QUEENSLAND Police Museum and Boggo Road Gaol reflect the opposite poles of the criminal justice system: one examines those who enforce the law; the other is where the hardest-nosed felons once ended up.
Visitors to Brisbane can see both sites, either alone or on a guided tour. And what compelling tales they tell.
My first visit was to the high-security Boggo Road, which occupies a special circle in hell in the annals of Australian prisons. Opened in 1883, it was home to criminals ranging from bushranger Paddy Kenniff, to killer and escapologist Slim Halliday, to the Whiskey Au Go Go firebombers, plus a host of lesser-known murderers, rapists, robbers and other miscreants.
Conditions were always brutal, but No.2 Division – the only remaining section of the complex and the site of the tours – was the pits, famed for its violence and seemingly endless riots. In fact, it was a riot in 1989 that finally forced the division’s closure the following year.
The event, sparked by the shooting of a prisoner, riveted an appalled country and embarrassed the Bjelke-Petersen government, which was intent on showcasing the sunny side of Queensland during the 1988 Commonwealth Games.
Our guide pointed out a literal high point: a roof that five prisoners had managed to scale to stage a protest, including signs saying “Stop all torture now” and “Don’t let the hunger strikers die”.
There is still a lot to see. Visitors can enter the tiny, spartan cells and see what is believed to be original graffiti on the wall (warning: like much of the tour, it’s not for the delicate). You can still see the special cell where Halliday, the Houdini of Boggo Road, was held after his three astonishing escape attempts. The guide’s story of these will amaze you.
Amid it all there is humour: our guide showed us where the single communal TV was located. She said the prisoners had two shows they especially loved: Days of Our Lives and Neighbours. Clearly relishing the irony, they used to chant Macdonald Carey’s introduction and sing the Australian soapie’s famous theme – much to the annoyance of nearby residents!
Boggo Road offers five tours, ranging in length from one hour to 90 minutes. One is a general history; one is led by a former inmate or prison officer; one looks at escapes; another explores graffiti; and of course there is a ghost tour. Visits are by guided tour only.
In the city centre, meanwhile, visitors can learn more about the work of the men and women charged with keeping us safe. The Queensland Police Museum opposite Roma Street Station contains a range of eclectic exhibits spanning more than 150 years of policing in the state.
With sometimes surprising candour, it examines colonial policing, stock theft, water police, women police, Brisbane at war, acts of bravery and officers who have died in the course of their duty. Forensic techniques are examined extensively, with exhibits on the work of specialist units such as the fingerprint and photographic departments.
You can check out missing persons and solved and unsolved crimes, or even test your skills as an investigator: there is a simulated murder scene containing 28 clues for would-be Colombos to detect.
Other items include a copy of a voodoo doll seized under a repealed law making “pretending to exercise witchcraft”, a killer’s stuffed and mounted dog, and a rotor blade of a helicopter that crashed off Moreton Island.
IF YOU GO
- boggoroadgaol.com/tours
- Queensland Police Museum, QP Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Open Mon-Thurs 9am-4pm. Entry is free. www.police.qld.gov.au
This article first appeared in The Senior magazine.
