Acknowledgement of Country
'Connected Worlds' Artwork
Old Government House Title Wall
Acknowledgement of Country
QUT acknowledges the Turrbal and Yugara as the First Nations owners of the lands where QUT now stands. We pay our respect to their Elders, lores, customs and creation spirits. We recognise that these lands have always been places of teaching, research and learning. QUT acknowledges the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people play within the QUT community.
'Connected Worlds' Artwork
In 2020, QUT engaged Aboriginal artist, Keisha Leon, to create a digital artwork that brought a First Nations perspective to the university. The artist worked closely with Yugara and Gorenpul man and QUT Elder-in-Residence at the time, Gregory Egert (Uncle Cheg), to capture the stories of this place (QUT) and represent the connected worlds of our QUT community and the Turrbal and Yugara peoples.
Old Government House Title Wall
Welcome to Old Government House. Built on Turrbal and Yugara Country.
On this land, by this river…
For tens of thousands of years, the river and surrounding land was, and continues to be, the traditional Country of the Turrbal and Yugara.
In 1825 the Moreton Bay penal settlement was established on the north bank of the river. After 14 years the convict settlement closed, and in 1842 Brisbane was officially opened to all settlers.
Queensland, a new, separate colony from New South Wales, was established in December 1859.
This ‘handsome and commodious’ Government House, completed in May 1862, served as the official state office, and the private residence of Queensland’s first 11 governors and their families and staff.
By 1909 the House was considered too small for the role and functions of a governor, and as a result our 11th Governor Sir William MacGregor and his family moved out into new accommodation.
This building was converted into Queensland’s first university and became known as Old Government House.