Tucked beneath the glass towers of Brisbane’s CBD, the Commissariat Store Museum is a time capsule you can walk inside. Built 1828–1829, it is Queensland’s oldest occupiable building and the only convict-era commissariat still open to the public. Run by the Royal Historical Society of Queensland, it turns a grim warehouse of rations and leg-irons into one of the city’s most intimate history lessons.
Address: 115 William St, Brisbane City QLD 4000, Australia
Website: http://www.commissariatstore.org.au/
Number: +61 7 3221 4198
The Commissariat Store starts in the wet and inhospitable land of early 19th-century Australia, at the time of the growth of the penal empire of Britain. Moreton Bay, a penal station, founded in 1824 in the remote north-east of New South Wales, was a prison of prisoners. In the sadistic rule of Captain Patrick Logan, later to become the subject of the folk song Moreton Bay, the settlement changed in 1825 to a ridge above the Brisbane River. And here, in the surrounding groves of eucalyptus, and the waters of the alligator, the necessity of a safe storehouse was the most urgent. Shipments made in Sydney, such as flour, salted meat, tools and blankets, were shipped by river wharves, and could be stolen or destroyed easily in rudely built huts of slab.
It was opened in July, 1828, and the design was prepared by William John Dumaresq, a surveyor, whose plans were sent up to Sydney in April, 1828. The project, which was supervised by Lieutenant Thomas Bainbrigge, was based on convict labor supplied by the Gaol Gang, brothers of the stonemasons and quarrymen, brought north. The materials were locally quarried: the walls were built of rugged Brisbane tuff quarried at Kangaroo point cliffs and the footings, quoins, and lintels were made of sandstone quarried at Oxley creek. It was all cemented with mortar, fired at Amity point of oyster shells, or fired at Ipswich in lime kilns. The place was a steep riverbank; it required ingenuity, and the convicts dug out a flat landing, in three sides building retaining walls of tuff, by 1838, to keep the place in check and prevent either erosion or escape. The windows were not glazed or barred in security, the roof covered with ironbark, and later changed to corrugated iron and galvanized steel. By 1829, the two-story building was finished, with its gabled facade on the river cut with the cypher of King George IV and the date, a very bleak symbol of imperial power.
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It was not just a warehouse, but the logistic nerve of the penal colony. The Commissariat Department, which was in charge of procuring, storing, and delivering rations, guaranteed survival in the land of scarcity. Allotments were given to convicts weekly, 7 pounds of flour, 7 pounds of maize, 4 pounds of meat, measured–militarily to the last pound. Oils used in lighthouses, blankets used by the Aboriginal communities, even ammunition this store had and the clang of the chains reverberated in its vaults. Regime Logans regime was a brutal one; whipping and solitary confinement were the order of the day, and the geographical location of the store, which was close to the King Wharf, enabled quick correction of thieves. But, even with all the cruelty of the regime, there were also signs of humanity, convicts traded smuggled tobacco, and there were some acts of clemency that gave hope.
7 Quick Facts to Impress Your Friends
- Built by 42 convicts in 18 months using hand tools and wheelbarrows.
- Walls are 70 cm thick Brisbane tuff quarried 3 km away at Kangaroo Point.
- The King George IV cypher carved above the river door is the oldest royal mark in Queensland.
- Survived 14 major floods, including 1893 (when water reached the second floor).
- Added to the Queensland Heritage Register the same week as the Story Bridge (1992).
- Home to the “Convict Finger” – a real human finger in a jar, punishment relic or medical specimen?
- Hosts 5,200 volunteer hours a year; every guide is a trained historian.
Timeline in 30-Second Bites
- 1824 – Moreton Bay penal settlement founded.
- 1828 – Convict gang levels the riverbank with pick and shovel.
- 1829 – First rations issued; roof still leaks.
- 1839 – Penal colony closes; building becomes immigrant hostel.
- 1866 – “Bread & Blood” rioters shot at the front door.
- 1913 – Third storey added; electric lift installed 1914.
- 1974 & 2011 – Floodwaters lap the ceiling; stones rebuilt one by one.
- 1982 – RHSQ opens it as a museum.
What You’ll Actually See (Floor by Floor)
Top Floor – Rotating Exhibits
- Current: “#Dancing in Fetters” – fiddles, dance cards, and a recreated bush-dance floor.
- Touch-screen: Play convict ballads recorded by modern folk artists.
Middle Floor – Permanent Collection
- Glass case of 27 leg-irons, each stamped with a prisoner number.
- 1848 land-sale ledger – see who bought the block you’re standing on.
- Interactive smell jars: salt pork, wet wool, and eucalyptus tar.
Ground Floor – Hands-On Zone
- 3-metre-long Moreton Bay Panorama painting (c. 1835).
- Build-your-own slab hut with magnetic walls.
- Tom Petrie’s walking stick – carved from a spear thrown at him in 1853.
5 Objects You’re Allowed to Touch
- Replica broad arrow (brand convicts into uniforms).
- 1829 hand-forged nail – still warm from the blacksmith demo.
- Brass ration scales – weigh your “weekly” 7 lb of flour.
- Convict love-token – a smoothed 1813 cartwheel penny engraved “Eliza 4 Ever”.
- River stone from the 1828 retaining wall – feel the chisel marks.
Getting There Without a Car
- Ferry: CityCat or CityFerry to North Quay (2-minute walk).
- Train: Roma Street or Central, then 8-minute riverside stroll.
- Bus: Cultural Centre stop, cross the Victoria Bridge.
- Scoot: Lime or Neuron dock right outside.
Gallery
Visit Planner (Save to Phone)
🕙 Open: Tue–Thu 10 am–4 pm 🎟️ Adult $8 | Child $4 | Members free 👟 Wear flats – 54 stairs, no lift between museum levels 📸 Photography allowed, tag #CommissariatStore ☕ Post-visit coffee: The Pantry next door (heritage-listed too). Also check our article on Good Games Town Hall.
3 One-Hour Add-Ons Nearby
- Queen’s Wharf archaeological dig – watch trowels uncover 1840s wharf timbers.
- Miller Park convict wall – rubbings of 1828 mason marks.
- Riverwalk to Kurilpa Bridge – 15-minute loop with 14 history plaques.
Kids’ Treasure Hunt (Free printable at front desk)
Find:
- A whalebone button
- A soldier’s red coat
- A kangaroo carved into a beam Prize: genuine 1829 brick fragment (sealed in acrylic).
The Commissariat Store is not so large as to be seen in less than 75 minutes, but thick enough at the same time to repay a visit. Each block of sandstone bears a print; each exhibition cabinet conceals a journal. Carry headphones to listen to the audio tour by one of the descendants of the convict Mary Moriarty – her Irish accent makes the ration line feel like it was yesterday.
Get off the William Street, and under the arch of 1913, and three stories down into 1829. The foundations are still washed by the river, the river that had washed men in their shackles up the river. In a city that is in a hurry to construct skyscrapers that will be planned to host the 2032 Olympics, the museum reminds us: do not forget who laid the first stones.