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Woolloongabba Heritage Trail

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Learn about the places and events that have shaped Woolloongabba on this self-guided walking trail.

About the Woolloongabba Heritage Trail

Uncover the history of this famous suburb, from the origins of its name to its iconic buildings and international cricket ground.

Learn more about the places and events that have shaped the area’s identity, including:

  • the Brisbane cricket ground
  • the bustling commercial strip of Stanley Street
  • the historic Princess Theatre.

Woolloongabba Heritage Trail map

There are 20 places of interest on this trail, beginning at Stanley Street and concluding at the Woolloongabba Baby Clinic.

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Note

Some sections of this trail are steep and may not be accessible for people with limited mobility.

For addresses of all trail stops and suggested route between stops, download the trail guide.

Points of interest

Stanley Street, Woolloongabba

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Stanley Street Clarence Corner, Stanley Street, South Brisbane, undated (State Library of Queensland)
About this stop
Stanley Street was a commercial hub in the late 19th and 20th Centuries.

Stanley Street, Woolloongabba

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Newtown View of Newtown, 1937 (State Library of Queensland)
About this stop
After extensive road works, this section of Stanley Street was reopened in 1928 and the area was unofficially renamed 'Newtown'.

537 Stanley Street, South Brisbane

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Mater Misericordiae Hospital Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Stanley Street, South Brisbane, 1924 (State Library of Queensland)
About this stop
The Mater Misericordiae Hospital was opened in 1910.

8 Annerley Road, Woolloongabba

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Princess Theatre Artist’s sketch of the South Brisbane Theatre, c. 1892 (State Library of Queensland)
About this stop
The Princess Theatre is the oldest surviving purpose-built theatre on the Australian mainland.

647 Stanley Street, Woolloongabba

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Phoenix Building Phoenix Building, Stanley Street, Woolloongabba, 1969 (Brisbane City Council)
About this stop
The Phoenix Building was built in 1889-90. It had a bookseller, tailor, bank and an undertaker as its first tenants.

18 Merton Road, Woolloongabba

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MUIOOF Hall MUIOOF Hall, The Courier-Mail, 19 March 1940
About this stop
The MUIOOF Hall was built in 1891, before being purchased by the Protestant Church in 1923.

Merton Road, Woolloongabba

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Merton Road cottages Looking south towards Merton Road, Woolloongabba, 1962 (Brisbane City Council)
About this stop
The 2 timber cottages and timber duplex were constructed on Merton Road in 1885.

68 Hawthorne Street, Woolloongabba

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Holy Trinity Anglican Church View of the tower and dome on the Holy Trinity Church at Woolloongabba, 1938 (State Library of Queensland)
About this stop
Built in 1930, the Holy Trinity Anglican Church is one of Queensland’s best examples of Italian Romanesque interwar architecture.

Hawthorne Street, Woolloongabba

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The plague Quarantine barricade around houses in Hawthorne Street, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland, 1900 (State Library of Queensland)
About this stop
The bubonic plague arrived in Brisbane in 1900, with the first case in Woolloongabba.

765 Stanley Street, Woolloongabba

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Woolloongabba Post Office Woolloongabba Post Office, Brisbane, c. 1906 (State Library of Queensland)
About this stop
Constructed in 1905, Woolloongabba Post Office was built to cater to this section of busy Stanley Street.

765 Stanley Street, Woolloongabba

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David Webster's Tea Rooms David Webster’s Tea Rooms in Brisbane, 1900 (State Library of Queensland)
About this stop
In 1898, David Webster established a bakery and tea rooms on Stanley Street.

Woolloongabba Fiveways, Woolloongabba

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Woolloongabba Fiveways Steam train crossing Woolloongabba Fiveways, 1960s (Brisbane City Council)
About this stop
The Woolloongabba Fiveways was once Brisbane’s busiest intersection.

344 Vulture Street, Woolloongabba

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St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral Russian Orthodox Church of St Nicholas, Woolloongabba, c. 1936 (State Library of Queensland)
About this stop
The St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral was the first purpose-built Russian Orthodox church in Australia.

416 Vulture Street, Woolloongabba

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Brisbane German Club Twin cupolas decorate the German Club in Woolloongabba, 1907 (State Library of Queensland)
About this stop
The first German Club on the site was built in 1890.

411 Vulture Street, Woolloongabba

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The Gabba Woolloongabba Cricket Ground, 1899 (State Library of Queensland)
About this stop
The first cricket game was held at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, The Gabba, in 1896.

848 Main Street, Woolloongabba

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Woolloongabba Police Station Construction of a railway turntable in Main Street, Woolloongabba, 1921 (State Library of Queensland)
About this stop
The Woolloongabba Police Station was built in 1913. It had a residence for the commanding officer, 2 storey barracks for the constables, and a mess and day room.

Corner Stanley Street and Main Street, Woolloongabba

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Fight talk place 1858 map of Brisbane depicting the chain of waterholes known as One Mile Swamp, 1858 (Brisbane City Council Archives)
About this stop
‘Woolloongabba’ is believed to be an Aboriginal word meaning ‘fight talk place’.

18 Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba

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Broadway Theatre Broadway Theatre, The Brisbane Courier, 3 May 1923
About this stop
This was the site of the Broadway Theatre, which was destroyed by fire in 1962.

10-14 Logan Road, Woolloongabba

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'Moral suasion'

People’s Cash Store at Fiveways, Woolloongabba, 1900 (State Library of Queensland)
About this stop
The People’s Cash Store was built between 1889 and 1890.

23 Logan Road, Woolloongabba

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Woolloongabba Baby Clinic Nurse working at the Child Welfare Centre, Woolloongabba, May 1949 (Queensland State Archives)
About this stop
Built in 1928, the Baby Clinic provided babies and new mothers with health care.