Ardentallen Estate, Enoggera, 1913 (Map of the Week)

State Library of Queensland has an extensive collection of historical maps of Queensland, some of which have been digitised and can be viewed online.

This real estate map from 1913 advertises 200 allotments of land for sale at the Ardentallen Estate in the Brisbane suburb of Enoggera. The allotments were situated along Samford Road, Norman Terrace, Audrey Street, Malcolm Street, Ardentallen Road, Douglas Street and Bell Street (now Wardell Street).

The back of the map contains an advertising blurb promoting the features of the estate.

"If you want an ideal home, with healthy surroundings - what more can you desire than the following advantages:-
1. It is only 260 yards or three minutes easy walk the Station
2. Twenty trains each way daily
3. Fares 4d. return - just the same as from Queen Street to the Valley
4. Workmen's Tickets, 1/6 per week
5. Enoggera water main to the Estate
6. Schools, Churches, Stores, and settlement all round
7. Cool healthy breezes - ten degrees lower than the city. Why? Because the Enoggera Railway Station is the highest above sea level of any other railway station between Ipswich and Sandgate or Cleveland
8. Ardentallen (barring a small portion at the foot of the hill) in on a gentle rising slope, with a fine plateau at the top, thus ensuring good natural drainage, and saving doctors' bills".

A public auction was held at the site on the afternoon of November 29, 1913. It appears that only half of the allotments were given up for auction that day, as another auction of the remaining portions of land was held on May 30 the following year.

The Telegraph newspaper reported the results of the sale –

“Messrs Isles, Love, and Co. report a most successful sale of the first section of the Ardentallen Estate, on Saturday afternoon, the whole 106 allotments were sold for ‎£3,329 , at prices from ‎£15 to ‎£52 .” (Telegraph, December 1, 1913).

A higher resolution image of this map can be viewed through our One Search catalogue.

Prints of this map are also available through the Library Shop.

You can browse a compendium of our previous maps of the week on our blog.

Myles Sinnamon – Project Coordinator, State Library of Queensland