Victoria Barracks is an

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

base in the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

suburb of

Petrie Terrace Petrie Terrace is an inner suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Petrie Terrace had a population of 1,168 people. Geography The suburb is by road west of the Brisbane General Post Office. The precinct is bordered ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

History

Colonial era

Following Queensland's separation from

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

in 1859, the new government was faced with a problem: there was no permanent military presence in the new colony. The decision was made to establish a permanent presence at a site known as 'Green Hills'. Construction of the new 'Green Hills Barracks' began in 1864. The original barracks consisted of a guard room, a barracks block and officer's quarters. The first unit to occupy the new barracks was a detachment from the

12th (East Suffolk) Regiment of Foot Twelfth can mean: *The Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution *The Twelfth, a Protestant celebration originating in Ireland In mathematics: * 12th, an ordinal number; as in the item in an order twelve places from the beginning, follo ...

. Although the barracks expanded in subsequent years to include a military hospital and a magazine, the garrison dwindled due largely to the effects of the Maori Wars. The next, and final British detachment came from the

50th (Queen's Own) Regiment of Foot The 50th (Queen's Own) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 97th (The Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot to form the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment ...

. Following the departure of British troops, the barracks was occupied by the

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

from 1870 until 1885. Australia's growing colonial forces led to the barracks being re-occupied by the military. It was at this time that the name 'Victoria Barracks' was adopted, in honour of the reigning sovereign. It served as the headquarters of the

Queensland Defence Force Until Australia became a Federation in 1901, each of the six colonies was responsible for its own defence. From 1788 until 1870 this was done with British regular forces. In all, 24 British infantry regiments served in the Australian colonies. ...

Post-Federation

Following federation in 1901, control of the site went to the newly formed

. With the build-up in forces preceding and during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the barracks experienced its second great period of expansion. It served as a headquarters during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, although its importance waned with the construction of

Enoggera Barracks Enoggera Barracks (also known as Gallipoli Barracks) is an Australian Army base in the northwestern Brisbane suburb of Enoggera in Queensland, Australia. It was officially established in the early 20th century when the area was used for fiel ...

. From 1901 to the 1990's Victoria Barracks was the Headquarters of the

1st Military District (Australia) The 1st Military District was an administrative district of the Australian Army. During the Second World War, the 1st Military District covered all of Queensland, with its headquarters at Brisbane. In March 1939 a regional command structure was a ...

. After the disbandment of 1MD, the Barracks was home to Defence Centre Brisbane. In 1983 a committee was formed to create a museum of Queensland Military Heritage, the museum was opened on 6 June 1984 by the Governor of Queensland James Ramsay (governor) and was operated by the Victoria Barracks Historical Society until 1998 when the Society moved out. In 1998 the newly formed Army History Unit established the Victoria Barracks Museum, this was renamed Army Museum South Queensland in 2013.

Present day

Today the site is still occupied by the Army. The Army Museum South Queensland is located on the site, and contains a large collection of replica and service medals covering the Army's involvement in the

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

References

External links

Victoria Barracks, Brisbane's Living Heritage

The Barracks retail district
Barracks in Australia {{australia-mil-stub