Woolloongabba is a suburb of Brisbane, located 2 kilometres south-east of the Central Business District. It is home to the Brisbane Cricket Ground ('the Gabba') and the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Crossed by several major roads including the Pacific Motorway, Woolloongabba was once home to a large tram depot. Woolloongabba has many apartment buildings due to river views, and the suburb's proximity to the Brisbane central business district and South Bank Parklands. The Norman Hotel is a local landmark that has served customers since 1890. Woolloongabba is also known for its reputation as Brisbane s antique precinct and has bargain hunters and furniture enthusiasts flocking to its stores on weekends.

Trains service the suburb with stops at Park Road railway station and Buranda railway station. The South-East Busway also runs through Woolloongabba, with stops at Woolloongabba Busway Station and Buranda Busway station. The high-frequency Maroon CityGlider bus service also stops here. There is a major taxi depot in Woolloongabba.

Experts are divided regarding the Aboriginal meaning of the name, preferring either 'whirling waters' (woolloon and capemm) or 'meeting place'. Because the area was low-lying and swampy, it was known as the One Mile Swamp. Although this name appears to be unofficial, it was in common use until the early 1890s.

The suburb has a significant link to the history of transport in Brisbane. Between 1884 and 1969 the main railway locomotive depot for lines south of the Brisbane River was beside Stanley St. It was reached via a line that ran beside Stanley St, then crossing it, Logan Road and Ipswich Road to the main line at Dutton Park. By the 1960s services from the depot were causing significant delays to traffic as they crossed these three major roads. The suburb was served by horse-drawn trams from 1885 to 1897, which were replaced by electric trams, which in turn ceased operation on 13 April 1969.

In early 1942 the first Coca-Cola bottling plant in Australia was built in Woolloongabba at 36-39 Balaclava Street. It was originally designed to supply the demands of the newly arrived US military personnel, but later expanded production to the local Australian market.



The Gabba

Brisbane's iconic sportsground. The Brisbane Cricket Ground is better known across Australia as "The Gabba", a name which comes from the suburb of Woolloongabba in which the ground is situated. The Gabba dates back to 1895, when the land was designated as the site for a cricket ground. The first event conducted at The Gabba was a cricket match between Parliament and the Press on 19th December 1896. The result was a tie (61 runs each). The Gabba is today the home ground for the Brisbane Lions AFL team and the Queensland Bulls national cricket team. The largest crowd ever to assemble here was 47,096 at the Second Rugby League Test, Australia v Great Britain, 3rd July 1954.

Test cricket was first played at the ground in November 1931, the first Test of the series between Australia and South Africa. In December 1960, Test cricket's first-ever Tied Test took place at the ground when Richie Benaud's Australian team tied with Frank Worrell's West Indian side. Queensland clinched its first-ever Sheffield Shield title with victory over South Australia in the final at the ground in March 1995.

Australian football has a long association with the ground. The Queensland Football League (a precursor to AFL Queensland) played matches at The Gabba from 1905 to 1914, 1959 to 1971, and in the late 1970s and early 1980s. AFLQ matches resumed in 1993 as curtain-raiser events to AFL games, along with occasional AFLQ Grand Finals. Interstate games, including the 1961 national carnival have also been played there, as was a demonstration game during the 1982 Commonwealth Games. In 1991 the Gabba was host to Queensland's only victory over a Victorian side.

Contact: (07) 3008 6166. Location: Vulture Street, Woolloongabba. How to get there: by rail, to Vulture Street station on the Beenleigh line, walk along Vulture St.



Museum of Lands, Mapping and Surveying

A source of heritage information about land, surveying and mapping history, the Museum is managed and staffed by the Department of Natural Resources and Water and is an arm of the larger statewide Queensland Museum. Themes of displays include early mapping of Australia, life as a surveyor, progression of the various mapping strains, aboriginal cartography, place names, instruments used and printing procedures. Animations of Queensland settlement expansion and the formation of Australian States are viewable. The Landcentre provides services by appointment. Please call (07) 3896 3216. Location: Level 1, Landcentre building, cnr Main and Vulture Sts., Woolloongabba.