Petrie Terrace Police Depot, Heritage police building in Petrie Terrace, Australia.
The Petrie Terrace Police Depot is a red brick building with horizontal concrete bands and terracotta tile panels set on elevated ground overlooking central Brisbane. The compound contains original stables, garages, and workshops that now serve as entertainment and retail spaces while maintaining their structural identity.
The site functioned as Brisbane's second prison from 1860 to 1883 before converting to a police barracks. It remained an officer training and residential facility until the middle of the 1980s.
The design reflects how early 1900s Queensland imagined police buildings should look, combining formal architecture with practical workshop spaces. Today you can walk through areas that once trained officers and see how the layout served both official duties and daily operations.
The site sits on elevated ground and connects easily to Roma Street where the railway yards are located nearby. The exposed brick surfaces and outdoor paths can become slippery during wet weather, so wear sturdy shoes for comfortable exploration.
The original stone retaining walls and wrought iron fences on stone bases remain untouched along the property edges, preserving the security architecture from its earliest days. These structures were essential when the compound served as a prison and have survived despite the building's complete change in purpose.
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