Palace Barracks is the Palace Cinemas cinema at 61 Petrie Terrace, inside The Barracks, a shopping and dining precinct on the edge of the Brisbane CBD. It shows new releases, arthouse and retrospective films, and it has a mezzanine bar with city views.
The cinema sits in a row of heritage-listed police buildings that began life as a gaol, so a night at the pictures here comes with some real Queensland history around you.
What is Palace Barracks?
Palace Barracks is one of the Palace Cinemas venues. Its film programme covers new releases, arthouse and retrospective films and foreign language film festivals, which is the main reason people choose it over a multiplex.
The address is 61 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane 4000. Phone the cinema on (07) 3367 1356. The doors and phone lines open 15 minutes before the first session of the day, and tickets are booked on the Palace Barracks page, where you pick a date and a film.
The mezzanine bar
Upstairs there is a mezzanine bar with city views. It serves premium wines, local craft beers, charcuterie and cheese platters, and barista-made coffee from ST. ALi.
The cinema also takes bookings for functions, including corporate occasions, children’s parties, group bookings, school and holiday programs, private screenings, big screen gaming and fundraising events. Gift cards are listed on the cinema’s website.
The Barracks precinct
The Barracks is a shopping, dining and entertainment precinct. Names listed on its own site include Libertine, Moda, Tiger Eye and BWS alongside the cinema, and its stores page lists the rest. The precinct is open Monday to Friday 7 am to 9 pm, Saturday 9 am to 9 pm and Sunday 10 am to 4 pm (hours of individual venues and the cinema sessions differ, so check before you go).
It is a short walk from Suncorp Stadium and the CBD, which makes it a handy stop before or after a match or a night in town.
The history of the buildings
The site has a long past. The Petrie Terrace Gaol operated from 1860 and held 96 prisoners across two cell blocks. It became the Petrie Terrace Police Depot in 1883, used for police training and operations, horse stabling and later a motor vehicle depot.
Three heritage-listed police-era buildings remain: the 1860 three-storey brick barracks, the 1912 stables and the 1941 radio communications centre, which was built as a wireless hub for Brisbane police vehicles. After sitting derelict for nearly 20 years, the site was redeveloped as a mixed-use precinct and opened for business in 2008, and it won two UDIA Awards the following year.
The State Government approved the $120 million mixed-use redevelopment in 2007. The developers worked the heritage buildings into the new design, so the old brick and stone sit beside modern shopfronts. The precinct describes itself as having been part of Queensland’s story for over 160 years.
Making a night of it
The cinema is the anchor, but the precinct around it keeps longer hours on weekdays than on Sundays, when it closes at 4 pm. If you are seeing a Sunday session, do your shopping or eating beforehand. The cinema’s mezzanine bar covers drinks and platters before or after a film, and the precinct’s own site also lists Libertine, Moda and Tiger Eye, so check their pages for what they offer.
Planning your visit
- Book: choose a session on the Palace Barracks page. Some sessions sell quickly.
- Arrive early: the bar is a good way to fill the time before a session.
- Prices: ticket prices are shown when you book.
Getting there and parking
By car, it is about 5 minutes from the CBD. The undercover Secure Parking car park is off Petrie Terrace, at the top of Caxton Street. Cinema patrons get 2 hours free when they validate the ticket at the Box Office, with discounted rates after that if the ticket is validated.
By bus, routes 61, 375, 377, 378, 379, 380, 381, 470, 475 and 476 stop about a 5-minute walk away, and Roma Street train station is about a 10-minute walk. You can also walk or ride in from the CBD. Plan your trip on Translink.
Nearby
- Roma Street Parkland – gardens and playgrounds a short walk away.
- Suncorp Stadium – a short walk from The Barracks.
- Caxton Hotel – a pub on Caxton Street.
- Riverstage Brisbane – the outdoor stage in the City Botanic Gardens.
- Spring Hill – Jacob’s Ladder, the baths and the Old Windmill.
- Cinemas and History and landmarks across South East Queensland.
You might also like
- Strand Theatre (Toowoomba)
- Regent Theatre (Brisbane City)
- McCaskie Park (Kelvin Grove)
Quick answers
What is Palace Barracks?
It is a Palace Cinemas cinema at 61 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane, inside The Barracks precinct. It has a mezzanine bar with city views.
Where is Palace Barracks?
At 61 Petrie Terrace, Petrie Terrace, on the western edge of the Brisbane CBD. It is about 5 minutes by car from the CBD.
Is parking free at Palace Barracks?
Cinema patrons get 2 hours free in the undercover Secure Parking car park when they validate their ticket at the Box Office. Discounted rates apply after that.
How do you get to Palace Barracks by public transport?
Several bus routes stop about a 5-minute walk away, and Roma Street train station is about a 10-minute walk.
What time does The Barracks open?
The precinct is open Monday to Friday 7 am to 9 pm, Saturday 9 am to 9 pm and Sunday 10 am to 4 pm. Cinema sessions are listed on the Palace Cinemas website.
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