Eulo Police Station Quarters and Lock-Up, c1883.
Police documents record the first Police Officer stationed at Eulo in 1876 as Constable Thomas Pettitt. No records could be found of a station building however, and it is possible rented premises were used. Documentation dated 12th January 1883, from the Under Secretary Edward Deighton, requested tenders for the construction of a police station in the town with a preliminary tender deposit of £15 required, in either bank notes or a bank draft. The completion of new quarters at Eulo was reported by electric telegraph dated 29th November 1883. A request accompanied it for an additional amount of £150 to erect kitchens and purchase furniture, and this response followed; “Police can put up kitchens themselves and old furniture must do.”
The cells being prepared for their removal from the Police Station property, 2016.
Image courtesy of Heike Richter, Eulo.
Termites eventually destroyed the original buildings, so new facilities and cells were erected in May 1923 at a total cost of £1438. The barracks included 3 bedrooms, a living room, kitchen with pantry, office and bathroom. There was also a single Constable’s bedroom providing separation from the main building. One of the rooms was utilised for Court purposes, and there was a dray shed on the block, with one serviceable dray.
Trucked to their new site, the cells are being prepared for placement at Lizard Lounge, 2016.
Image courtesy of Heike Richter, Eulo.
The old Police buildings were sold by tender. The successful purchaser was Mr Fred Heineman of Maroona Station, he paid £95 and during September of 1923 he removed the old buildings and relocated the materials. The cell block with verandah remained. It was originally built to keep prisoners secure but was decommissioned in 2004 as it could not be upgraded in line with modern day standards.
The cells in place, and a working bee is held to landscape and plant the site, 2016.
Image courtesy of Heike Richter, Eulo.
In 2014 the cells was gifted to the Eulo community by the Queensland Police Service and relocated to their present location with costs funded by a Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal grant and the Eulo Development Association Inc. Community members have also contributed with the preservation and beautification project and the historic Eulo police cells are now open to the public and provide a glimpse of past policing in the town. They are located at the eastern end of Eulo on the Adventure Way at Lizard Lounge.
Almost ready, the newly erected sign provides the history of the cells, 2016.
Image courtesy of Heike Richter, Eulo.
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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time. The article was written by Museum Assistant Georgia Grier, and photos supplied by Heike Richter. The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au
“FROM the VAULT- Eulo Police Cells” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode