Police Court and Fire Station 1860-1863

The Convict Female Factory was located on this site until 1842. As many as 138 women convicts lived and worked under hot, unsanitary and cramped conditions in this small building with an outside kitchen and one lavatory. The women were employed to pick oakum from frayed ropes for use in caulking the settlement's boats. They also made ropes and rough convict clothing from cloth woven by convicts at the Parramatta Female Factory. After free settlement in 1842 the building was used as a Police Court and Fire Station. In 1871 the site was levelled and in 1872 the northern block of the Brisbane General Post Office was built by John Petrie. The remaining sections of the post office were completed between 1876 and 1879.