The Pastoral Pioneers

Settlement of the Pine Rivers region had to await the closure of the Moreton Bay convict settlement in 1842, although some preliminary surveying of the region had already been carried out in preparation for free settlement.

In the middle of 1843, Francis Griffin, by establishing the Whiteside run on the north bank of the North Pine River, became the first free settler to occupy Pine Rivers land. He was joined shortly by other members of the Griffin family.

In 1844, James Sibley and Joseph King established the Samsonvale run on the south side of the River. This run was purchased by William Joyner and William Mason during the following year.

Nearly the whole of the area now occupied by the Pine Rivers Shire was divided into these two runs; the Samford run in the upper reaches of the South Pine River was not taken up until the mid 1850s.

In 1859, as the era of closer settlement approached, Tom Petrie purchased the lease of ten sections of land from the Griffins to form the Murrumba run.