School Tours
Tours can be arranged Tuesday to Friday. Our experienced tour guides, all with current blue cards, can immerse you in Queensland’s convict history in the convict-built Commissariat Store building. The cost is $5 per student.
The Commissariat Store is located in the Brisbane CBD within walking distance of other popular locations – Parliament House, the Science Centre, Queensland Museum, South Bank Parklands and the Botanic Gardens. Our team is able to work with you to design a program that maximises your students’ learning experience in line with your curriculum.
Themes that can be covered include Compulsory Australian Curriculum (including Moreton Bay Penal settlement and Secondary Offenders), Crime and Punishment, Creating a Nation and Federation, Archaeology, Architecture, Geology, Immigration, Continuity and Change, Significant Individuals, Investigating European exploration and movement of people, Colonial Brisbane and Convict Brisbane.
Please contact us to discuss any requirements for your school visit and to arrange a booking. Due to the size of the building, for safety reasons and to ensure the comfort of our guests we can accommodate up to 60 students at a time, and one school at a time. With this in mind please attempt to plan your visit and book a month in advance to avoid the disappointment of your preferred date and time being unavailable.
Please note that temperatures inside the Museum during the summer months often exceed the outside temperature. We highly recommend you book your tour in April - October to ensure the best possible experience for all. Please take this in to consideration when booking a tour.
The format that we usually follow for school visits is as follows:
Upon arrival at the Commissariat Store Museum, we gather the group on the lower ground floor and do an overview of the history of convict transportation to Australia and the development of early Brisbane. We cover the social and economic circumstances that were the causes of Convict transportation. The talk is quite interactive, and we ask the students relevant questions to engage them with the historical story. The Museum Guide who is giving the introductory presentation will be at the front of the group, and the other Guides and Volunteers will be at the back to assist teachers with questions and overseeing the group.
After the introductory talk we divide the students into smaller groups (dependant on number of Guides available) and take them on tour through the different areas of the museum, to give them greater insight of the early colonial history of the Moreton Bay settlement. We encourage to students to ask questions and share their current knowledge.
We then give the students 10 to 15 minutes ‘’free time’’ to explore the museum and our exhibits and ask any additional questions they may have.
