MacArthur Museum , Brisbane, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The MacArthur Museum is on the eighth floor of MacArthur Chambers, at the corner of Queen and Edward Streets in Brisbane. During the Second World War the building was the Allied headquarters for the South-West Pacific, and the museum commemorates General Douglas MacArthur's time working here.

The story behind it

The building was put up between 1931 and 1934 as the Queensland headquarters of the AMP Society. It has a granite base, freestone walls and a Corinthian colonnade, and it was opened in March 1934 by the Governor, Sir Leslie Orme Wilson.

In July 1942 the army ordered every tenant out. The building became the Allied headquarters, and General MacArthur took the AMP boardroom on the eighth floor as his office while his staff filled the rest. Civilian tenants did not get their offices back until June 1945. AMP left in 1978, and the building was renamed MacArthur Chambers in the general's honour. The museum on the eighth floor now tells the story of those war years.

What to look for

• Look up at the eighth-floor windows from the street, where the wartime decisions of the Pacific campaign were made while Brisbane carried on below.
• The Corinthian colonnade gives the building a formal, classical look that is unusual among the office blocks nearby.
• The granite base and freestone walls show the quality of materials chosen for an insurance company headquarters in the early 1930s.
• The name MacArthur Chambers is a reminder that the building was renamed after the general once AMP had left.

Tips for your visit

• The museum is inside a working office building, so check current opening hours and access arrangements before you go.
• Allow a short visit for the museum itself, and a few extra minutes outside to take in the facade from across the street.
• The corner of Queen and Edward Streets is right in the middle of the city centre, close to Queen Street Mall, so it is easy to combine with shopping, a coffee or other sights.
• Daylight is best for seeing the stonework and the upper windows clearly from the pavement.

See it on a quest

The Oz Escape in Brisbane is a good way to see this part of the city centre on foot. You walk from stop to stop, the app tells you about each place as you reach it, and you solve a puzzle in front of what you are looking at. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in CBD, Brisbane turns a walk through the central business district into a case to solve. You reach each place on foot, hear about it in the app and work out a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Oz Escape: A Wicked Glitch in Brisbane is a second Oz-themed route through the city. As with the other quests, you walk between places, learn about each as you arrive and solve a puzzle there. One ticket covers the whole group.