Queen Victoria Monument, Brisbane, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Queen Victoria Monument is a bronze statue of the monarch in Queens Gardens, in the heart of Brisbane's CBD. Unveiled in 1906, it is the only statue of Queen Victoria in the city, and it stands on ground that was once a convict-era lumber yard and later the site of an Anglican church.

The story behind it

Long before the gardens existed, this corner of Brisbane Town was a working part of the convict settlement. From around the 1820s it held a lumber yard, with the engineer's stores and workshops, and a weatherboard cottage on the corner of Elizabeth and William Streets. The yard supplied timber for the settlement's early buildings. From the middle of the nineteenth century the Church of England used the site for St John's, with a parsonage and a bell tower. The church buildings were pulled down around 1904, and the square was laid out as a public garden in the years that followed.

The statue was unveiled in 1906, with a large crowd in attendance, and was paid for in part by public subscription. It is a replica of the Queen Victoria statue in Portsmouth, England, by the sculptor Thomas Brock. Behind it stands a German field gun from the First World War, a reminder of how the square later took on a commemorative role.

What to look for

• The bronze figure of Queen Victoria stands at the centre of the gardens, set against the old Lands Administration Building.
• Directly behind the statue is a German field gun from the First World War, presented to Queensland after the war.
• The grand sandstone government buildings around the square show how the site changed from a convict workshop yard to a formal civic space.
• The lawns and paths look calm today, but the ground beneath them once held workshops, stores and a church, so it is worth pausing to picture the earlier layers.

Tips for your visit

• Queens Gardens is an open public space, so you can walk through and look at the statue at no cost. Allow 15 to 20 minutes if you want to read the surroundings properly.
• Morning and late afternoon give softer light on the bronze and the surrounding facades, and the gardens are usually quieter outside lunchtime.
• The Brisbane River and the City Botanic Gardens are within an easy walk, so the statue fits neatly into a longer stroll through the CBD.
• Many of the surrounding buildings are government or commercial premises, so check current opening hours before planning to go inside any of them.

See it on a quest

The Oz Escape in Brisbane is a playful way to see the gardens. You reach the monument on foot as one stop on a longer route through the city centre, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in CBD, Brisbane suits anyone who likes a mystery with their sightseeing. You walk between real CBD locations, hear about each one as you get there and work through a puzzle in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Colonial Brisbane: A Convict's Quest for Justice fits this site well, since the gardens sit on former convict settlement ground. You walk the route on foot, the app explains each stop as you arrive, and a puzzle at each place keeps you looking closely. One ticket covers the whole group.