Local History: Deagon
30 Sep
Did you know…?
- Deagon is an outer suburb of Brisbane, approximately 16km north of the CBD.
- Deagon was named after William Deagon who was Mayor of Sandgate in the late 1800s. Mr Deagon owned the Sandgate Hotel, a popular stopping place for the Cobb and Co. coaches.
- The railway line through the area was opened in 1882 with Sandgate being a popular destination as the beach escape for Brisbanites in the summer.
- The Deagon racecourse, railway station, Deagon street ad the Deagon Wetlands now all bear William Deagon’s name as well.
- The Deagon area has a rich indigenous history. Evidence of Aboriginal occupation can be found in a bora ring at Nudgee Waterhole and in sites of special importance at Dinah Island and by Aboriginal camps on the banks of the Cabbage Tree Creek.
- Deagon was chosen by the Sandgate townspeople as the location for its local racecourse, west of the railway station. The site was reserved in 1890, and came into the hands of the Melbourne racing entrepreneur, John Wren, in 1912.
- Although horse racing ceased in Deagon in 1941, the racecourse remains a first rate training establishment and is set to replace Albion Park raceway for harness and greyhound racing in Brisbane.
What are your plans around lunch time today – or tomorrow – or any day this week?
