Boggo Road Gaol

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Boggo Road Gaol
Location:	Dutton Park, Brisbane, Queensland
Status:	Closed
Classification:	Maximum Security
Capacity:	?
Opened:	July 1883
Closed:	November 1989
Managed by:	At first prisons fell under the control of the Sheriff until the 1890s. The Prisons Department (later the Department of Correctional Services), ran the site until closure. As a historical site the prison was run by different government departments, including State Development and Public Works.

Plaque on gallows beam used at Boggo Road Gaol

Boggo Road Gaol (alt. and older spelling "Bogga") was a notorious Australian prison located on Annerley Road in Dutton Park, an inner southern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

1 History
2 Notable prisoners
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

History

The first cellblock opened in July 1883, and over the years many other buildings came and went on the site. 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. The 'No.1 Division' built in 1883 was the scene of 42 hangings, including the hanging of Ernest Austin in 1913 - the last hanging in Queensland.

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. Cells did not have any form of sanitation. 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 A Queensland Government inquiry into the living conditions of State prisons found Boggo Road to be outdated and inadequate for prisoners' needs.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, and the No.1 Division was closed in 1992 and demolished in 1996. A modern prison for women operated on the site until 2000 and was demolished in 2006.

During the 1990s 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. Like many other similar places around the country, the site also hosted ghost tours.

Redevelopment of the surrounding site began in 2006, leading to the temporary closure of the Boggo Road Gaol historical site. It is expected to re-open around 2009. The redevelopment will be called Boggo Road Urban Village and will be completed in 2010^[1].

The Goal was originally designed to cater for 40 male prisoners, However by 1989 there where 187 male prisoners and the womens facility had around 200 additional prisoners.

Notable prisoners

Nathan Jones, actor and former professional wrestler
James Finch and Andrew Stuart, the "Whiskey Au-Go-Go" murderers
Arthur 'Slim' Halliday, murderer and escapologist
Patrick Kenniff (also known as Queensland's last Bushranger (Outlaw or Highwayman)
Ellen Thomson (only woman hanged in Queensland)
Craig Petersen, Heavyweight Boxing Champion
Debbie Kilroy, prisoner rights activist, founder of Sisters Inside

References

^ "Boggo Jail to become urban village", Brisbane Times (2007-04-10). Retrieved on 10 April 2007.

External links

This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications.
Primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of the article are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please include more appropriate citations from reliable sources, or discuss the issue on the talk page. (December 2006)

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