Reimer Wenck with his wife and ten children arrived in Keppel Bay, Queensland, on 26 February 1879. They had sailed from Hamburg aboard the 'Charles Dickens' on 6 November 1878.

Their tenth child, Agnes, was born on the journey. At the time of her birth on 9 February 1879, the ship was sailing north off the east coast of Tasmania. The voyage must have taken them far south to catch the 'Roaring Forties' for a swift passage east.

The Wencks were listed as free nominated passengers. Reimer's sister Anna and her family were already in Queensland, having arrived in 1870. Reimer made his home at Back Plain (later Coolana) near Minden, not far from his sister in Engelsburg (now Kalbar).

Reimer cleared the land on the 80 acre property he bought and had hens for eggs, cows for cream and grew corn. These goods he took to Ipswich by German wagon to sell.