A number of books about South Brisbane Cemetery and the local area have been produced by the not-for-profit publishing project Inside History. Please scroll down to find out about all these great titles, and contact us to ask about ordering some.

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Rock of Ages: South Brisbane Cemetery Symbolism (Tracey Olivieri & Christopher Dawson, 2008)

A surprising array of gravestone symbolism awaits the visitor to the history-laden South Brisbane Cemetery. Ships and anchors, palettes and lambs, angels and cherubs, Russian and Celtic crosses, and a variety of plants and flowers that held a range of meanings for Victorian-era people. Based on the databases of the 'Friends of South Brisbane Cemetery', Rock of Ages provides an attractive photographic record of these headstones.

RRP $8.00 - 76 pages, fully illustrated

In the Beginning: The early years of South Brisbane Cemetery (Tracey Olivieri, 2008)

The South Brisbane Cemetery was established in the 1860s and remains one of Queensland’s most historic and beautiful cemeteries. This fascinating book, the first in the new ‘Stories in Stone’ series from Inside History publishers, looks at the creation and changing shape of the original cemetery, and also the lives of some of the prominent locals buried within its grounds. 

RRP $6.00 - 48 pages, with illustrations and bibliography

Hangman's Walk: South Brisbane Cemetery (Christopher Dawson, 2007)

The historic South Brisbane Cemetery, also known as the Dutton Park Cemetery, is an important touchstone to Brisbane's past. This publication takes the reader on an intriguing graveside tour, highlighting the human connection between the cemetery, the Boggo Road Gaol, and the era of hanging in Queensland.

RRP $3.00 - 22 pages, with illustrations

Hong Kong to Toowong: Chinese burials in the Brisbane General Cemetery (Leonie Gane, 2008)

Much of the history of Queensland's Chinese pioneers lies forgotten in the Toowong Cemetery. This book, which is a companion to Leonie Gane'sThe Hungry Ghosts of Boggo Road, seeks to fill in a few of the blanks and give a face to some of the Chinese names in the cemetery register. It also takes a look at Chinese beliefs and burial customs, answering such questions as, 'what are the Bucket of Troubled Origins' and the 'Spirit that Clears the Way'?

RRP $8.00 - 64 pages, with illustrations and endnotes

The Prisoners of Toowong Cemetery: Life, Death & the old Petrie Terrace Gaol (Christopher Dawson, 2006)

23 men died in Brisbane Gaol, Petrie Terrace, during 1875-82, and were buried in Toowong Cemetery. The tales of this 'international brigade' of prisoners are a reminder of life on the other side of the tracks and of deaths behind locked doors. Find out; How a horribly bungled Brisbane hanging drew the attention of Downing Street; How the 'Aboriginal Ned Kelly' ended up in Berlin; Why a university still has the heads of two of the executed prisoners; and how a convicted child molester became Queensland's executioner.

RRP $8.00 - 72 pages, with illustrations, endnotes and bibliography

A Pit of Shame: South Brisbane Cemetery and the executed prisoners of Boggo Road (Christopher Dawson, 2005)

They came from all corners of the world – Asia, Europe, the Americas and Australia... They killed for love or money, in desperation or drunkenness… They were all hanged at Boggo Road, and they were buried in South Brisbane Cemetery. A Pit of Shame tells the stories of the 42 people hanged at the notorious Boggo Road Gaol – their crimes, their last words, and their deaths.        

RRP $14.00 - 104 pages, with illustrations and bibliography

Brisbane Beginnings #1: Dutton Park (Christopher Dawson & Tracey Olivieri, 2009)

The first book in the Brisbane Beginnings series explores the hidden history of this unique suburb. Contains a wealth of fully-referenced information about Aboriginal and early European history in the area, local residents, street names, houses, schools, the Catholic Church, and the prison, cemetery, pound and recreation reserves.

RRP: $6.00 - 44 pages, with illustrations and full endnotes

Boggo Road Heritage Walk (Christopher Dawson, 2007)

Annerley Road, formerly known as Boggo Road, has a lot more history than your average suburban street. This walk will take you through a landscape filled with 19th and early 20th century heritage - if you know where to look. Discover historic cemeteries, parks, prisons, hospitals, schools, churches, cinemas, bridges, cenotaphs and hotels on one of Brisbane's most fascinating heritage trails.

RRP $4.00 - 38 pages with illustrations

Absolute Fairyland: Heady days in Dutton Park (Christopher Dawson, 2006)

100 years before the Schonell Bridge transformed the quiet slopes of Dutton Park, the arrival of the electric tramway turned the neglected riverside reserve into 'the most picturesque and charming open-air resort in Australia'. This was the era of the 'Continentals' when live performers and silent movies drew up to 5,000 people per night to the park. By the time of the Depression, however, the park had become a shanty town of relief workers. This is the surprising history of the rise and fall of a suburban park.

RRP $8.00 - 46 pages with illustrations and endnotes

The One & Only Boggo Road:The history of a unique suburban street (Christopher Dawson, 2008)

Annerley Road grew from an 1850s bullock track to become a unique road with a unique name. This book covers the years from when Indigenous people camped in a rich environment, to the development of the 'One-Mile Swamp' and 'Boggo', and the near-disappearance of 'Boggo' from the Brisbane lexicon. By that time the road was home to one of the state's oldest cemeteries and most notorious prison, and a 19th century legacy that survives to this day.

RRP $8.00 - 76 pages, with illustrations and endnotes