Queens Gardens is located on a city block between George Street

George Street, Brisbane

George Street is a main street located in the Brisbane CBD in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. A major thoroughfare, George Street connects to the Queensland University of Technology as well as the state Botanical Gardens, to the commercial centre of Brisbane, Queen Street and Queen Street Mall.The...

, Elizabeth Street

Elizabeth Street, Brisbane

Elizabeth Street in Brisbane, Australia is a major street in the centre of the city. The street was established at the beginning of settlement in Brisbane as a penal colony...

 and William Street

William Street, Brisbane

William Street is a small, relatively quiet road in the uptown part of the Brisbane central business district. The street is historical significant to the city's early development as a penal colony...

 in the Brisbane central business district

Brisbane central business district

The Brisbane central business district , sometimes referred to as the city, is a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and is located on a point on the northern bank of the Brisbane River. The triangular shaped area is bounded by the Brisbane River to the east, south and west...

. On the opposite side of William Street is the old State Library of Queensland

State Library of Queensland

The State Library of Queensland is a large public library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988...

 and on the opposite side of Elizabeth Street is the former Treasury Building

Treasury Building, Brisbane

The former Queensland Government Treasury Building, is located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia on a city block surrounded by George Street, Queen Street, Elizabeth Street and William Street....

 (now Conrad Treasury Casino

Conrad Treasury Casino

The Treasury Casino, also known as The Treasury is a casino in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It also houses a hotel, five restaurants, seven bars, and a nightclub. The casino is operated by ECHO Entertainment Group....

).

Queens Gardens was established in its present form in 1963, after the buildings which had occupied the area had been demolished. Queens Gardens was named in honour of Queen Victoria

Victoria of the United Kingdom

Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....

. A statue of Queen Victoria, based on an original in Portsmouth and created by English sculptor Thomas Brock, was unveiled in 1906 in the gardens in front of the Lands Administration Building.

Also in the gardens is a statue of T. J. Ryan

T. J. Ryan

Thomas Joseph "T.J." Ryan was Premier of Queensland, Australia from May 1915 until October 1919 when he resigned to enter Federal politics.-Early life:Thomas Joseph Ryan was born at Port Fairy, Victoria...

, Premier of Queensland (1915 - 1919), and a Royal Australian Air Force

Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

memorial.

As an early penal colony the site was originally home to a cottage, lumber yard, engineer's store and workshops.