Woolloongabba Heritage Trail
Learn about Woolloongabba’s cultural significance, commercial and sporting history on this self-guided tour.
About the Woolloongabba Heritage Trail
Uncover the history of this famous suburb, from the origins of its name to its iconic buildings and international cricket ground.
Learn more about the places and events that have shaped the area’s identity, including:
- the Brisbane cricket ground
- the bustling commercial strip of Stanley Street
- the historic Princess Theatre.
Woolloongabba Heritage Trail map
There are 20 places of interest on this trail, beginning at Stanley Street and concluding at the Woolloongabba Baby Clinic.
For addresses of all trail stops and suggested route between stops, download the trail guide.
Points of interest
Clarence Corner, Stanley Street, South Brisbane, undated (State Library of Queensland)
Stanley Street was a commercial hub in the late 19th and 20th Centuries.
View of Newtown, 1937 (State Library of Queensland)
After extensive road works, this section of Stanley Street was reopened in 1928 and the area was unofficially renamed 'Newtown'.
Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Stanley Street, South Brisbane, 1924 (State Library of Queensland)
The Mater Misericordiae Hospital was opened in 1910.
Artist’s sketch of the South Brisbane Theatre, c. 1892 (State Library of Queensland)
The Princess Theatre is the oldest surviving purpose-built theatre on the Australian mainland.
Phoenix Building, Stanley Street, Woolloongabba, 1969 (Brisbane City Council)
The Phoenix Building was built in 1889-90. It had a bookseller, tailor, bank and an undertaker as its first tenants.
MUIOOF Hall, The Courier-Mail, 19 March 1940
The MUIOOF Hall was built in 1891, before being purchased by the Protestant Church in 1923.
Looking south towards Merton Road, Woolloongabba, 1962 (Brisbane City Council)
The 2 timber cottages and timber duplex were constructed on Merton Road in 1885.
View of the tower and dome on the Holy Trinity Church at Woolloongabba, 1938 (State Library of Queensland)
Built in 1930, the Holy Trinity Anglican Church is one of Queensland’s best examples of Italian Romanesque interwar architecture.
Quarantine barricade around houses in Hawthorne Street, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland, 1900 (State Library of Queensland)
The bubonic plague arrived in Brisbane in 1900, with the first case in Woolloongabba.
Woolloongabba Post Office, Brisbane, c. 1906 (State Library of Queensland)
Constructed in 1905, Woolloongabba Post Office was built to cater to this section of busy Stanley Street.
David Webster’s Tea Rooms in Brisbane, 1900 (State Library of Queensland)
In 1898, David Webster established a bakery and tea rooms on Stanley Street.
Steam train crossing Woolloongabba Fiveways, 1960s (Brisbane City Council)
The Woolloongabba Fiveways was once Brisbane’s busiest intersection.
Russian Orthodox Church of St Nicholas, Woolloongabba, c. 1936 (State Library of Queensland)
The St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral was the first purpose-built Russian Orthodox church in Australia.
Twin cupolas decorate the German Club in Woolloongabba, 1907 (State Library of Queensland)
The first German Club on the site was built in 1890.
Woolloongabba Cricket Ground, 1899 (State Library of Queensland)
The first cricket game was held at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, The Gabba, in 1896.
Construction of a railway turntable in Main Street, Woolloongabba, 1921 (State Library of Queensland)
The Woolloongabba Police Station was built in 1913. It had a residence for the commanding officer, 2 storey barracks for the constables, and a mess and day room.
1858 map of Brisbane depicting the chain of waterholes known as One Mile Swamp, 1858 (Brisbane City Council Archives)
‘Woolloongabba’ is believed to be an Aboriginal word meaning ‘fight talk place’.
Broadway Theatre, The Brisbane Courier, 3 May 1923
This was the site of the Broadway Theatre, which was destroyed by fire in 1962.
People’s Cash Store at Fiveways, Woolloongabba, 1900 (State Library of Queensland)
The People’s Cash Store was built between 1889 and 1890.
Nurse working at the Child Welfare Centre, Woolloongabba, May 1949 (Queensland State Archives)
Built in 1928, the Baby Clinic provided babies and new mothers with health care.
