 Until 1842 a exclusion radius for the penal colony prohibited free settlers.Apart from escaped convicts it was timber, especially cedar, that brought the first European activity to the Albert and Logan catchments.After 1842, with closure of the penal colony, land north of Beaudesert towards Brisbane was opened for leasehold only, to facilitate planning and cropping; unlike further south in the Upper Logan where squatters occupied large runs or stations.