The 200th anniversary of the discovery and naming of the Logan River is a stark reminder of the youth of our nation in terms of our European history.
The Scenic Rim region is home to a twin river system that provides the fertile valleys that makes the area so productive and a landscape that is both picturesque and challenging for adventure tourism.
The Logan and Albert Rivers rise in the mountains of the Border Ranges – the Logan below Mount Ernest in the Mount Barney National Park, and the Albert in the Lamington National Park below Neglected Mountain.
Captain Logan, the newly appointed commandant of the Moreton Bay penal colony led an exploration party in August 1826, which sighted and named many localities in the Scenic Rim.
Logan named the river, known as Dugulumb by the local Mununjali people, the Darling after then governor Sir Ralph Darling.
However, Darling insisted that the river be named the Logan after its European discoverer.
Surveyor Robert Dixon named the Albert River some years later.
The anticipated closure of the penal colony and the opening of the area to white settlement necessitated surveys of the region.
During his survey south of Moreton Bay in 1840, Dixon named the Albert River in honour of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
The Logan and Albert Rivers empty in Moreton Bay following their confluence below present-day Bethania.
Between them they drain the waters of the Scenic Rim, including the Teviot from Boonah.
Because of the steepness of the area, flash floods occur in times of heavy rain.
This flooding, while devastating to livestock and infrastructure, no doubt is partly responsible for the ongoing fertility of the region.
