The Buried Secrets on MT COOT-THA!

Buy a DNA kit here: bit.ly/WalkaboutWithRob Use the coupon code Rob for free shipping. And as an added bonus, you can start a 30-day free trial of MyHeritage's best subscription for family history research
It's a miracle that Mount Coot-Tha is still relatively in one piece. I mean, it could so easily have been logged and mined almost out of existence a hundred or more years ago.
Drone footage courtesy of: www.youtube.com/@craig_Dronepilotsqld/videos
#mtcoottha #brisbane #brisbanehistory

[@walkaboutwithrob]

Buy a DNA kit here: bit.ly/WalkaboutWithRob Use the coupon code Rob for free shipping. And as an added bonus, you can start a 30-day free trial of MyHeritage's best subscription for family history research

[@whatilearnttoday5295]

No way in hell would I send my DNA to any such company.

[@claire-christmas-august73]

@@whatilearnttoday5295 please explain.. curious as to your response. ttfn ☺️😊

[@mrleeal]

wow this whole time i thought you were Asian 😀

[@user-mr3hr9ky5f]

Hi Dad... Thats what scares me with these DNA kits lol. But I am still going to do it. B4L

[@thehilltopworkshop]

​Look up the "23 and Me" data breach. Their stock is plummeting and it's only a matter of time before the entire database is auctioned off to the highest bidder. ​@@claire-christmas-august73

[@user-qy7rf7eq8d]

Hi Rob My father and grandfather were the leasee of the Gold mines at Mt Cootha. I still have the original leases and photos from the days when it was mined. I also still have the stationary engine that was used to pull the carts up the mountain to the battery.

[@gregteske3136]

Wow ! That's cool!! Somewhere up there is the ' plan B , secret war room ? In the mine ? under the cement slabs? 😊 imho.

[@Classickoolcars]

Love that history. 👍👌

[@jackleahy1661]

This stuffs amazing mate. Sounds like a good start for a mt cootha museum

[@davido3395]

My father proposed to my mother at the lookout or outlook at the top of Mt Cootha in 1958.

[@joke4301]

Your secret is safe with us Rob 🦋

[@australianemergencyvehicles505]

My great grandad was an explosives technician around the 50s and whilst working on Mt Coot Tha was awarded a medal of bravery for saving men from a gas leak which was occurring where they were operating. Jack Fraser was his name, or "Dynamite Jack", his nickname. Just an interesting bit of history I thought I'd share. He'd be responsible for the construction of many tunnels around greater Brisbane

[@claire-christmas-august73]

shame he didn’t write his memoir / s.. what a read that would’ve been.! thanks for sharing.! ☺️😊 ✌🏻🌏🇦🇺🤘🏻

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

@@claire-christmas-august73For some very entertaining tales from an old Pommie demolition expert, Google "Blaster Bates" - some great yarns on the Toob.

[@hoightb]

I saw his grave at toowong the other day. 👍

[@DirtySlapper99]

Did he do the Ipswich tunnels because I've heard that name before

[@mattroom4264]

Same as my grandfather mate he was a command in ww2 and came back to work on many of the utility tunnels under the river and throughout Brisbane

[@gonemad83]

I am surprised there isn't more conversation about the butterfly. I feel like you have been carrying this guilt for a while.

[@warrenmurchie6599]

I think this was your best one yet. I love Mt Coot-tha . Most Sundays I take a ride around the mountain on my motorcycle.

[@grouchogroucho7743]

Freers made excellent chips! Red Seal chips were popular because they were great. As for Channel 0 (TV O), I'm reminded of it every time I hear the piano piece "A Walk in the Black Forest" by Horst Jankowski. They seemed to play this piece every time there was an interruption to the broadcast because of some technical problem (of which there were many in the early days). Great video.

[@fredlight9963]

Samboy chips were so much better, especially comparing the BBQ flavour.

[@grouchogroucho7743]

My favourites were Panda potato chips. They came in waxed paper packets and were always stored in a large tin container at the shop. Loved them!

[@danmartin1183]

Ahh yes, the old breakdown slide! Very common place until the mid 80's on all TV stations.

[@dylanevans2732]

🤣A couple of weeks ago my wife and i took our 7 year old to the Bribie Island Butterfly House, while we were there they brought out some freshly hatched butterflies. One of them took it's first flight and landed on my sons face, he promptly started jumping up and down in a panic flinging the butterfly to the ground where he stomped it into the gravel. There was no hiding that body though.

[@ItisSusan]

Living in Brisbane, we have been up to Mt. Coot-Tha many many times over the years. Beautiful place. When Hayley’s Comet came in ‘86 , a group of us went up there in a big van and took a couch with us, put it on top of the van and sat on it, having a few.. watched Hayley’s Comet come through. Good Times ! I remember ch. 0 .. thank you for sharing our Beautiful Brisbane. “Love ya Brisbane.. you mean the World to me …!” 😃👋

[@dheath3697]

Freers Red Seal chips, I was a 17 year old boy working at the factory, I remember the freer family, and yes the factory is the red building with the green roof, was hoping you were going to explore there, but now that I'm becoming a sentimental old fool, I'll have to a trundle down there for a look see myself, and wonder about all the people I once used to know from the factory...

[@AR-fh2uh]

Back in the early 2000's I walked up from JC slaughter car park to the top of mt cootha. We went off the path and straight up the gully through the bush. Right up near the top there is a forestry trail/fire break and off to one side there was a neatly dug empty shallow grave, prepared and ready for a new resident. Needless to say I got the heck out of there.

[@NannaWendy]

Did you know that J.C Slaughter Falls has a very dark and menacing history? It was the location of murders, suicides and some, supposed, lingering ghosts.

[@tabithascoot]

When I was around 12, my older cousins who were meant to be looking after us, took us up to Mt cootha for a midnight drive, and we walked to the Gold mine, then managed to drive their celica down a dirt track and ended up in chapel Hill. Mum absolutely lost it at them but didn't believe there was a gold mine there.

[@jasonwooler801]

Looks amazing. Love the channel mate, and I dont live in Brissy and still find the content fascinating.

[@MrPredicateFELON]

Same here bro 😂

[@REnfield2022]

If my memory serves me well, it wasn't flooding for the change of Botanic Gardens it was Joh was after the old gardens to develop the land. Imagine the value! There was an enormous push back so they were saved.

[@claire-christmas-august73]

in the 80’s before river fire festival kicked off. (spring time - for international folk / s) for one night only 104.5 triple m (local radio station) had a laser light show to music. lasers were projected from mt cootha (i’m assuming the tv station towers) we, as a family were travelling through there that night, heading home from perry park. (my dad at the time was a semi professional football / soccer player) i remember phil collins “in the air tonight” and pink floyd “comfortably numb” on the radio at the time. then i dozed off in the car. i was young and we’d had a huge day at perry park. ☺️😊😃 * shame they didn’t do the laser show again. it truly was trippy.! 😉 i shared it with my class for show and tell monday am at school. my teacher gave me a scratch and sniff sticker for my effort. (strawberry scented) lol 😁 ✌🏻🇦🇺🌏🤘🏻

[@alleycat8483]

Careful Rob, i found at age 62 after doing DNA that the person i knew as my father was not my father at all , not nice and everybody involved is now passed away..

[@awu4d]

i mean if he raised you thats what its bout though

[@Classickoolcars]

Yeah I was thinking that.

[@dougstubbs9637]

The HQ for the US Navy camps was Stuartholme Convent, now a prestigious girls school. Our elderly next door neighbor on Frederick Street, opposite the dead centre of Toowong, (the cemetery) Mrs. Alice Bell used to provide musical backing for the various religious services held at Stuartholme. Every couple of years, She would get out the boxes of Momentos given to her by Americans. Sailor hats, medals, badges, and many, many letters from servicemen proposing marriage etc. Unfortunately for them, Mrs. Bell was a lifelong Exclusive Breathern, so marrying outside her own kind was unthinkable. Big population of this religious group in Toowong, mowing their lawns as a kid after school, was how I earned my pocket money. Not allowed any ‘working’ activity on the weekends at their houses, you see. Also, you had to be, at the very least, a good church going Christian boy, from a good family, and the recommendation of Mrs. Bell didn’t go astray. Excellent work. Me, the boneyard, Mt. Cootha and the Gold Creek Rd. go back a long way. Cheers.

[@brisfocus3648]

Falling off a bridge whilst running with a camera? Sounds like something Russell Coight would do!!

[@valdemarwake]

When the American servicemen were camped at Mt. Cootha I lived in Norwood Street Toowong. My brother and I regularly raided the Mt Cootha Camp where the American soldiers introduced us to chewing gum and Coca Cola.

[@shellebelle53]

Too much to comment on Rob. Such a great video again. Who'd have thought you had Italian stallion ancestry 😁 We used to go to the gardens as kids and the planetarium. I remember in grade 7 we had tickets to be in the audience for Agros Cartoon Connection...my 15 seconds of fame 😂 You know they say the cameraman never dies 😊

[@valdemarwake]

When I was a kid in Toowong during the 40s, the Americans were all over Mt. Cootha. My brother and I often visited them. They introduced us to Coca Cola and chewing gum.

[@WalkingandTalkingAussieGirl]

the best thing is seeing old photos, love it

[@ArjayMartin]

Many places have Waterfalls!... Only Brisbane has Slaughterfalls!

[@elephantgiftstore]

Jack Sim will have to add the Butterfly Murder case to his crime tours

[@trudiswanson9855]

That was a brilliant expose` on our Mt Coot tha. Had no idea the US had armory storage there. And..THANKYOU... for shedding light on the history of those cemented areas built by the US Army. (They did a LOT of WW11 war resources storage in inland Qld.) Loved it. Thank you!

[@walkaboutwithrob]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@arnbo88]

I first heard rumours of WW2 US military storage back in 1986; both on mount Cootha and other areas around Brisbane. I've even heard heard that entire vehicles were buried along with small arms. Occasionally, construction sites have unearthed Tommy guns and 40mm AA guns...heavily rusted. Back in 1996 the QPS sent in divers and other teams to make sure no other "finds" would ever surface.

[@sgtkeml]

AH! The famous butterfly murder has been solved!

[@karenhawkes4685]

Thankyou Rob for the History - Love It !! 🙋

[@sandramackin9817]

Nice video and history, loved the old pics and that some concrete still exists there. Never knew that, or that there was such involvement during the war there with the US . Nice job again.

[@chrismcgovern1760]

Another brilliant doco - you are doing a brilliant job at bringing more historic Brisbane to the forefront!

[@leonarddarker2798]

Love all your videos Rob. Thank you. Very grateful for the time you put in to bring us the rich history of Brisbane. I subscribed when you had around 1,800 subs. I'm very pleased to see your channel grow. Take care out there.

[@granttucker8451]

Favourite quote: “I’m here in this beautiful little spot, surrounded by horrible horrible poisonous wildlife”

[@cinemaipswich4636]

I remember the TV wrestling at one of the studios on Mt Cootha. It was hard to get an audience, so buses were sent to retirement and nursing homes to fill the seats. A lovely morning tea was served. I was present one day, and all those old grannys were whipping up a frenzy between Gorgeous George, and Skull Murphy. Completely fake, but what a hoot. Those girls were laughing all the way back to the bus.

[@damonroberts7372]

"So I buried the body..." You can take the boy out of Sydney, but you can't take the Sydney out of the boy... LOL

[@SlimjimMK11]

Sounds like ANY western suburb in any city..

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

The gent didn't have anything to do with Heath's "Two Hands" movie, did he? 😉😊

[@stewartdevisser3818]

I don't get lost ever, at times I have become geologically misplaced but I've never been lost.

[@TerryLeonard-ox3fd]

Geologically, you rock. And how do you go geographically?

[@stewartdevisser3818]

@@TerryLeonard-ox3fd I'm no English teacher but 6 out of 5 people get it.

[@duncaninglis5407]

Another great show thanks Rob👍

[@grahamjohnbarr]

In 1965 I arrived at 2 R.A.R. Enoggera. An old man had become lost on Mt Coo-tha &, if you were unlucky enough to be in, you were tasked to go & find this old man. I was unlucky. On our area of search my group came upon a large steel door with a big Lock. My Corporal called this information in & the Platoon Commander soon turned up. Our group was ordered away from the area & to keep searching. The next day our group was called up to Battalion Headquarters. We all had to sign an Official Secret Act Document. I never found out what it was all about. Thank you for the explanation.

[@callummackie7452]

Sounds like one of the ammo dumps! Strange they were a secret in 1965...

[@elephantgiftstore]

So now you have to tell us all where you found it 😁

[@Steve211Ucdhihifvshi]

Could have been one of the portal doors to whatever was in there that they linked up to when they dug the traffic tunnels much much later. I think they have one in the quarry now?

[@divarachelenvy]

Fantastic video Rob.

[@kerriebarron]

I first got a hint of your sense of humour with the "Bummer" at the graffiti under the Freeway in the city. I'm still laughing at the butterfly and if anyone who was there sees this video, they will be laughing too. Lovely video Rob. great drone footage too. Just lovely. I was conceived and grew up opposite crown land as part of the Mt Coot-tha Park and right now I miss it like hell.

[@ozziecozzie274]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Poor little butterfly! That's all I've got 🦋🤭🤭😂😂

[@mradford10]

Excellent video Rob. Loads of memories around the places you visited came flooding back. You mentioned it was interesting that Brisbane has managed to retain the area over the decades and not exploit it - in the early to mid 1980s the area very nearly became housing. Our family home backed into the bushland at the foot of the hill (we would walk out our back door and all the way to the TV stations after school) and our neighbors all joined forces to fight the development. Thankfully we were successful because had we not been you wouldn’t see trees as part of the Brisbane horizon, but rooftops.

[@gillianfahey6464]

Now I can definitely see your Italian heritage ..🍕🍷

[@Luciferhelidon]

Thank you American for build us many conclete slab

[@Sk1m_Beeble]

It make great benefit to our wonderful land

[@davetaylor4741]

Did my DNA test a few years back. 97 % Anglo Saxon. 3% Germanic, Scandinavian. But then what is British. Made up of centuries of invasion. The thing I found interesting was the accuracy of my birth location. Born in England. But taking the test here. They had no details of me other than DNA and my email. The results came back. Born in England. And a highlighted area of more exact location. Within that blob was exactly where I was born. Pretty impressive.

[@macquariepark]

Rob Im an ex toowoomba kid then at East Brisbane boarding school.. c1980s.. I so much appreciate your record of so many things I sought of knew of but this is eternal record.. candid, primary source images and docs.. YOU are really appreciated for your content.. best wishes Rob , Danny, Leura NSW

[@dougstubbs9637]

The roadsides up and down from Mt. Cootha used to be littered with crap loads of discarded one time used Orcy Bottle Bongs.

[@mrbiscuits915]

😂 Straya!

[@Classickoolcars]

Yeah. Remember the MMM Pink Floyd laser show at Mt Cootha.. damn the smell of mull was the ONLY thing you could smell 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Blue-Pheonix455]

I watched the 2024 new years fireworks display from the lookout, had a drink with my dad and I gotta recommend doing it. Absolutely fascinating.

[@edhornery5623]

I love how you tell the whole story of every place you visit. These videos are surely shown in schools.

[@young1599]

That butterfly story was classic😂😂😂

[@simondebaeufort]

you should do a walkabout at Pine Gap

[@photographybyshaneross6021]

Maybe the rare endangered butterfly was a Richmond Birdwing Butterfly

[@darylmc2010]

Great drone shots in the intro 😘

[@walkaboutwithrob]

Yes, Craig the drone operator is a true artist.

[@rayjohnsonjohnson4458]

Thankyou Rob. you give me many memories and things as a Wynnum/ Brisbane boy I didn't know.

[@SlimjimMK11]

Another great story from you Rob... Back in the 60s, that was the ""parking spot"" where us young fellas would take our chics for a session after the drive-in and try our luck.. Then there was the long down grade where we would get our cars past the safe speeds for those old models.. The cops made a fortune those nights handing out tickets and a clip around the ear.. Just a small detail,, to prove that I was paying attention,, you mentioned that the TV station was TVO Chanel 10.. It was actually TVQ .. See, I hang on every word you say... KEEP the old memories coming mate..

[@t-rocks1960]

You're bringing a tear to my eye. Especially after the Keperra Drive-in, but in my case, in the late 70s.. 🙄🙄

[@SlimjimMK11]

@@t-rocks1960 So you are an OLDIE like me then?? Those days will never return.. Live well my friend..

[@GJT-nc4zk]

Did you ever take the dates to the cemetery and roll up gravity hill

[@SlimjimMK11]

@@GJT-nc4zk Dutton Park cemetery was a popular spot. But had to get there early..

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

@@SlimjimMK11You always came early??!! 😱🙄

[@gw5436]

Mt Gravatt mate. When I was a kid, I was taken on a hike around this hill and shown where the caves containing all the ammo and equipment were blown after WW2. There is a big sheet of scree there. This man was an ex-commando and the quietest, most humble man I have ever met. I doubt too many know this.

[@keithcheney5343]

Brilliant walk again Rob as usual lots of historical information and a very peaceful setting with splendid views of the city center of Brisbane.

[@uzetaab]

Haha, that butterfly story sounds like something out of Mr Bean, then you follow it up with a story about almost destroying an expensive camera that probably did not belong to you. Thanks for the fascinating history of the area!

[@SSkywalker13]

Brisbane Botanical gardens and you where there in 1995....Mate I married my wife in September 1995 in the same spot you did that film.......geeez talk about synchronicities.

[@VHMMP]

You"re never lost, just temporarily misplaced.

[@ThePowerbloke]

Thanks for another interesting and informative video Rob! Think it deserves a couple of coffees! 🙂🖖

[@gameuck17]

Great video and information. Loving your jokes, thank you for all the effort.

[@harrymorley9743]

Wow that was great! Your videos keep getting better and better. Thanks

[@walkaboutwithrob]

Thanks! I try to do something new in each video.

[@mingaminga7196]

Nice vid mate, literally my backyard. I'm still searching for Coot-tha gold... they worked hard for next to nothing. Gold Creek runs from the west... no gold found in that yet either.

[@shawnhill7504]

Great job Rob . Thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely on my bucket list now.

[@Nick-Rivers]

Finally the cold case of the murdered Mt Cootha butterfly is solved... 😉

[@MatthewJohnCrittenden]

As a Pom living in Brisbane-ish for the last 18 years I found this very entertaining and informative, cheers. More factoids to bore my family with next time we are up there!

[@enothewonderdog]

I've spent a bunch of time mooching about up there. Nice to know about some of the history.

[@jamesru1]

It's called a lookout because you look out over the view

[@user-hv2xt8xm2w]

You've hit it for 6 again Rob. I would like to request you do Holland Park or Mt Gravatt next.

[@clubgus07]

Thanks Rob for the nitty gritty detail of Mt C except for the noisy ippy mwy nearby one can find solace from everyday troubles. Its like a world away up there

[@raymondsvensson4667]

I love all of Mount Coottha. I remember as a kid going to one of the tv stations to watch cartoon connection.

[@billk9856]

We got bused up there to watch Cpt Jim Illife's show

[@memberHD]

The butterfly story reminds of the time I was at Disneyland and a little bird did the same thing to me. Only a family with 2 young kids witnessed my incident. Those poor kids didn't need to see that in the happiest place on earth

[@UsualmikeTelevision]

Great video Rob!!!

[@iantaylor230]

Love your work Rob. Thank you

[@BrisbaneAgain]

I always "note to self" those carparks, ah well maybe next time

[@bunion8579]

Thanks for this Rob. Always like history stories of anywhere but especially my own city.

[@peter360adventures9]

Awesome.

[@fredorico41]

Very interesting Rob, love your work, I learn something new in each video 👍🍺🇦🇺

[@user-io2bd4cq9z]

i miss mt cootha it was my fun place in brisbane

[@DirtySlapper99]

My dad used the same lookout joke and the chemist joke 😊

[@a.t2427]

You gave me a jump scare with that spider 🤣🤣

[@Aussiehomestead1965]

The Red Seal Tomato sauce chips were da bomb 💣....😁

[@mingaminga7196]

ha - here's me watching this while living at the base of Mt Coot-tha!

[@MB-gs7pk]

Confession is good for the soul Rob. ...but that's what priests are for 😇

[@teela200]

Thanks for sharing Rob, so many things I didn’t know about Mt Coot-tha! And enjoyed a few giggles too, RIP little butterfly 😂

[@DeiwosN]

Nice look at everything, I loved this video. I didn't know about the gold mine before! I think my favourite part of the whole Mt Coot-tha area is along the road just past the JC Slaughter Falls heading north, where, for just a little bit, it's like you're driving through the country like down in Numinbah Valley or something rather than being about a km from the city.

[@malcolmknowles9310]

There used to be gates on the road to close it off at night and the Gate Keepers house removed in the late 1990s was right beside the road at the old road just past the first left turn after the quarry.

[@SteveMack]

Yes, there's a lot of history there

[@nigelgoing1438]

Thanks Rob

[@HumanimalChannel]

Ive always enjoyed Mt Cooth-tha. I learned alot from this video, Rob, cheers

[@56music64]

Very enjoyable Rob, hubby and I have just watched together. Remember the Freers Chip Factory. We live way down on the south east side, but we have always wanted to visit the "new" Botanical gardens. I believe you can catch a bus there, so you have reminded us to add to our bucket list.

[@CYBERJAM01-_-]

Did anyone know that J. C. Slaughter was an ANZAC? He was a member of the Australian Army where he served as a Sergeant in the Australian Army. He was also heavily involved with Queensland Rugby League and Lang Park in an administrative capacity. He also enjoyed playing golf, lawn bowls and wrestling. He was in fact the illegitimate father of a famous American wrestler through his overseas war effort ancillary activities. His wrestling son was also a Sergeant. Does anyone know the name of his famous son?

[@paulkeys175]

His descendants still live in Brisbane, one was a pastor at the Greenslopes Repat during WW 2. A branch of the family live in Birkdale.

[@melissacostin4464]

no preaching just a confession.. i finally worked out where i've seen your look.. The Sullivans

[@stevejamieson1613]

Channel 10 was called Channel O and in the early 80’s changed its name to TV O.

[@_DJGravity]

Omg at 22min 13sec the 3 metal sculptures that are there were sandblasted by me when I was in my uncle's sandblasting company....so that's where they ended up.

[@Bundydream]

Great video thanks Rob. Glad you weren’t injured when you tripped over on that bridge.

[@walkaboutwithrob]

Just my pride for a few moments...

[@sunshinesurprisable]

Thank YOU XXXXXXXX So very, very many happy memories spent here in the 70's 'n 80's :)

[@walkaboutwithrob]

You're welcome!

[@ironhornforge]

I could show you some very interesting places up that mountain, ww2 bunkers, mines ect.

[@kenjones2973]

Just subscribed. The anecdote concerning the rare butterfly did it, coming clean all those years later. Look! I just cracked up. The rest of the presentation was also pretty good, showing a competent, professional hand. Ya got me Rob.

[@walkaboutwithrob]

Thank you! Great to have you along for the shows.