I may have been a little over excited about visiting this location today. My inner map nerd and historic nerd wanted to check out the old building where those beautiful and fun to search historic maps were made. And the trig hunter in new wanted to walk where trig creators had walked. And so I didn't stop at the gardens or door. I wandered inside.

At first I was just going to look around the foyer and ask reception if they had any history info of the building. However, upon receiving a file of historic info and reading the word "map room", I figured further exploration needed to be done. I called the geo-buddy inside and pretended (in my head so I didn't chicken out) that I was just a guest looking at the history of the place I was paying to stay in. Haha. I was only questioned when sprung in the Surveyors Room, but I told the truth of what I was doing and was allowed to continue without a problem.

There was a collection of prints of old surveying tools but I think they've all been purchased by the Hotel and used to accessorise the surveyors wing. There were a couple of old QLD maps hung in the Map Room that you can download free online and print yourself. There was one drawing of the building near reception, which may have also been just a print. I desperately wanted to go up and down the old lift but decided that was probably pushing my luck too far. The courtyard was begging to be relaxed in and you could see the old pulley arm for lifting things in and out of the stores section, although I doubt it would have held up under the weight of those giant cameras installed. There were stained glass Lands Dept themed art pieces in the entry/exit areas. And there were a number of artworks around the walls depicting a rural looking Brisbane. Well worth the wander.

I think I'll have to return here another day to enjoy a coffee in the Cafe and relax in the courtyard, explore the other wing, and maybe even sneak in a ride up and down the lift.

Rated: for Overall Experience.