On 2 July 1883 the Boggo Road Gaol opened, firstly serving as a holding place for prisoners who were to be transported to St Helena Island but by 1989 housed over 300 prisoners. In 1903 a separate structure was opened adjacent to the main prison to house the female prisoners. After a Queensland Government inquiry into the living conditions of the inmates the female section of the prison was closed in 1989 with the male section closing in 1992 and later being demolished in 1996.