The final and perhaps most gentle walk in this collection will allow you to explore some of the history of Milton including a bishop’s palace, prominent early houses, and a hallowed sporting precinct.

Departing Fernberg, turn east and descend to Murruba Street as on previous occasions. About halfway along turn into Beck Street, following it to the roundabout with the large fig tree. Now turn and follow Nash Street towards Rosalie Shopping Centre where you go left and continue along Baroona Road toward Milton State School. In this early part of the walk, you will notice that some houses have been elevated in response to recent floods.

Just before Milton Road, turn left into the driveway of St Francis Theological College. As you walk up the drive, the grand residence (perhaps palace is overstating it) known as Old Bishopsbourne will come into view. Designed by Benjamin Backhouse with Gothic arches suggesting its ecclesiastical nature, it was occupied by the first Anglican Bishop of Brisbane, Edward Wyndham Tufnell, in 1868 and was the home of bishops and archbishops until 1964 when it was incorporated into the College¹.

When retracing your steps, leave the College drive, turn left, and cross Milton Road via the subterranean underpass to enter Park Road, noted for its shops, bistros, and restaurants. Turning second left into McDougall Street, you will find Milton House some way along on the right, nestled amongst modern, multi-storey corporate and residential blocks. A Council storyboard informs us that the house that gave its name to the modern suburb was built in the early 1850s, thus one of the oldest in the city. It originally stood at the heart of a 30-acre farm on the Brisbane River now long since subdivided.

Cross the road and complete rounding the block by walking along Walsh Street and then Railway Terrace to return to Park Road. Cross Milton Road once more, head west along it until you reach Frew Park and the Emerson Tennis Centre. Walking through the latter, those of us of mellow years will conjure up memories of towering wooden stands that once echoed with thunderous applause for the likes of Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Mal Anderson, Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, and Wendy Turnbull in Australian Open tournaments, and Davis and Federation Cup ties played on centre court. Breaking the spell of this reverie, cross Frew Park to Haig Road.

At the fig-shaded roundabout, head north and follow Bayswater Road alongside Milton State School until you reach Howard Street. Turning left and walking uphill you soon come upon Boondah² looking down upon you over its white picket fence. The house dates from 1907 having replaced one destroyed by fire. The façade presents one of the most striking manifestations of the Queensland front verandah with its projecting octagonal bays and finial-spiked domes at either end.

Continuing the ascent, you pass some other examples of colonial and early Federation Queenslanders before reaching the top of Howard Street which takes a turn to the right. Before proceeding in that direction, look above you to the left to catch a glimpse of Baroona³, largely obscured by its high stone wall and surrounding vegetation, which was designed by Benjamin Backhouse and built in the 1860s or early 1870s. It once sat on a large estate that suffered the same fate of subdivision of all in the district save Fernberg.

At the end of Howard Street, you come to the eponymous Baroona Road and follow it left downhill to cross Rainworth Road and once again ascend Murruba and Fernberg Roads in a strenuous conclusion to this otherwise quite sedate walk to reach Government House for the last time in this series.

¹ J. Hogan, Historic Homes of Brisbane, National Trust of Queensland, 1979.

² J. Hogan, Historic Homes of Brisbane, National Trust of Queensland, 1979.

³ J. Hogan, Historic Homes of Brisbane, National Trust of Queensland, 1979.