Bohlevale State School

Henry Mackinnon Bohle, after whom the Bohle River was named, was born in India in 1842 of British parents. He came to Australia at a very early age during the Indian Mutiny. During the years 1873-1875 he drove 22 000 sheep from Parramatta NSW to Townsville, to stock the Fanning Downs and Victoria Downs stations. He later settled at Hamilton, a suburb of Newcastle, and remained there until his death at 81. He was buried in the Sandgate Cemetery.

The Casey Family

The Casey family lived at the mouth of the Bohle River, and conducted a 'Charcoal Burning' business. To cure the charcoal they would burn logs underground for a set length of time, producing an easily crushed substance suitable for fuel and for the smelting of iron. They'd then boat the charcoal out of the mouth of the Bohle, by way of the sea, and into the breakwater of Ross Creek. It was used by steam boats, blacksmiths and ordinary householders of the town. Bushland Beach was originally known as Casey's Beach.

Mr and Mrs Svensen [Swanson] lived at the mouth of Black River. Their selection was known as Sea Beach Holm or Danish Sebitsholm, now known as Glen Rowan. They had a family of seven, five boys and two girls, and were doing well with their cattle until a plague of ticks almost wiped out the herd. They then tried fishing for a living, and during this time, with pit-sawn timber, they built a five-room house on high blocks, on their property at The Black. In 1901, Mr Swanson died tragically. While attending to his fish trap, in shallow water, he was stung on the instep by a stingray. It is believed he tried to wade to his boat nearby, but collapsed from intense pain and drowned. His body was discovered a couple of days later. With true pioneering spirit, Mrs Swanson stuck to the property and reared her family there, following the pastoral pursuit once more. She married Mr Edward Arthur Quarterman, and had two more children.

Mr William Tompkins came to Australia from North Carolina, America, during the Civil War of 1860-1865. He resided in Townsville for a number of years and worked on the pilot boats bringing the large ships into Ross Creek. He later married and moved to the Bohle District. His property bordered on that of another pioneering family, Mr & Mrs Andrew Wagner [Innes Estate]. Five children were born of the marriage - Bill, Arthur, Millie, Etty and David, who attended the Bohlevale School.