The heritage-listed Boggo Road Gaol will be transformed, with the Albanese Labor Government today announcing a $4.95 million investment in the Boggo Road Innovation Precinct under the urban Precincts and Partnerships Program. 

The gaol served as Brisbane’s main prison for 119 years before it closed in stages between 1989 and 2000. While it’s been a popular destination for ghost and crime tours, the prison has been underutilised for a quarter of a century. 

The adaptive-reuse of the Gaol will see the building’s heritage doors open once more, this time as the home of biomedical, environmental, agricultural and technological sciences at the centre of the new Queensland Boggo Road Innovation Precinct. 

Today’s funding announcement marks the initial phase of development and will include upgrades to the Gaol and a precinct-wide public realm strategy, informed by the area’s first nations’ narratives. 

It will also fund the development of walking and cycling connections to the new Boggo Road Underground station that will open as part of Cross River Rail, Dutton Park railway station, and the new Yamma Bridge.  

The Boggo Road project will be delivered by the Queensland Government.

The Boggo Road transformation is the second Queensland project this year to be funded under the Albanese Labor Government’s urban Precincts and Partnerships Program (uPPP), after the Ipswich Central Heart project received $3.8 million in funding in January.

The uPPP grants fund planning and investment in our cities and suburbs, based on the principles of unifying urban places, growing economies and serving communities. 

This program supports the delivery of best-practice investment in urban infrastructure, connecting people and communities to services and opportunities that improve liveability, equity and productivity.

More information on these programs is available at www.infrastructure.gov.au/territories-regions-cities/cities. 

Quotes attributable to Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King:

“The Albanese Government’s investment will ensure the Boggo Road precinct is one of the best places in Queensland to conduct world-leading site for science and innovation.

“This part of Brisbane is growing rapidly, with brilliant new transport connections coming online over the new few years. I’m excited to see new life breathed into these historic walls and for Boggo Road Gaol to be central part of this exciting new precinct.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Griffith, Renee Coffey:

“For a quarter of a century, the doors of Boggo Road prison have been closed to Brisbane, now we’re transforming the building into a state-of-the-art science, technology and innovation precinct. 

“With Dutton Park station just down the road, and Boggo Road underground station opening its doors in the coming years, our investment will make it easier to walk from the platforms to the prison as we develop a thorough plan for the precinct and new walking and cycling paths.”