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Oakvale, Ascot, Brisbane

Moynihan family home, "Oakvale", Ascot, Brisbane, Australia.

Extract from Map of Brisbane and suburbs, 1889, at State Library of Queensland. From Queensland Post Office Directory 1889.
Location of Oakvale marked with blue spot.
Note Eagle Farm Racecourse (est 1863).
Brisbane River is to the S.
Breakfast Creek is the tributary to the SW.
See larger. See full map online.
See modern map.

The ADB entry for Cornelius Moynihan says that his father Denis Moynihan built Oakvale:
"In 1868 the family migrated to Brisbane, where they took up two acres (0.8 ha) in an area known as The Dip, in North Brisbane (later Ascot and Hamilton) and built a house, Oakvale, later noted for its musical evenings and dancing parties. Denis and his family prospered."
The classified ad below shows Oakvale was on corner of Franz Rd and Towers St, Ascot.
Denis Moynihan is described as a "farmer" at death and as a "dairyman" on his son's death cert. It seems Oakvale was a farm with 2 acres.
The area became built up with housing later.

Denis Moynihan died 1896.
His death cert says he died "near Franz Rd" (which fits Oakvale).
Newspaper death notice says he died "at his residence at Breakfast Creek" (which fits Oakvale).
The classified ad below shows that Denis' daughter Annie Moynihan was at "Oakvale" as at 1898.
Denis' son, the poet Cornelius Moynihan was living Oakvale "for five years about 1900".
Cornelius Moynihan was living Oakvale at least 1911 to death 1915.
Obituary 1915 says he was living "Tower St, Ascot".

It is interesting that there is a "Moynihan Street" just S of this location. Could this be named after the family? After the poet Cornelius Moynihan?

Obituary of Denis Moynihan, 18 Aug 1896.
Describes him as "of Breakfast Creek" (which fits Oakvale).
Says he lived "near the Racecourse" (which fits Oakvale).
Says he bought the Oakvale property from Edward O'Donnell MacDevitt, who was Attorney-General of Queensland in 1874.

Classified ad on p.2 of The Brisbane Courier, 12 February 1898.
Showing the Moynihan family home as Oakvale, Franz Rd, Ascot.

Classified ad on p.2 of The Brisbane Courier, 28 February 1902.
Showing Oakvale on corner of Franz Rd and "Tower St", Ascot.
Cornelius Moynihan lived with Penton as their landlord. See more in ADB entry for Cornelius Moynihan.

Electoral roll on p.12 of The Brisbane Courier, 14 June 1906.
Showing Oakvale on "Tower St", Albion.
Cornelius Moynihan is not on the list.

Poem by Cornelius Moynihan on p.21 S of The Brisbane Courier, 28 June 1911.
He is living in Oakvale, Ascot.

Letter to the editor from Cornelius Moynihan, p.8 of The Brisbane Courier, 24 August 1914.
He is living in Oakvale, Ascot.

The area on Map of Brisbane and suburbs, pre-1900 (clearly later than 1889 map above), State Library of Queensland, RBM 841.12 1875 00016 E.
Location of Oakvale (junction of Towers St and Franz Rd) marked with blue spot.
See larger. See full map online.

The area on Map of Brisbane and suburbs, 1912, at State Library of Queensland, RBM 841.17 1912 00016 E.
Location of Oakvale (junction of Towers St and Franz Rd) marked with blue spot.
Note "Moynihan St" has now been built.
See larger. See full map online.

The junction today is now the junction of Towers St and Alexandra Rd.
From Google Maps. See street view.
It seems that Oakvale has vanished.

NLA maps of Australia
State Library of Queensland (online maps)
Old maps of Brisbane