Welcome to the Boggo Times, designed to bring you quick, honest and reliable updates and news about Boggo Road-related matters on a regular basis.
Wow , what a month, and it's not over yet! Record membership levels, monthly book sales, and Boggo Blog views are just part of the story for October.
BOGGO ROAD REOPENING NEWS
For those people following developments with the Boggo Road Urban Village, the long-awaited announcement of the preferred developer took place last month. Here is a quick overview of the current situation:
- Leighton Properties have been announced as the developer of part of the ‘Boggo Road Urban Village’ and are now putting together a plan for reusing the old prison.
- Leighton are undertaking a nine-month ‘investigation period’ which will involve consultation with stakeholders such as the BRGHS and the National Trust.
- It is a condition that the public access, educational and historical values of the site will need to be respected. Any draft plan will then be submitted to the Queensland Heritage Council and the city council for approval.
- Given the length of this process, and the fact that parts of the prison are in need of repair, Boggo Road will not open before late 2013.
The BRGHS have already attended meetings with Leighton, and from next week a new committee of BRGHS people and interested parties will finalise our own plans and ideas. Read more here.
BT
BOGGO ROAD MARKETS OPEN!
The new Boggo Road markets, held just outside the old gaol, started a couple of weeks back. They have been organised by Peta Hackworth, who is known for establishing a number of similar markets around Brisbane, and feature a large number of food and craft stalls. The BRGHS held a stall at the inaugral event, which went very well. We aim to be there every Sunday morning. Read more here.
BT
BRGHS MEMBERSHIP STILL ON THE RISE
Last month we announced that a recent boom in BRGHS membership has seen us top 200 for the first time. Well, the boom continues and we are now eyeing 250 members!
BT
THE BRGHS IS OUT TO CLEAN UP BOGGO ROAD
We had our second cleaning bee at Boggo Road on Sunday 9 October. Once again our enthusiastic members armed themselves with mops, buckets and brooms (not to mention industrial vacuums) and got stuck into some serious scrubbing in the cellblocks and yards. There is much left to be done and we will be returning on a monthly basis until the old prison is looking better. Please note that access is limited to BRGHS members.
BT
BOGGOROADIAN DAY
Just another week or so until our regular stall at the annual November reunion of former Boggo Road staff, otherwise known as 'Boggoroadian Day'. This is always a huge event, attracting up to 200 people, but never the same crowd from year to year.
BT
BOGGO ROAD TOURS WAITING LIST
It may seem like the reopening is a long way off, and it is not known what tours will run at the gaol and who will provide them, but the BRGHS is busy making preparations to provide a range of tour experiences, including day, night, psychic, and ‘haunted cellblock’ tours.
Email us to register your interest so you can be among the first through the doors when the gaol reopens.
We are in discussions with two rather distinguished organisations about new tour experiences at Boggo Road, so watch this space for news on that.
BT
