Community & Business
20 March, 2025
A seat with a story: honouring history at Gorman's Gap
A breathtaking 360-degree view now comes with a deeper connection to history at Gorman’s Gap in Preston/Upper Flagstone, thanks to a newly installed seat that pays tribute to one of Queensland’s most significant early transport routes.
On Saturday, 15 March, Don Gorman, the great-great-grandson of Lieutenant Owen Gorman - the last commandant of the Brisbane penal settlement and the man who marked the original Gorman’s Gap track - visited the site to see the finished project and celebrate the story behind it.
“I knew nothing of the story before I moved to the community,” Friends of Gorman’s Gap President and local resident Barbara Lindbergs said.
“It was only by living here and doing research that I found out a lot more about the history and cultural significance of the track.
“What a wonderful community asset.”
Gorman’s Gap was the first gazetted road in Queensland, carved into the landscape as an alternative to Cunningham’s Gap, which was deemed too steep and dangerous.
Early European explorers received crucial guidance from local Indigenous leader Multuggerah and his people, who played a key role in the search for a safe route across the range.
Owen Gorman took his compass bearings from the top of Camel’s Hump, where the monument is today.
Now, thanks to the efforts of Friends of Gorman’s Gap (FOGG) and a donation from Mr Gorman, a handcrafted seat has been placed at this historic vantage point.
The seat offers walkers a place to reflect on the endurance of those who came before, both Indigenous and European, and the cooperative efforts that shaped this pathway.
The track itself remains a living piece of history.
Stretching 5.4 kilometres between Rossells Road and Gorman’s Gap Estate, it is now a popular bushwalking trail boasting eight distinct regional ecosystems, including one classified as endangered.
Bird enthusiasts have recorded an impressive 115 species along the way.
The journey to the new seat is a challenging one, with a steep incline reminiscent of the hardships faced by early settlers.
“It was extremely hard for the bullock carts to descend the track - they had to tie logs to the back of their carts to slow them down on the escarpment,” Ms Lindbergs said.
“For us to build the seat and carry it up was a tough walk, and it was only very short.
“We had a glimpse of what it must have been like for the first white settlers.”
To celebrate the completion of the project, a morning tea was held at the site.
“I am really excited that we have been given an opportunity to link the generations and tell the story of indigenous and white settlers working together,” Ms Lindbergs said.
“It is such a peaceful place. We are so happy to tell the community about the history of the area.”
