Burnett Lane Brisbane

Burnett Lane Brisbane: A Hidden Piece of the Past

 

Right in the middle of Brisbane’s busy city, between Queen Street and Adelaide Street, there’s a quiet little laneway called Burnett Lane. 

 

These days, it is filled with small cafes, bars, and some cool street art—but this lane has a long and interesting past that goes all the way back to Brisbane’s convict days.

 

Where It All Started

 

Back in the early 1800s, the area where Burnett Lane now sits was part of the Moreton Bay penal settlement. 

 

On the Queen Street side stood the Prisoner’s Barracks, a large stone building where many convicts were locked up.

 

Next door was the home of the Superintendent of Convicts, the man in charge of them.

 

In 1828, instead of shops and shoppers, you would’ve seen a large stone archway that led into the middle of the Barracks. Inside was a flogging triangle—a wooden frame used to whip convicts. 

 

It was placed in plain view so that every convict could see it. That year alone, over 1,100 lashes were given to 200 convicts, with some getting 50 or more. 

 

It was also here, in what’s now Burnett Lane, that Brisbane’s first hanging happened in 1830.

 

Who Was Burnett?

 

The lane is named after James Charles Burnett, Brisbane’s first surveyor. 

 

He helped map out parts of Queensland but sadly died young, at just 39 years old.

 

You can now see a tribute to him painted on a wall along the lane.

 

Later on, when four cottages were built on the Adelaide Street side, the laneway was created to give people access to them. That’s how Burnett Lane became an official part of the city.

 

From Convict Site to Town Hall

 

When the penal colony closed down in the 1840s, the old barracks were no longer needed. In 1864, Brisbane’s first Town Hall was built on the same Queen Street site.

 

It stayed there until the current City Hall was built in King George Square years later.

 

As time went on, the old convict buildings were knocked down and replaced by new ones. 

 

One of these is the Allan & Stark Building, designed by Andrea Stombucco in 1881 and later extended by Richard Gailey. 

 

The building still stands today and was bought by Myer in 1970, along with another building across Burnett Lane.

 

During the Myer years, the lane was full of delivery trucks bringing goods in and out of the store.

 

A New Life for Burnett Lane

 

Today, Burnett Lane is completely different. Instead of convict punishment and old stone walls, you will find coffee shops, craft beer bars, and murals. 

 

But if you know where to look, the history is still there—just hidden under the surface.

 

So next time you are shopping on Queen Street Mall, take a moment to walk down Burnett Lane. 

 

It might seem like just another shortcut, but it’s actually one of Brisbane’s oldest and most historic spots—a quiet laneway with a story that goes back almost 200 years.