Cultural Heritage Public Art Trail
The Cultural Heritage Trail is a 1.3 kilometre walk through the city's historic plazas and squares, with a focus on artworks and memorials that commemorate Brisbane's history. The trail commences at King George Square and finishes at St Stephen's Cathedral on Elizabeth Street. It is a mix of historic, heritage-listed and contemporary artworks and monuments, each contributing to Brisbane's story.
Download the public art trail map brochure in your preferred format:
- Cultural Heritage Public Art Trail (PDF - 5.6Mb) - with images and trail map
- Cultural Heritage Public Art Trail (Word - 190kb) - text only version - no images or trail map
How to use the Cultural Heritage Public Art Trail online map and table
Select an icon to read about about each artwork in the public art trail.
As an alternative to the online map and brochure, you can view the table for artwork and location information.
You can view all artworks in this trail in the 'Cultural Heritage Public Art Trail' album in Council's Flickr account.
Cultural Heritage Public Art Trail map and table
| Number | Title | Location | Artist | Description | Materials | Installation date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Progress of Civilisation in the State of Queensland | City Hall, King George Square | Daphne Mayo | The central figure in the classic design is robed to represent the state who sends her explorers, industrialists and artists throughout the land. The displaced Aboriginal people are depicted as fleeing. | Sandstone | 1930 |
| 2 | Speakers Corner: Emma Miller, Sire Charles Lilley, Steele Rudd | King George Square | Artbusters | Speakers Corner depicts three important figures in Queensland's history - Emma Miller, Sir Charles Lilley and Steele Rudd. | Bronze | 1993 |
| 3 | King George V Memorial | King George Square | E.F. Kohler, R. Summerhayes and E.S. Taylor | The design of the King George V bronze equestrian statue with its two lions, was the result of an Australian wide competition. | Bronze | 1938 |
| 4 | Lions | King George Square | E.F. Kohler, R. Summerhayes and E.S. Taylor | The lions are of the type described as 'lion couchant', lying down with the head raised. The lion is a common symbol in heraldry and is particularly prominent in British heraldry. | Bronze | 1938 |
| 5 | Petrie Tableau | King George Square | Stephen Walker | The Petrie Tableau was commissioned and created as a way to acknowledge the pioneer families of Brisbane. | Bronze | 1988 |
| 6 | Resilience – Women's Suffrage Memorial | Emma Miller Place | Cida de Aragon in collaboration with Steffen Lehmann | This abstract work graphically describes the quest to be recognised as equal. It was installed in 2007 in recognition of the 100 year anniversary of women’s right to vote in Queensland. | Concrete, metal and glass | 2007-2008 |
| 7 | Queensland Women’s War Memorial | Anzac Square, the western wall | Daphne Mayo | The Women’s War Memorial depicts a solemn procession of the infantry and their horse-drawn guns, beautifully carved in Helidon sandstone. | Helidon Sandstone | 1932 |
| 8 | Vietnam War 1962-1973 | Anzac Square | Dorothea Saaghy | The sculpture depicts an act of mercy performed many times during the Vietnam War - an Australian soldier directing a medical helicopter to descend and tend to his wounded mate. | Bronze | 1988 |
| 9 | Korea - Malaya - Borneo - 1948-1966 Memorial | Anzac Square | Rhyl Hinwood | This memorial depicts an Australian soldier from the Malaya and Borneo wars standing alongside an Australian soldier from the Korean Campaign, with an arm outstretched welcoming peace and friendship. | Bronze figures, granite plinth | 1966 |
| 10 | South West Pacific Campaign Memorial | Anzac Square | Artbusters | The memorial is a tribute from Brisbane City Council to those soldiers who fought at Milne Bay and in the Kokoda Campaigns and was unveiled during the 50th anniversary year. | Bronze figures, granite plinth with mosaic and brass infill | 1992 |
| 11 | World War II Memorial | Anzac Square | Artbusters | The memorial depicts a wounded Australian soldier being assisted by a nursing sister - a scene typical of all theatres of war and exemplifying the involvement of all Australian servicemen and women in World War II. | Bronze figures, granite plinth, mosaic and bronze inlays | 1992 |
| 12 | South African War Memorial | Anzac Square | James Watts | The memorial featuring a Boer War soldier on horseback was first erected in Turbot Street below King Edward Park in 1919 and moved to Anzac Square in 1938/39. | Bronze, sandstone pedestal | 1919 |
| 13 | Major General Sir William Glasgow | Post Office Square | Daphne Mayo | This naturalistic bronze figure depicts one of Queensland’s most distinguished First World War officers. Major General Sir William Glasgow served in Egypt and Gallipoli with the Australian Light Horse Regiment. | Bronze with marble plinth | 1966 |
| 14 | The Banker | Post Office Square | Leonard Shillam | According to Judith McKay’s, Brisbane Sculpture Guide: A Walk Around Public Sculpture in the City , "The Doric columns and entablature over the money-changer refer to the stability and antiquity of banking”. | Cast aluminium | 1970 |
| 15 | Former Colonial Mutual Life (CML) building sculptures | The Manor Apartments (former CML Building) facade, 289-291 Queen Street | L. J. Harvey (Sculptor) | The former Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society (CML) building was opened in 1931. It is one of Brisbane’s finest examples of Art Deco architecture. Gargoyles, lions, friezes, shields and Romanesque detailing were included in the design to embellish the front of the building. | Benedict stone | 1930-1931 |
| 16 | Strength, Plenty, Production and Growth | Corner Edward and Queen Streets, MacArthur Chambers (former AMP Building) | L. J. Harvey (created scale model), Fred Gowan (carved sculpture) | One of the building’s features is the sculpture located above the portico. The sculpture by Fred Gowan is made from Sicilian marble and is said to represent ‘strength, plenty, production and growth.’ | Sicilian marble | 1934 |
| 17 | Paw paw and mango tree relief panels | General Post Office, Elizabeth Street | LJ Harvey | The paw paw and mango tree relief panels, designed by Louis J. Harvey, are considered to be reflective of the Arts and Crafts movement that occurred at the turn of the century. | Helidon Sandstone | 1909 |
| 18 | Bishop Quinn | 249 Elizabeth St, old St Stephen’s School | Archille Simonetti | This sculpture by Achille Simonetti commemorates Bishop Quinn, Brisbane’s first Catholic Bishop. | Marble | 1892 |
| 19 | River of Stone | 249 Elizabeth Street, St Stephen’s Cathedral | Rhyl Hinwood (stone carving), Scott Harrower (mosaic inlays) | The work provides a narrative for the cathedral’s patron, St Stephen. Words from the Bible’s Acts of the Apostles have been selectively carved into the stone. | Sandstone, relief and mosaic | 2005 |
| 20 | Empire Stakes | St Stephen’s Cathedral | Judy Watson | Empire Stakes is a sculpture by Aboriginal artist, Judy Watson. The series of stakes represent the original ironbark posts that were placed one square mile from Brisbane’s settlement in 1852. | Ironbark and steel plates | 2003 |
Artwork gallery
You can view the in the slideshow below or in Council's Flickr account. You can also view artworks in Council's other public art trails in the 'Public Art Trails' collection.
