Queensland’S First Novel — and the Man Who Went Home to Write It!

Here’s a bit of Queensland literary history that deserves to be better known.

In 1862, just three years after Queensland became a separate colony, a three-volume novel appeared in London.

Its title?

Fern Vale; or, The Queensland Squatter.

Its author was Colin Munro, a Scottish-born mercantile clerk who had spent about five years in Brisbane.

And Munro’s story is almost as interesting as his novel.

After his time in Queensland, he returned to Britain in 1860. According to historian Rod Fisher’s research, he went back to find a wife and write a book.

Mission accomplished.

The novel was published in London by T. C. Newby in 1862, and is recognised by Queensland literary historians as the first Queensland novel. Contemporary bibliographical records confirm it was published in three volumes.

But what exactly is Fern Vale about?

It is a pastoral romance, set mainly on the Darling Downs in 1856–57, when Queensland was still part of New South Wales.

The story follows settlers and squatters and explores the realities and the ambitions of life in the developing colony.

There’s land.

There’s money.

There’s labour.

There are pastoral stations.

There are questions about who should control and develop the land.

And, naturally, there’s romance.

But underneath the fictional story is something much bigger.

Munro was writing about the future of this new colony.

The modern edition edited by historian Rod Fisher identifies themes including labour, industry and capital, land regulation, Aboriginal policy, Queensland’s convict origins and separation from New South Wales. Fisher also argues that the novel was intended, in part, to encourage migration to Queensland during the optimistic 1860s.

So Fern Vale isn't just an old yarn about squatters.

It's also a fascinating piece of nineteenth-century Queensland social commentary.

And Brisbane?

Well, here's the surprise…

Despite being the first Queensland novel, Fern Vale isn't really a Brisbane novel.

It's primarily a Darling Downs story. One character passes through Brisbane, but the settlement itself receives very little attention. Research on Brisbane's literary history identifies Rosa Praed's Politics and Passion (1881) as the first novel to refer to Brisbane at substantial length.

So in 1862, Queensland was only three years old and already someone had written its first novel.

A Scottish-born former Brisbane clerk went back to Britain, found himself a wife, wrote a 3-volume book about Queensland's squatters, and then returned to the colony in 1863.

He went on to become a storekeeper, merchant, Pacific trader and sugar planter.

Not bad for a bloke who apparently thought, “I'll go home and write a book about Queensland.”

The three volumes can be found here for download or online viewing: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Colin+Munro%2C+Fern+Vale

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

• Colin Munro, Fern Vale; or, The Queensland Squatter (1862) — the original Volume 1 is freely available through Project Gutenberg. • Rod Fisher (ed.), Fern Vale or the Queensland Squatter (Boolarong Press, 2011) — an edited and annotated edition with historical context. • Brisbane History Group — research material on Colin Munro and Fern Vale. • Binders Keepers — “The First Novel Set in Brisbane”.

A note on our visuals: To help bring this story to life, we've included some computer-generated illustrations. While we've aimed for historical accuracy, they may contain minor errors or artistic interpretation. They are used solely for educational, non-commercial history storytelling.