Queen Street Mall

This 500-meter stretch of Queen Street, running from George Street to Edward Street, became the Queen Street Mall after being closed to traffic in 1981. Queen Elizabeth II opened the initial pedestrian mall on August 9, 1982, to get it ready for the 1982 Commonwealth Games. That first section was between Albert Street and Edward Street, and it was later extended in 1988 to include the section between Albert Street and George Street, just in time for Expo '88.

The mall was designed by Robin Gibson, and it's been refurbished and extended several times. There was a $25 million refurbishment in 1999 that replaced the terracotta paving with granite, and the Albert Street section was refurbished again in 2007. There are more than 700 retailers here, across over 40,000 square meters of retail space, including six major shopping centers. You'll find places like Wintergarden, which opened in 1982, and Uptown, which opened in 1988 as the Myer Centre. QueensPlaza opened in 2005, and the historic Brisbane Arcade has been here since 1923.

Right in the center, at the intersection of Queen Street and Albert Street, there's a 15-meter-high steel structure providing shade. Near the George Street end, between Uptown and the Queen Adelaide Building, you'll see an entertainment stage with an 11-meter-high roof for music and performances. And, in case you didn't know, the Queen Street bus station is located underground, right beneath the mall.

It’s interesting how much of the heritage-listed building facades were preserved during the development of the mall, giving it a bit of a restored old-timey feel. There have been more recent changes too; in March 2023, Myer, Millanos, and Pig & Whistle were evicted for redevelopment work at Uptown and the mall itself, with Myer closing its Queen Street store in July 2023. This redevelopment is expected to start in early 2024.

One more thing to note about this place: on March 8, 2013, there was a 90-minute siege here. The offender, Lee Matthew Hillier, was shot with non-lethal rounds, ending the incident, and was later sentenced to 4 and a half years in jail.