Queen's Wharf History

Colonial Secretary’s Office

December 12, 2016/in Places /by Val Dennis

The office of the Colonial Secretary, later the Chief Secretary, in William Street. SLQ image APA-003-01-0020.

The office of the Colonial Secretary, later the Chief Secretary, in William Street. At the right edge of the image is the Government Printing Office. SLQ image APA-003-01-0020.

The office of the Colonial Secretary was located in William Street from the 1860s until 1889, when it moved to the then newly constructed William Street wing of the Treasury Building. Today, the Heritage Hotel is situated on this largely forgotten site from which Queensland was once administered.

Queen’s Gardens

September 12, 2016/in Places /by Val Dennis

The Executive Building (today’s Heritage Hotel) in the foreground of which is the 30 metre section known as the Executive Gardens, a part of Queen’s Gardens, circa 1910. SLQ image 17172.

The Queen’s Gardens is a square of Brisbane CBD green space bounded by William, Elizabeth and George Streets and, in 2017, the Heritage Hotel. Such has not always been the case.

Brisbane’s Public Morgue

September 5, 2016/in Places /by Val Dennis

Queen’s Wharf from the south side of the river. The 1910-1927 morgue is the pale coloured building below Queen’s Wharf Road. Its roof features clerestory windows under a rolled ridge. The sub-floor supports of this building remain in this location today. QSL image 38565.

In the nineteenth century many unexplained deaths in Brisbane occurred near the river. This seems one of the reasons why, in its various evolutionary forms, the Brisbane public morgue has had a long association with the Queen’s Wharf vicinity.

Extensions to the Department of Agriculture & Stock

August 31, 2016/in Places /by Val Dennis

The extensions to the Agriculture and Stock building, viewed from the south side of the Brisbane River. QSA image 1019066.

It soon became apparent that the former Immigration Depot, converted to offices for the Department of Agriculture to occupy in 1890, was too small for the activities of the growing department. More office space was needed as indications were that the Stock Department would be included in the same building when the mooted Department of Agriculture and Stock was created.

William Street, looking towards Parliament House, SLQ image APU-048-0001-0017.

Street archaeology of Queen’s Wharf

June 28, 2016/in Places /by Val Dennis

William Street, looking towards Alice Street and Parliament House. At right is the Department of Agriculture. SLQ image 6881.

William Street, looking towards Alice Street and Parliament House. At right is the Department of Agriculture and Stock. SLQ image 6881.

Brisbane may seem like a young city compared with London, Rome and other European and or even Asian cities dating back as far as 5,000 BC. As it turns out, Brisbane has quite a history of its own and some of it lies underground.

Neville Bonner Building

June 27, 2016/in Places /by Val Dennis

75 William Street, the Neville Bonner Building, (1998).

Demolition of the Neville Bonner Building, formerly at 75 William Street, began in January 2017 to make way for the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane redevelopment.

The building was named after Senator Neville Bonner (1922–1999), the first Indigenous Australian to be elected to the Federal Parliament.

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