Boggo Road Gaol


Boggo Road Gaol in Brisbane, Australia, was Queensland’s main jail from the 1880s to the 1980s, by which time it had become notorious for poor conditions and rioting. Located on Annerley Road in Dutton Park, an inner southern suburb of Brisbane, it is the only surviving intact gaol in Queensland that reflects penological principles of the 19th century. After closing in 1992, the larger 1960s section was demolished, leaving the heritage listed section, which is open to the public through guided tours run by Boggo Road Gaol Pty Ltd.
It was officially known as "Brisbane Gaol" but was commonly known as "Boggo Road" after the original name of the Annerley Road. A new street formed after 1996 now has the name Boggo Road.

History

In the 1850s the district where the gaol was subsequently located was known unofficially as 'Boggo', and by the 1860s the track through the area was known as Boggo Road.
It has been suggested that the name came about because the area was very boggy in wet weather. Another theory is that Boggo was a corruption of an Aboriginal word meaning 'two leaning trees', and that the road was named after two prominent trees at either One-Mile Swamp or what is now Wilkins Street, off Annerley Road. Another possibility is that Boggo Road was an unofficial and unmaintained short-cut between Ipswich Road and Stanley Street that became very boggy after rain. Boggo Road was officially renamed Annerley Road in 1903, but the colloquial name for the gaol that had long been in use stayed.
In 1863, land off Boggo Road was set aside as a government reserve, finally proclaimed a gaol reserve in 1880. The first cellblock opened on 2 July 1883, built by Robert Porter, contained 57 cells, and was constructed using materials from the demolished Petrie Terrace Jail. In 1903 a new prison was built to hold female prisoners. This later became known as the No.2 Division, and is now the only section still standing, and is listed on the Queensland State Heritage Register. The 'No.1 Division' built in 1883 was the scene of 42 hangings, including the hanging of Ernest Austin in 1913—the last execution in Queensland. A new prison was built around the perimeter of No.1 prison during the 1960s and No.1 prison was demolished leaving area for an oval and recreational facilities for the newly built prison, which had running cold water and toilet facilities in all cells. Under the oval was the facility that became known as the "black hole" where prisoners were subjected to "punishment". The "black hole" continued in use until the late '80s. A new women’s gaol was also built at this time. The gaol was originally designed to cater for 40 male prisoners serving as a holding place for prisoners heading to St Helena Island in Moreton Bay. However, by 1989 there were 187 male prisoners and the women's facility had around 200 additional prisoners.
Protests at the gaol during the 1970s saw inmates undertake hunger strikes, roof-top protests, and rioting over the poor conditions and treatment. The prison was constantly in the headlines and became notorious around Australia. Cells in the No. 2 prison did not have any form of sanitation, and facilities for washing were lacking. Prisoners were required to use a bucket through the evening for toilet breaks and empty it, or 'slop out', in the morning. A Queensland Government inquiry into the living conditions of State prisons found Boggo Road to be outdated and inadequate for prisoners' needs. No. 2 Division was closed in 1989. No. 1 division was closed in 1992 and was demolished in 1996. The women’s prison operated until 2000 and was demolished in 2006.
Since 1992 the No. 2 Division was home to the Boggo Road Gaol Museum, which featured displays of prison-related artefacts. Throughout the 1990s ex-officers conducted guided tours of the site, and from 2003 the museum and tours were operated by the Boggo Road Gaol Historical Society, a non-profit incorporated association of volunteers. Since December 2012, Boggo Road Gaol became a tourist attraction for Queensland, with guided tours being conducted by Boggo Road Gaol Pty, who are now officially licensed to run tours and events at the gaol. Like many other similar places around the country, the site also hosts guided ghost tours.
Redevelopment of the surrounding site began in 2006, leading to the temporary closure of the Boggo Road Gaol historical site. Since 2012 the gaol has been re-opened to the public. Boggo Road has since been turned into an urban village called Boggo Road Urban Village and was completed in 2010.

Heritage listing

The No. 2 Division and the remnants of No. 1 Division were listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1993.

Notable prisoners

42 prisoners have been hanged at the Gaol.
NameYear of birthYear of deathPlace of originVictims
James Gardiner 1864 1883 ScotlandMurder of Ada Gardiner at Rockhampton
Jangoc.18661883 Australia Murder of Mrs Eliza Mills at Dingo
George18581883 Australia Rape of young girl at Rockhampton
Walter Edward Gordon 1857 1885 EnglandMurder of Walter Bunning on Darr River Downs station
Tim Tie18561886 ChinaMurder of Jimmy Ah Fook near Dulbydilla
Wong Tong1857 1886ChinaMurder of Cock Tow at the Seaview Plantation, Bundaberg
Christopher Pickford 1856 1887 United StatesMurder of Martin Emmerson at Ravenswood
Ellen Thompson1846 1887 IrelandMurder of her husband William Thompson near Port Douglas
John Harrison18601887EnglandMurder of William Thompson near Port Douglas
Edmond Duhamel 1851 1888FranceMurder of Sarah Descury at Rockhampton
Sedin18641888JavaMurders of John Fitzgerald, Christian Mariager, and J. P. Davis at Normanton
Donaldc.18631892 Australia Rape of a married white woman
Francis Charles Horrocks 18751892 QueenslandMurder of Rudolph Weissmuller at Mooraree
George Gleeson 1865 1892 IndiaMurder of Patrick McKiernan at Prince of Wales Island
Leonard William Moncado1850 1892ChileMurder of Bob, an Aboriginal boy aboard the barque "Sketty Belle"
George Thomas Blantern1858 1893 EnglandMurder of Flora McDonald at Marlborough
Hatsuro Abe1863 1894 JapanMurder of a Japanese woman named Omatzie at Thursday Island
Mi-Orie1866 1895Malaita IslandMurder of Francis Macartney near Bundaberg
Narasemai18621895 Malaita IslandMurder of Francis Macartney near Bundaberg
Sayer 1870 1895 Malaita IslandMurder of Peter Anderson at Etowrie, near Mackay
Jacky1864 1895 Australia Murder of Jacky Williams at Mount Morgan
Frank Tinyana1858 1895 FilipinoMurder of Senior Constable William Conroy at Thursday Island
Willie Broome 18701900 Australia Murder of thirteen-year-old Mary Le Blowitz at Stanton
Harcourt, near Bundaberg
Charles Beckman1859 1901 GermanyMurder of Alfred Anderson at McCartney's Creek, near Bowen
Wandee18811901 South Sea IslandsMurder of Alfred Burnstead at Ayr
John Rheuben18461901 PortugalMurder of Fanny Hardwick at Rockhampton
Orifough18791901 South Sea IslandsMurder of Morris Summers at Ashburton, near Mackay
David Alexander Brown 1846 1901 USAMurder of Graham Haygrath at Charters Towers
Patrick Kenniff1865 1903NSWMurder of Police Constable George Doyle at Lethbridge's Pocket near Carnarvon
Sow Too Low1875 1903Malaita IslandMurders of Sergeant David Johnson, John Martin and Alice Gunning in the Mackay area
Gosano1870 1905 South Sea IslandsMurder of Jack Parsons at Ingham
James Warton1845 1905 IrelandMurder of William Munday at Toowong
Johannes1867 1906Ceylon Murder of Police Constable Albert G. Price at Mackay
Twadiga1876 1906 Solomon IslandsMurder of William Baulch at Mackay
Look Kow1844 1906 ChinaMurder of Lee Choy Yuen at Townsville
August Millewski1855 1907GermanyMurder of Wallum Nabby at Nanango
Bismarck18861909Australia Murder of Mrs Janet Evitts at Jundah
Arthur Ross1888 1909EnglandMurder of James Muir at Gayndah
Alexander Bradshaw 1882 1910QueenslandMurder of George Sutherland at Carron River
George David Silva18841912Queensland/CeylonMurdered six members of the Ching family at Alligator Creek
Charles Deen1865 1913CeylonMurder of Peter Dina at Innisfail
Ernest Austin1890 1913VictoriaRape and murder of 11-year-old Ivy Mitchell at Cedar Creek Rd, Samford

Popular culture

Boggo Road is mentioned in the Australian soap opera Prisoner as the prison where Joan Ferguson worked prior to coming to Melbourne. It was also visited in the season final of The Amazing Race Australia 2.