ROB Braiden is a man on a mission – to explore the length and breadth of Southeast Queensland.
The intrepid vlogger has spent the past few years since the lockdowns unearthing the state’s forgotten histories and enjoying everything that makes this part of the world so intriguing.
During his adventures, Braiden, aka Walk About With Rob, has hiked the length of the Gold Coast, uncovered the secrets of North Stradbroke Island and ventured into a Brisbane ghost town.
He has made scores of videos, such as: Is Brisbane Full of Bogans; Marburg: Is There a Dark Secret to QLD’s Friendliest Town; The History of Chermside: A Swinger’s Guide; and recent episode 150, Ipswich and its Lust for Glory.
Braiden has now paid a visit to the town once voted the friendliest in Queensland –Marburg.
“I found an incredible history in Marburg,” Braiden said.
In the video, Braiden walks the length of Marburg along Edmund Street and digs up all sorts of local history.
“What a beautiful and very friendly town,” Braiden said.
“The signs on the entrance to the town were absolutely correct, it is the friendliest town, everyone was wonderful and very generous with sharing information.”
But the video maker revealed a darker side to Marburg, too.
Braiden points out Postman’s Track, which was originally an Indigenous pathway through the Rosewood Scrub, much of which was ripped up by the advent of mechanised logging after World War I.
And he unearths the tale of when the town was briefly named Townshend during the Great War because of strong anti-German feeling.
“Marburg’s ties with its German heritage makes for a fascinating story,” Braiden said.
“On January 19, 1934, a German naval cruiser sailed into Brisbane and the ship’s band played Hitler’s favourite march.
“The ship sailed up the Brisbane River and a party of 120 sailors from the ship visited Marburg, to see how their German kinsmen had prospered.
“They were greeted by a large crowd of locals at the station.”
Braiden, whose YouTube channel now has more than 21,000 subscribers, has worked as a heritage historian and archaeology boffin and is an accomplished filmmaker. “One of the great things about long distance walking is the amount of detail you see along the way, the kind of things you miss when racing past in a car,” he said.
