
Step through Sandgate Heritage Trail

The Step through Sandgate Heritage Trail takes you on a journey through a range of places and events that have shaped Sandgate's history, including:
- Sandgate’s town centre - historic businesses and commercial area
- locations of cultural importance to local Aboriginal groups
- historic homes.
Download the:
- Brisbane Heritage Trails - Step through Sandgate Heritage Trail (PDF - 8.5Mb)
- Brisbane Heritage Trails - Step through Sandgate Heritage Trail (Word - 409kb).
Step through Sandgate Heritage Trail map and table
There are 19 places of interest on the Step through Sandgate trail which begins at the Sandgate Railway Station before moving along to the Sandgate Post Office, Sandgate War Memorial and Einbunpin Lagoon. It then winds past the lower section of Brighton Road, pointing out aspects of Sandgate’s commercial history, past Sandgate Town Hall and on to Cliff Street. It follows Cliff Street to Flinders Parade, and travels along Flinders Parade to Seventh Avenue. The trail then takes visitors along Seventh Avenue, onto Griffith Street and then up to Our Lady of Sacred Heart on Brighton Road, finishing at the upper end of Brighton Road near The Laurels Arcade.
Some sections of this trail may not be accessible for those with limited mobility.
Use the Google Map and information boxes to navigate the heritage trail. Alternatively, you can use the heritage trail table below, which includes the points of interest number, name, location and description. The starting point of the trail on the map is located at Sandgate Railway Station.
Sandgate Heritage Trail map
Number | Name | Address | Description |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Sandgate Railway Station | 101 Rainbow Street | Original railway station built 1882 near Curlew Street - moved to this site in 1909. |
2 | Sandgate Post Office | 1 Bowser Parade | Opened 1887. Believed to have been the first Australian building designed by Scottish-born architect John Smith Murdoch, working under the supervision of Colonial Architect JJ Connolly. |
3 | Sandgate War Memorial | 8 Seymour Parade | Unveiled 1924 to commemorate those soldiers killed during World War I. Names of soldiers killed in World War II and the Korean conflict were added in subsequent decades. |
4 | Einbunpin Lagoon | 70 Brighton Road | Einbunpin Lagoon takes its name from a reed (typha) which was valuable to local Aboriginal people for its fibres and edible roots. |
5 | Commercial history 1 | Lower section of Brighton Road and Rainbow Street | Sandgate's town centre features a number of commercial character buildings dating from the 1880s-1960s. The commercial buildings along Brighton Road and Rainbow Street are important historical links to Sandgate and their contribution to the streetscape. |
6 | Sandgate Town Hall | 5 Brighton Road | The original Sandgate Municipal Chambers burnt down in 1910, and this building was constructed in 1911 in a more central location. |
7 | Former site of Aboriginal camp | Corner Cliff Street and Flinders Parade | Located from southern end of Flinders Parade, along Sandgate Foreshores Park to the former Baptist Church, this camp was reportedly the largest, and most used in the area. |
8 | Sandgate Baptist Church (former) | 6 Flinders Parade | Opened in 1887 and was the focus for Baptist worship for over 100 years.
Note: this is a private property - please do not enter. |
9 | 'The Cottage' | 40 Flinders Parade | Built in c1888 for William Albert Wilson, son of Reverend BG Wilson.
Note: this is a private property - please do not enter. |
10 | Site of Beach Picture Theatre (former) | 76 Flinders Parade | Built in 1924. Saturday matinees were popular and included a main feature, supporting film, cartoons, newsreels and a chapter in a serial. |
11 | The site of Kiosk and Bandstand (former) | Flinders Parade, between Fourth and Fifth Avenue | Designed by Brisbane-based architect Mr HGO Thomas as part of the Sandgate Municipal Council's foreshore scheme in mid-1900. |
12 | Site of Sandgate Bathing Pool (former) | Flinders Parade, between Fourth and Fifth Avenue | Opened 1927, a spectator gallery and modern facilities enabled numerous swimming carnivals to be held at the bathing pool, drawing large crowds. |
13 | 'Meridian' | 130 Flinders Parade | Built in 1885 for publican Peter Murphy - originally intended to be a hotel but redesigned as a residence.
Note: this is a private property - please do not enter. |
14 | 'Broadhurst'/Maternal and Child Welfare Service Home (former) | 138 Flinders Parade | Originally named 'Broadhurst', this residence was built in c1900-01 for Hugh McCall Hicks and his wife Florence. Purchased by the Brisbane Hospital Committee and used over the years as a convalescent home, home for children with ill mothers, and a home for children with intellectual disabilities.
Note: this is a private property - please do not enter. |
15 | 'Cremorne' | 154 Flinders Parade | Thought to be an amalgamation of two houses, and redesigned as one house in 1922 for John McCallum.
Note: this is a private property - please do not enter. |
16 | Seventh Avenue - Griffith Street - Sixth Avenue | These leafy streets showcase examples of the various residential styles which were popular throughout Sandgate from the late 19th Century up to the 1960s. | |
17 | Our Lady of Sacred Heart | 92 Brighton Road | The Our Lady of Sacred Heart complex is evidence of the development of Catholic worship in Sandgate.
Note: this is a private property - please do not enter. |
18 | Dowse Lagoon | 122 Brighton Road (optional detour) | Named after early settler Thomas Dowse, this and the other two lagoons were some of the earliest contact points with explorers of Moreton Bay. |
19 | Commercial history 2 | Upper section of Brighton Road | Originally known as Deagon Street, Brighton Road was less developed commercially than Rainbow Street, but underwent significant expansion in the 1920-30s. |
Historical image gallery
View the 'Step through Sandgate Heritage Trail' Flickr album.