Brisbane RAAF Memorial, Brisbane, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Brisbane RAAF Memorial stands on Elizabeth Street in the centre of Brisbane, honouring the Royal Australian Air Force in the middle of the city's historic core. It sits beside Queens Gardens, a small park where colonial Brisbane's history is easy to read in the statues and buildings around you.

The story behind it

The memorial is a quiet stop, and the ground around it carries much of the story. Queens Gardens was laid out in the early twentieth century on land that had been part of the early town, and the statue of Queen Victoria in front of the old Lands Administration Building is its centrepiece. Behind the colonial buildings lies an older history of dispossession.

In 1855 an Aboriginal resistance leader named Dundalli was hanged in public in Brisbane. He had led resistance against settlers taking over Aboriginal land, and the colonial authorities saw his execution as a way to end that resistance. Today it is remembered as part of the story of First Nations people whose country the city was built on. Walking this stretch of Elizabeth and Queen Streets, it is worth keeping that older layer in mind.

What to look for

• The memorial itself, where you can read the inscription and dedication to see whom and what it commemorates.
• The bronze statue of Queen Victoria in Queens Gardens, set in front of the old Lands Administration Building.
• The stonework and sandstone facade of the Lands Administration Building, a reminder of the colonial government that once ran from this corner.
• The contrast between the glass towers of the modern CBD and the nineteenth-century buildings still standing among them.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 10 to 15 minutes for the memorial and the gardens, longer if you want to read the inscriptions and sit for a while.
• It is an open outdoor spot on a public street, so you can see it from the footpath; check current access if you want to get close.
• Morning or late afternoon light is gentler, and the CBD is quieter outside weekday lunchtime.
• Queens Gardens, Queen Street Mall and the Brisbane River are all within an easy walk, so it fits well into a longer wander through the centre.

See it on a quest

The Oz Escape in Brisbane is a good way to take in this part of the city on foot. You reach the area as one stop on a longer route, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in the streets in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in CBD, Brisbane turns the same streets into a case to solve. You walk between places at your own pace, hear about each spot as you get there and work out a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Colonial Brisbane: A Convict's Quest for Justice suits this corner of the city best, given the colonial history around Queens Gardens. You walk the route yourself, the app explains each place as you reach it, and you solve a puzzle there. One ticket covers the whole group.