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Kit inspections at the new female division of the Boggo Road Gaol, Brisbane, 1903

from State Library of Queensland

• Vesna Verencevic said:

  Named after the road which led to it, that became a boggy quagmire after rain, “Boggo Road Gaol” was officially known as the Brisbane Prison. For 109 years it dominated the skyline of the capital of Queensland. It’s stark red brick walls, and imposing guard tower on Annerley Road have become iconic for all the wrong reasons. Boggo Road Gaol opened in 1883 as the Brisbane Gaol. Used mainly as a holding prison for those serving short sentences or on remand, its initial infamy came from it being a place of execution. In 1903, a new purpose-built separate women’s gaol was created. After nearly 20 years of use, H M Gaol for Women was closed, its female occupants shifted to another part of the prison site. In the 1920s, the men of the St Helena Island prison in Moreton Bay were moved into the former women’s gaol. Renamed Number Two Division, this section became home to those serving the longest sentences – killers, murderers, and violent offenders. Three cellblocks became the homes of “Lifers”. Soon Boggo Road became notorious. Source: boggoroadgaol.com/history/