WWII EQUIPMENT DUMPED IN FLOODED
QUARRY
AT MORNINGSIDE, BRISBANE, QLD
ALSO KNOWN AS LAKE EMERSON
DURING WWII
During WWII the US Military dumped aircraft, machinery and surplus equipment into an old flooded quarry near Richmond Road, in Morningside in Brisbane. The quarry was also used during WWII to train volunteer firemen.
There was a nearby American Army Base situated at the corner of Lang Street and Richmond Roads. A number of the nearby streets are named following a military theme eg. Gatling, Nordenfeldt and Shrapnel Streets.The Australian High Board Diving Championships were held at the quarry in February 1949. Cyclone built the scaffolding on the edge of the quarry for the Diving Championships. More than 5,000 spectators attended the championships.
The quarry was 140 metres long and was 13 metres deep at its deepest point. The Queensland Amateur Swimming Association hired a Brisbane engineering firm to drag the Morningside quarry to remove any hidden obstacle before the Diving Championships.
State Library of Queensland:- Image number:185427
Young lady diving at the Morningside quarry in 1949
Several people drowned in the lake which was also known locally as Lake Emerson. After a tragic double drowning, the Brisbane City Council fenced off the quarry and prohibited swimming. It was later identified that the water in the quarry carried signs of typhoid, and it was drained and filled in.
REFERENCES
The Sunday Mail (Brisbane) Page 67
24 January 2010
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This page first produced 24 January 2010
This page last updated 15 January 2020
