Colonial Settlement, Published 25 January 2026
Long before Redcliffe became a seaside favourite, it was the site of Queensland’s very first penal settlement - and yes, that meant some grim features, including a whipping post standing near…
Long before Redcliffe became a seaside favourite, it was the site of Queensland’s very first penal settlement - and yes, that meant some grim features, including a whipping post standing near today’s corner of Anzac Avenue and Sutton Street. Back in 1824–1825, this was the harsh frontier of the Moreton Bay colony, where convicts were punished under strict military rule.
The post itself was a solid timber structure, roughly three metres tall, used to restrain prisoners during floggings - a brutal but common punishment of the era. Even after the settlement moved upriver to Brisbane in 1825, the post remained on the Redcliffe site for more than a century, quietly weathering the elements as the town grew around it.
By the time it was finally removed in 1932, the whipping post had become a strange relic of Redcliffe’s earliest days - a reminder of how far the region had come from its convict beginnings to the relaxed coastal community we know today.
The image of the whipping post is provided for illustration purposes only and does not depict the actual item.
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