On Sunday 24th February, 2013 The Club had a run to Boggo Road Gaol. Firstly we all met at Shannons Insurance Office at 5/305 Montague Road, West End for “Coffee & Cars”. This is a monthly event meeting at different venues run by the “Coolies Rocks On” Team. We all enjoyed looking at the different cars while sipping our coffee at Shannons. 

Cars at Shannons

At 9am it was time to continue our run to Boggo Road Gaol to meet some other Studebaker Club Members. The Studebakers were given a special parking area in front of the markets for everyone to see. They did create a lot of interest and comment.  Jack Sims was our tour guide for the morning, who was very informative regarding the gaol and answered all of our questions well. Everyone enjoyed the tour and relaxed afterwards while having lunch from the markets.

Studebakers at Boggo Road Gaol

Boggo Road Gaol was a notorious Australian prison located on Annerley Road in Dutton Park. The site is the only surviving intact gaol in Queensland that reflects penological principles of the 19th century. For many years it was Queensland’s main prison.

It was officially known as “Brisbane Jail” but was commonly known as “Boggo Road Jail” because Annerley Road became known as “Boggo Road” due to it’s poor condition. Boggo Road was originally an unofficial and unmaintained short-cut between Ipswich Road and Stanley Street that became very “boggy” after rain.

In 1863, land along Boggo Road was surveyed and set aside as a government reserve before being proclaimed a gaol reserve in 1880. The first cellblock opened on 2 July 1883 and over the years many other buildings came and went on the site. The first buildings were built by Robert Porter, contained 57 cells and were constructed using materials from the demolished Petrie Terrace Jail. In 1903 a prison was built to hold female prisoners. This later became known as the No.2 Division, and is now the only prison building still standing. It is heritage-listed.  

Boggo Road Gaol entrance

Protests at the gaol during the 1980s 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. Since 1992 the No.2 Division has been home to the Boggo Road Gaol Museum, which featured displays of prison-related artefacts.

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.
For more information on Boggo Road Gaol and the tours go to www.boggoroadgaol.com
Please Click on Gallery for more photos of the day.