Bundaberg Police Station, Heritage-listed police station in Bundaberg Central, Australia
The Bundaberg Police Station is a single-story brick building from 1882 with a residential section and cell block added two decades later. The complex includes six holding cells, administrative offices, and living quarters arranged in a T-shaped plan designed by Colonial Architect George St Paul Connolly.
The building started as a courthouse in 1882 serving the Queensland judicial system. In 1958 it became a police station, marking a shift from purely legal functions to active law enforcement operations that continued for many years.
The T-shaped layout shows how people organized law enforcement buildings in the 1800s, with separate spaces for administration and holding prisoners. You can still see this practical division when you walk through the building today.
The building sits at the corner of Maryborough and Quay Streets in the city center and is easy to find and reach. The site now operates as a hostel, though the original structure and many period features remain visible for visitors to explore.
The building has served three different main functions over its lifetime, transforming from courthouse to police operations to a backpackers hostel starting in 2015. This adaptive reuse keeps the historical structure alive while giving it fresh purpose for modern visitors.
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