Serpentine Creek Cemetery

Is it just me, or does the air feel different here? Heavier somehow. We’re standing before the Serpentine Creek Cemetery, a place where time seems to hold its breath. Don’t let the peaceful atmosphere fool you. Serpentine Creek Cemetery whispers stories of the earliest settlers who carved out lives in the Redland Bay area. Established in 1890, it served as the community’s only public resting place for almost two decades. Imagine traveling by horse and cart along rough tracks to lay loved ones to rest. The names etched on these weathered headstones – Dittman, Doig, Fielding – aren’t just names. They represent pioneers, farmers, and families who braved a new world. Take Willie Fielding, for example. In 1905, young Willie, just 18 years old, drowned in Redland Bay trying to save his friends in a boating accident. His poignant memorial, a sandstone obelisk crafted by the renowned Andrew Lang Petrie, stands as a testament to his courage. Serpentine Creek Cemetery may be inactive now, overtaken by time and nature, but it serves as a powerful reminder of the lives that came before us. They, like the wildflowers that bloom here each spring, are part of Redland Bay’s enduring story.