Future use of Boggo Road Gaol under a cloud

A mixed-use development next to Brisbane’s notorious Boggo Road Gaol will open by the end of the year, its developer says, but the future use of the heritage-listed prison remains up in the air.

Once home to Queensland’s worst criminals, the former prison was a tourist attraction for nearly three decades, featuring ghost and history tours run by local entrepreneur Jack Sim.

Access to the prison was suspended in 2022 to allow for construction of Boggo Road Village, a two-storey office and retail complex from Stockwell developer. The land between the former prison and the Ecosciences Precinct remains fenced off as work to complete the project continues.

The mixed-use office and retail complex between Dutton Park’s Ecosciences Precinct and the historic jail is expected to open by the end of 2025.Credit: Courtney Kruk

Boggo Road Gaol opened in 1883 and operated until the 1990s. While newer sections were demolished in 1996, other parts remain intact and are listed on state and local heritage registers.

Stockwell worked with the state government on the urban renewal project after an earlier proposal to revamp the state-owned land fell through in 2017.

The initial plans proposed knocking down detention cells and a guard tower – part of a modern section of the prison built since the 1970s – and replacing an 11.5-metre pedestrian and cycling boulevard.

Following community pressure, including an appeal to the Planning and Environment Court, an agreement with Stockwell to maintain heritage elements and improve the transport corridor was reached.

Brisbane City Council signed off on plans for a “boutique commercial development” in 2021, and work began on Boggo Road Village the following year.

Once completed, the urban village will be anchored by an IGA supermarket and feature 12 specialty retailers and 10 commercial suites.

It will connect with Boggo Road Station, a Cross River Rail site predicted to become south-east Queensland’s second-busiest transport interchange, serving more than 22,000 commuters each weekday by 2036.

Prison tour guide and author Jack Sim is unsure when his Boggo Road Gaol tours will resume.Credit: Tony Moore

In the same year that work began on the village, Sim was forced to suspend his guided tours indefinitely.

He was initially told the tours, which had featured former prisoners and guards, would be out of action for about 12 months.

The hiatus has now stretched for more than three years, with no firm date for them to resume.

“I held that licence [to run historical tours and experiences at the jail] from December 2012 until March 2022,” Sim said.

“I don’t have any issue if there’s a date [to restart operations] that’s, say, 2027. That’s fine, just give us a date.”

Sim fears the historic site may not be open to tourists in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“We’ve got so much that we can showcase and share,” he said.

“It’s not just about the infrastructure for the Olympics; it’s about the experiences that people can have here, and one of the great experiences of Queensland is the non-shiny stuff.

The now heritage-listed No. 2 Division of Boggo Road was closed in 1989. Credit: Courtney Kruk

“Boggo Road Gaol is a blight on our history, but in among the awfulness, there are wonderful, interesting stories that we can learn from.”

On Monday, the Crisafulli government announced a 20-year strategy to boost the state’s tourism industry around the 2032 Games, with a focus on new ecotourism experiences.

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing and Public Works described Boggo Road Gaol as “an important part of Queensland’s history”, but said its future use and operation was “currently under review as part of a strategic precinct planning process”.

“It is anticipated that the strategic precinct plan will inform decisions around future use, including the potential for reopening the gaol,” the spokesperson said.

“The department will investigate opportunities to maximise and showcase its heritage buildings to international and local guests visiting Queensland to attend the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

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