100 Years of a Township!
Viv Mason’s shop with the community hall on the left.
On 10 November 1922 the Lands Department put up 36 town and suburban lots in the ‘Town of Wallu’ (as Tin Can Bay was then known) for auction. 17 of the 25 Wallu town lots on offer were sold on perpetual lease arrangements with prices ranging from 8-36 pounds thus starting a formal township.
Of course, people have lived in Tin Can Bay for a lot longer than 100 years! The Butchulla Nation, traditional owners of K’gari, had six clans with territory extending to what is now Tin Can Bay and beyond with evidence of occupation from between 5,500 to 20,000 years ago.
European settlement of the area is officially noted from the mid-1800s with a dugong processing station (ewww!) at Kauri Creek. Another early industry was timber, with bullock teams used to drag Kauri pine logs to Seary’s Creek then towing them down to the Tin Can Bay inlet.
The Depression era of the 1930s actually helped Tin Can Bay grow, with the lure of cheap land giving rise to the permanent population, which then led to the need for a shop (opened in 1932) and a school (1934), with a telegraph line, post office, and transport run added as well, all achieved by the vision and determination of pioneer powerhouse Viv Mason.
Keep an eye on our Facebook page and website for more information on Tin Can’s fascinating history!
And in case you are wondering, the township of Rainbow Beach was officially proclaimed in 1969, although the Rainbow Beach Road was opened in 1966.
Tin Can Bay School Class of 1935
Celebrate the Tin Can Bay Centenary
To recognise 100 years since the official birth of the Tin Can Bay township the Tin Can Bay Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a family friendly casual celebration on Tom Steele Oval on Saturday 5 November. Running from 9am to about 2pm, with a formal ceremony at 10am, it will be a casual get-together so dust off the picnic gear to make sure you have a place to base around the grounds so the whole family can enjoy a day to connect and reflect as a community.
There will be free entertainment, activities and games for the whole family, history snippets throughout the day, open day at the Tin Can Bay Tennis Club, QCWA scones and a cuppa on the veranda plus more food and drinks available on the oval. Be there to put your name in the free draw to get one of 10 Get Ready Packs or have a guess on what is in the labelless cans.
The day is about getting together as a community and having old-school connection so come along and have some fun. Lee Fishing Company has come on board as the major sponsor and the project also received funding assistance from the Gympie Regional Council’s Community Grants Program 2022/2023.
