Locals and visitors enjoying a lazy day by the bay at Lota Camping Reserve in the 1930s. You can see the iconic bathing boxes and a glimpse of the sandy shoreline.

Courtesy of the Brisbane City Council.

“Swimming, fishing and visiting the beach were popular pastimes during the development of Lota.  Many families supplemented their diet with fish, crabs and oysters caught locally in the bay.  Hard to believe today, but there was a lovely strip of sand along the foreshore…” Robert McIntosh (Holiday visitor from 1927, then current resident), taken from the delightful book – Nicholson, Cherrie. 2002. Lota through Local Eyes: Stories of a little known Brisbane suburb and the people who call Lota Home.  Cherrie A. Nicholson, Brisbane.

Capturing the beauty of the food source for many early and present residents. Photography by Julie-Ann Ellis.

Lota has provided a food source and entertainment source since the first settlement (and I am sure our Quandamooka people benefitted from Lota Creek long before white man came).  The first picture captures Lota in the 1930s as a source of entertainment.  The second picture captures the raw beauty of Lota Creek, and the third picture captures a modern-day vessel for gathering food.

A present day (2014), home-made “crab vessel.” Photography by Julie-Ann Ellis