendroin” just a few miles further north. However, in 1862 when landlord, Sir James Colquhoun raised his rent from £90 to £120 per year it was the last straw for McIntyre who had struggled financially for years.


Peter McIntyre left the comfortable home of Stuckendroin to live many years in Queensland in a slab hut with an earthen floor.
Peter McIntyre left the comfortable home of Stuckendroin to live many years in Queensland in a slab hut with an earthen floor.

Massive rent increases in the Highlands of Scotland had been going on for many decades with the end result being the emigration of many young Scottish farmers to America and Australia.

But Peter McIntyre was not a young farmer, he was 54 years of age and so the decision he made to leave was more for the future of his sons and daughters than himself.

Peter had lost his wife, Jane, to chronic bronchitis in 1859 and tragically he lost his youngest daughter  (also called Jane) only three months later.

Tragedy struck again when his eldest son, Peter, died of a fever in 1860.

This sequence of family deaths must have influenced Peter to make a new start on the other side of the world.

Peter McIntyre’s  reputation as a good reliable honest worker was now advantageous as through a friend in Glasgow he was recommended to two men in Queensland looking for shepherds for a property in Chinchilla.

Under the agreement he was to hire a group of 25  Highland shepherds to take to Chinchilla.

In July 1862, Peter McIntyre and sons, Donald, Colin, Duncan, Dugald and daughters Agnes and  Violet with husband Daniel Brodie along with many of the Highland shepherds boarded the sailing vessel “Ocean Chief“ bound for Moreton Bay, Queensland.

On arrival Violet and Dan Brodie immediately found work while Peter organised the men for the "walk" to Chinchilla.

Whether they really understood the distance and difficulty of this walk is unknown but with great enthusiasm they set off.

They must have made quite an unusual sight as the men marched in their Scottish plaids (tartans) carrying guns and accompanied by their Border Collie sheep dogs.

The rest of the group, along with the children and women, set out a week later with a bullock dray loaded with supplies taking a month to reach Chinchilla.

On arrival the family quarters were a slab and bark hut with an earthen floor.

Peter as an overseer was then sent to Wongongra out- station 30 miles away to tend the 14000 sheep.

Here Agnes was the housekeeper, John the ration carrier, while Duncan, Dugald, Donald and Colin were shepherds.

Rations were carried out once per week and consisted of 15 lbs of beef, 8 lbs of flour, 2 lbs sugar and one quarter pound of tea per person.

Surely living such a basic life must have caused some reflection on whether migrating to Australia was a good decision.

Whatever their thoughts were the McIntyre family decided after three years at Chinchilla and Wongongra it was time to seek new employment and so they returned to Brisbane.

Peter went into a partnership in a plumbing business but withdrew from the business in less than a year.

Forced to fall back on what he knew he took up a position as sheep overseer  with his sons Donald and John on Albany Station on the Maranoa River 65 miles west of Roma.

They stayed here for almost two years before returning to Brisbane.

Unfortunately their timing could not have been worse as events in the colony were about to enter a  dramatic financial collapse.

The failure of the Agra & Masterman Bank in England in 1866 had  serious repercussions in Queensland.

The bank had been the financier for railway construction in Queensland and all construction work was suddenly suspended.

The Premier of Queensland, Arthur Macalister was forced to resign and a temporary administration took over.

Employment was scarce and in September there were riots in Brisbane as unemployed workers attempted to storm the Government Stores.

The “Bread or Blood” riots as they became known resulted in the arrest of several ringleaders as police used batons to disperse the protesters.

The event highlighted the severe social and economic distress experienced by many in Brisbane at the time.

Obviously worried by these events Peter and his sons  Duncan, Donald and Colin left Ipswich looking for work and were employed at Eton Vale for the lambing season.

One upshot of the economic downturn was the release of cheap land at Spring Creek where Peter was able to secure four blocks of 50 acres each that had been part of Clifton Station.

He must have hoped this would be the start of a better life but once again he was disappointed.

The extended family of Peter, John and Agnes McPhee with their baby Jane, Duncan, Donald, and Colin all lived in a tent on the land before building a bark hut of three rooms.

It was hard, back breaking work starting on virtually virgin land and Peter was approaching 60 years of age.

Adding to their difficulties their horses either strayed or were stolen and after 8 months Peter took up a position in the Burnett district, once again as an overseer on Cardarga Station.

He sent back some of his earnings to keep things going on the Spring Creek  property.

This was not the life Peter  had left Scotland for and towards the end of 1869 he was forced to sell the property to Mr Davenport of Headington Hill station for £200.

By 1870, Peter was ready to start again and at 61 years of age  selected 800 acres of fair forest country at Emu Creek and his son-in-law John McPhee selected an adjoining 460 acres.

He purchased a small two roomed hut from Eton Vale station and moved it to  his new farm and called it “Benvorlick”.

With the help of Colin and Donald they cleared and fenced the land, ploughed and crops were planted.

Cattle and sheep were purchased and a dam was built and the years 1870-1872 saw wool prices increase.

However, they were all forced at various times to take up other employment to keep the farm going.

In 1874 Peter bought some timber that had been an old hotel on the Eton Vale road and erected a comfortable six room house.

Surely the McIntyre family would finally enjoy some better years.

Unfortunately this was the year when the husband of Peter’s daughter, Violet Brodie, died after falling from his horse.

This left Violet in a financially vulnerable position forcing her and her young  family to relocate to her father’s Emu Creek property.

Violet fortunately took up an opportunity in Greenmount establishing a general store where she ultimately secured financial stability.

Peter and his sons eventually had 100 acres under cultivation and their financial prospects began to rise.

In 1877 Donald married Mary Jane Keag and in the next year Colin left the farm and married Elizabeth Keefer in 1878.

Just as Peter’s property was becoming well established his health began to decline.

He eventually was forced into hospital in Ipswich where his son Duncan took care of him before he was able to return to Benvorlick.

His health continued to deteriorate and on 4th April 1882 he passed away at 74 years of age and was buried the next day in the Toowoomba Drayton Cemetery.

Peter McIntyre showed courage in making the decision to emigrate to Queensland at 54 years of age.

This was a move that ultimately benefited his sons and daughters but Peter did not live long enough to fully enjoy the good years he had hoped for and deserved.

Throughout his life Peter McIntyre displayed courage, determination,  resilience and a strong work ethic.

He was forced to pick himself up after setbacks and family tragedies on numerous occasions.

These qualities he no doubt passed on to his children.

Peter McIntyre’s stay in the colony of Queensland lasted only 19 years but he firmly established his family as one of the many pioneer families who laid the foundation of later prosperity.

“Loch Lomond to Australia 1862” written by Joan Schwede with assistance from June Allen and Elizabeth Donnelly was an invaluable reference resource for this article.

Thanks also to the Clifton Historical Society and Elizabeth Donnelly for other reference materials and pictures.

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