Queens Gardens, Brisbane, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

Queens Gardens is a small public square on George Street in the heart of Brisbane, close to the Brisbane River. It is best known for its bronze statue of Queen Victoria, the only one of her in the city, and for the colonial history that lies beneath its lawns.

The story behind it

Long before it was a garden, this ground belonged to the convict settlement of Brisbane Town. The area held a lumber yard with the engineer's stores and workshops, which supplied timber for the young colony. In the middle of the nineteenth century the Church of England built St John's here, with a parsonage, a bell tower and a school. It served the growing town until the much larger St John's Cathedral on Ann Street took its place, and the old church was pulled down in 1904.

The gardens were laid out on the cleared site in the early years of the twentieth century. The statue of Queen Victoria was unveiled in 1906, paid for in part by public subscription, and it is a replica of the statue in Portsmouth, England. Behind it stands a German field gun from World War I.

What to look for

• The bronze statue of Queen Victoria, the only one in Brisbane, which is a copy of the statue in Portsmouth.
• The German World War I field gun placed behind the statue, a reminder of the war years.
• The old Lands Administration Building, which stands behind the statue and gives the square its formal backdrop, with the Treasury building nearby.
• The open lawns themselves, where you can picture the convict-era lumber yard and the church that once filled this ground.

Tips for your visit

• Allow ten to fifteen minutes for the square on its own, and more if you pause to take in the surrounding government buildings.
• It is an outdoor public garden, so you can wander in and look around without queues or doors to pass through.
• Early morning or late afternoon tends to be calmer in the city centre, and the light is kinder on the bronze.
• The Brisbane River and the rest of the historic CBD are a short walk away, so it fits easily into a longer stroll.

See it on a quest

The Oz Escape in Brisbane passes Queens Gardens, so you reach the square on foot as one stop of a longer route through the city centre. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in CBD, Brisbane is a good pick if you like a mystery with your sightseeing. You walk from place to place through the CBD, hear the story of each one as you get there, and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Colonial Brisbane: A Convict's Quest for Justice suits this square especially well, since the ground was part of the convict settlement. You walk the route on foot, learn about each stop as you reach it, and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.