The Colonial Secretary's office in 1865, flanked by St John's Pro-Cathedral (left) and the United Evangelical Church (right). SLQ neg no. 19128.

Colonial Secretary’s Office

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.

The Executive Building with the Executive Gardens, circa 1910. SLQ image 17172.

Queen’s Gardens

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.

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Brisbane’s Public Morgue

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.

The view of the Department of Agriculture and Stock from the river, 1930s. Queensland State Archives ID1019066.

Extensions to the Department of Agriculture & Stock

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 […]

75 William Street The Neville Bonner building 1998 to 2017

Neville Bonner Building

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.