Post Office Square (Park), Brisbane, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

Post Office Square is a small public park on Queen Street in the heart of Brisbane's CBD, set among office towers and beside the city's historic General Post Office. It is a handy place to pause in the busiest part of town, and the ground around it has a layered past that most passers-by never hear about.

The story behind it

Long before the towers, this stretch of Queen Street belonged to the Moreton Bay penal settlement. From the late 1820s a women's prison, known as the Female Factory, stood on a rise here, then called Gaol Hill. Its inmates were convict women who had been transported to New South Wales and then offended again. In 1837 the women were moved to Eagle Farm, and the building was later used as the town gaol.

In the early 1870s the old prison was demolished and the hill was levelled to make way for the General Post Office. The hill has gone and its name survives mostly in records. Nothing on the ground tells you that women were once held here, which is part of what makes the spot worth knowing about as you walk past.

What to look for

• The sandstone General Post Office on Queen Street, a grand 19th-century public building that replaced the prison and gives the square its name.
• The flat ground around you, and how hard it is to picture a hill here, given that Gaol Hill was levelled in the 1870s.
• The contrast between the heritage buildings and the modern towers, which shows how much central Brisbane has changed since the convict era.
• The steady flow of commuters through the surrounding streets, a good reminder that this is still the commercial centre of the city.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 10 to 15 minutes for the square itself, longer if you want to look around the Post Office and the nearby streets.
• It is an open public space in the city centre, so you can drop in at any time. Early morning and weekends are quieter than weekday lunchtimes.
• Queen Street Mall, Anzac Square and King George Square are all within an easy walk, so it fits well into a wider stroll around the CBD.
• If you want to go inside the Post Office or nearby buildings, check current opening hours first.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in CBD, Brisbane takes you through the city centre on foot, so Post Office Square becomes one stop on a longer route rather than a quick photo. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Oz Escape: A Wicked Glitch in Brisbane is a lighter way to see the same streets. You walk from place to place, hear the story of each stop as you reach it, and solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Brisbane Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. suits anyone who likes a detective theme. It leads you through the CBD at your own pace, with no guide and no group to join, and you solve a puzzle at the places you pass. One ticket covers the whole group.