Beside the railway at the northern end of Thorsborne Street at Beenleigh lies a tiny piece of land, narrower than a doorway and just over 16m long.
Unremarkable to anyone passing by, you may not even know it’s there.
But this peculiar little property has attracted the attention of the Queensland Government, which wants to acquire it for the $5.75 billion Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project.
There’s just one complication — they can’t identify a living owner.
Instead, a public notice issued by Transport and Main Roads calls upon “the beneficiaries, heirs or any party establishing an interest in the estate of August Thorsborne (deceased)”.
The notice identifies a freehold property of just 10sqm — about 16m long and 60cm wide.
And although part of a multibillion-dollar railway project, a Transport and Main Roads spokesperson confirmed the land isn’t being sought for tracks. It’s for a road.
“The updated design of the Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project includes upgrades to local roads and a new road connection from Spanns Road to Thorsborne Street,” the spokesperson said.
But first they have to find the owner. Or at least try.
According to an 1888 biography in The Aldine History of Queensland, August Thorsborne was born in Sweden in 1839 and arrived in Australia in 1861.
Like many migrants of the time, he arrived on Australian shores in search of gold.
He turned his hand to mining, hotel keeping and running stores; lost his money, repaid his creditors and started again.
In 1871, he settled in the growing town of Beenleigh, working as a contractor and transporting sugar cane along the Logan and Albert rivers.
Two years later, he established a cordial and aerated-water factory, with his refreshments eventually winning medals at Brisbane exhibitions.
Then he turned his attention to the quintessential Aussie refreshment — beer.
In June 1884, Mr Thorsborne opened a brewery at Fernside, near today’s intersection of Brisbane–Beenleigh Road and Holmview Road.
According to Logan City Council’s historical records, water came from a nearby creek, while barrels were stored in an underground cellar.
Production reportedly reached 14 to 16 large casks a week.
The neighbouring waterhole even acquired a fitting name: the brewery waterhole.
Mr Thorsborne operated Beenleigh’s Royal Hotel for several years and, by 1888, the former gold prospector had become chairman of the Beenleigh Divisional Board, an early predecessor of local government.
He was also involved in the Freemasons and School of Arts.
By 1891, the brewery entered liquidation and eventually fell into disrepair.
Yet amid the accounts of gold, beer, business and bankruptcy, another intriguing chapter emerges.
Deep within Queensland State Archives lies a handwritten letter dated 18 February 1878.
Its author was August Thorsborne, addressed to Queensland’s Minister for Lands.
Its subject?
A road.
Mr Thorsborne was appealing to the government about a road surveyed through land he had acquired from Frederick Block.
According to his correspondence, the survey had cut off part of the property, leaving that section effectively useless.
He sought an opportunity to acquire another portion of land before it went to auction, accompanying his appeal with a hand-drawn sketch of the road and surrounding properties.
And there, in the old correspondence, lies perhaps the strangest twist of all.
In 1878, Mr Thorsborne was appealing to the government over a road passing through his land.
Now, 148 years later, the government is seeking a tiny parcel associated with an estate bearing the same name.
Again, for a road.
But the historical land records hold one final discovery.
A certificate of title sealed in November 1884 names August Thorsborne as the owner of more than 16 acres of Beenleigh land.
Much of it was transferred in 1887, but a narrow strip along Thorsborne Street remained on the historical title.
More than a century later, a survey registered in March 1992 divided that remnant into two parcels.
The records show Queensland Railways took the smaller, 6sqm Lot 26 for railway purposes.
The other, measuring just 10sqm, remained.
Now, 34 years later, why the 10sqm lot was left out of the earlier acquisition remains unclear.
Perhaps the next clues lie with the family.
Research for the Logan River & District Family History Society identifies Mr Thorsborne’s wife as Emilie Hermine Caroline Kuter, whom he married in 1868.
Together, they had 11 children, although two died in childhood.
August Thorsborne died in 1900 and his family tree stretches through generations, with branches recorded across Queensland and interstate.
So who, if anyone, can now establish a legal interest in his estate?
Written objections to the proposed acquisition must be submitted by Tuesday 17 November, with a hearing scheduled for 10am on Monday 23 November at the Transport and Main Roads office at 61 Mary Street, Brisbane.
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