place
TIME &
Nuts about
Queensland’s heritage
A sculptor’s legacy
The
Barracks
Breathing new life into an icon
Northern ‘cultural’
exposure
Issue 26
SUMMER 2011
Time & Place is the
Official Newsletter of the
Queensland Heritage Council
Issue 26
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About the QHC
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The Queensland Heritage Council (QHC) is
the state’s peak body on heritage matters.
It works to identify and protect places that
have special cultural value to the community
and for future generations.
The QHC was established by the Queensland
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Heritage Act 1992, which requires the council
to act independently, impartially and in
the public interest. The QHC is the key
decision-maker on places of cultural heritage
significance to Queensland, deciding what is
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entered in the Queensland Heritage Register.
The QHC also:
– provides strategic advice on heritage matters
to the Queensland Minister for Environment,
Ms Vicky Darling MP;
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Chair’s Comments
A note from Queensland Heritage Council Chair,
Professor Peter Coaldrake
Heritage in detail: A sculptor’s legacy
Queensland Heritage Council member, Judith McKay writes about
the work of Queensland artist, Daphne Mayo, which appears on
many of Queensland’s heritage places
Sustainable Solutions: The Barracks
Breathing new life into an iconic heritage-listed building
Defining Queensland: Northern ‘cultural’ exposure
The lasting legacy of the state’s migrant men and women in
North Queensland
Local government heritage achievements
A brief look at Cairns Regional Council’s local heritage register
Unique and unusual places: Nuts about Queensland’s heritage
Three blocks of peanut silos in Kingaroy have been entered into
the Queensland Heritage Register
In your town: Heritage places to visit in Aramac and Barcaldine
A selection of fascinating heritage places in far-west Queensland
For the record: New listings in the Queensland Heritage Register
Featuring the richness and diversity of the newest heritage places
Heritage news in brief
The latest developments regarding Queensland’s heritage
– works with government departments and
community organisations to conserve
culturally significant places and spaces;
– lobbies and advocates on behalf of owners of
heritage places; and
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– educates and informs the community about
Queensland’s cultural heritage.
The council receives professional advice and
administrative support from the Department
of Environment and Resource Management’s
Heritage Branch.
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COVER PHOTO: The redevelopment of the derelict
former Police Barracks on Brisbane’s Petrie Terrace
to create an award-winning commercial precinct is
an excellent example of an adaptive reuse project.
Photos courtesy of Arkhefield (photo by Scott Burrows)
Designed by
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C ontact D etails
Queensland Heritage Council
Secretariat, Department of Environment and Resource Management
Postal Address - GPO Box 2454, Brisbane QLD 4001.
Telephone - 1300 130 372 Facsimile - (07) 3330 5875
E-mail - [email protected]
Chair of the Queensland Heritage Council ___ Professor Peter Coaldrake AO
Director, Heritage Branch ____________________ Fiona Gardiner
Time & Place Editor __________________________ Cameron Coward
Unit 16 Hill House
71 Bradley Street
Spring Hill Qld 4000
telePhone07
3839 3144
facsimile 07 3839 3155
www.bravecreative.com.au
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Want to get on the mailing list or update your details?
Drop an email to [email protected] or write to the address above.
As 2011 comes to an end, we can look back with pride
on steps taken to preserve Queensland’s heritage.
Professor Peter Coaldrake AO
Some 24 new entries to the Queensland Heritage Register this year
have included a lighthouse, the remains of a sugar plantation and
one of the State’s first child health clinics. Significantly, 14 of
these places are from the Gympie region - a wonderful
endorsement of the heritage values of a town that has played such
an important role in Queensland’s history.
Since 2007, local governments have been required to establish
registers of significant local heritage places. Many local
governments have embraced this and achieved great results. One
of the important partnerships forged along the way is that with
Cairns Regional Council, about which you can read more on p.12.
This year, members of the Queensland Heritage Council have made
a concerted effort to visit the regional centres and build stronger
ties with local councils and owners of heritage places. We have
traversed the State from Normanton to Townsville, Longreach,
Barcaldine, Aramac, Mackay, Gympie, Warwick, and Beaudesert.
Pride in local history is easily measured when talking to members
of these communities, and we acknowledge and respect the
commitment so evident in these local areas.
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QHC members John Cotter (left) and Chris Buckley (far right) recently
visited the Mackay harbour facilities and are pictured here with Bronwyn
Kapitzke and Gary Riches of the North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation
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The regional visits have greatly assisted our understanding of local
issues and have helped forge strong relationships with the local
councillors and owners. The value and care which local
communities place on their heritage places is very evident, in
many cases despite constraints imposed by financial realities.
Stronger partnerships with local government and the corporate
sector are among the means for balancing those constraints, and
the deliberations we have engaged around the Empire Theatre
(Toowoomba) and Globe Hotel (Barcaldine) are fine examples of
just how much can be achieved in this way. We will seek to
develop the strong foundations that have been built this year.
As we move into 2012, a number of events have been planned to
celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Queensland Heritage Act 1992,
and the commitment shown by many individuals and communities
in protecting our heritage places. Details of these events will be
announced on the QHC website early in the new year.
Professor Peter Coaldrake AO
Chair
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QHC Chair, Professor Peter Coaldrake, in front of the Aramac Anglican
Church, where his father was the Anglican priest in the 1960s
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Heritage in detail
Queensland artist Daphne Mayo (1895–1982) was Australia’s
leading woman sculptor of her day. In a career spanning 50
years, she undertook about 35 commissions for public sculpture
around Australia, for places extending from Winton to Adelaide.
Her public works, ranging from architectural ornaments to
statues and medallions, show the diversity of her work and
her skills in both modelling and carving. Some of these works
ornament places on the Queensland Heritage Register and are
significant in their own right.
A sculptor’s
legacy
by Judith McKay
Mayo’s major work is the Brisbane City Hall tympanum (1930), a massive
composition measuring 16 metres across. It was carved in in situ from a
scaffold platform reached by climbing ‘innumerable high ladders’. Other innercity places associated with Mayo are: the Tattersall's Club, with her The horse in
sport frieze along the Queen St arcade as well as pilaster capitals on the Edward
St façade (1926); Anzac Square, with her Queensland Women’s War Memorial
set into the Ann St retaining wall (1932); All Saints’ Church, with her stations
of the cross (1933); and her statue of Major General Sir William Glasgow
(1965), now in Post Office Square.
About Judith McKay
Dr Judith McKay is a museum consultant
and historian and a member of the
Queensland Heritage Council. Many years
ago, as a fine arts student, Judith wrote
a thesis on the life and work of Daphne
Mayo and is now guest curator of the
Mayo exhibition. She is also assisting
Department of Environment and Resource
Management staff to add more of Mayo’s
work to the Queensland Heritage Register
and to update existing entries.
Daphne Mayo carving the Queensland Women’s
War Memorial, Brisbane, 1932
Image courtesy of Fryer Library, The University of Queensland;
photographer unknown
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Mayo’s contributions to three other places on the Queensland Heritage Register
are less well known because they are early works, dating from 1918−19, and
were undertaken in association with monumental masons. At this time, Mayo
worked with local masons for experience in stone carving as her earlier training
at Brisbane’s Central Technical College had been limited to modelling in clay.
The places in question are: the Former Victoria Bridge Abutment—she modelled
the portrait medallion (now, sadly, replaced) for its Hector Vasyli Memorial; St
Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Ipswich— she carved The last supper relief panel
for its high altar; and the Booval War Memorial—she carved its soldier statue.
Mayo might have disowned the latter work in 1942 when she wrote that ‘our
Australian civilisation’ would be ‘classed…very backward’ if judged by ‘the crop
of stone and bronze soldiers that sprang up after the last war’!
Besides the above, there are other places in Queensland with work by Mayo
worthy of recognition: the Church of the Holy Spirit, New Farm, which bears
her tympanum and stations of the cross (1930) and the Mt Thompson Memorial
Gardens which has her relief panels on the west chapel and columbarium
(1934). Finally, the North Gregory Hotel in Winton boasts the most unusual of
Mayo’s works—etched glass door panels illustrating local legends, the Waltzing
Matilda story and the birth of Qantas (1955). In her extensive and diverse
work, she has left a remarkable legacy.
The exhibition ‘Daphne Mayo: Let There Be Sculpture’ recently opened at
the Queensland Art Gallery and will continue until 15 January 2012. Visit the
gallery’s website at www.qag.qld.gov.au/exhibitions for further information.
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Third-scale model of the final design for the Brisbane City Hall
tympanum, 1929
Image courtesy of Fryer Library, The University of Queensland; photographer unknown
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Mayo’s Brisbane City Hall tympanum, The progress of civilisation in the
state of Queensland, 1927–30
Photograph by Richard Stringer
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Daphne Mayo carving the Brisbane City Hall tympanum, 1930
Image courtesy of Fryer Library, The University of Queensland; photograph by Berenice Lahey (Cribb)
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Queensland Women’s War Memorial, Anzac Square, Brisbane, 1929–32
Photograph by Richard Stringer
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Stations of the cross III, Church of the Holy Spirit, New Farm 1929–30
Photographs by Richard Stringer
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Sustainable solutions
Barr
acks
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An excellent example of an adaptive reuse project undertaken in
Queensland in recent years was the redevelopment of the former
Police Barracks on Brisbane’s Petrie Terrace.
The former Police Barracks is built on the site of the 1860 Brisbane
Gaol. The gaol rapidly became overcrowded and closed in 1883
when the new Boggo Road Gaol opened. In 1885, the site became
the Petrie Terrace Police Depot and was used for police training
and operations, stabling horses, and as a motor vehicle depot.
By 1940, all the original gaol buildings had been demolished.
Three buildings from the Police era remain on the site. They are
the stables built in 1912, the three-storey brick barracks built in
1939, and the radio communications centre built in 1941. The
Police Barracks and stables were entered in the Queensland
Heritage Register in 1999.
The site had laid derelict from the mid 1980s through to 2008.
During this time, squatters had occupied the buildings causing
extensive damage.
The Barracks
Breathing
new life into
an icon
Effective heritage conservation does not require
that heritage places remain frozen in time and
never altered. In fact, the best way to protect
heritage places is to ensure they remain in
active use, are well maintained and continue
to contribute to our communities. Very often,
heritage places are adapted for new uses.
From a sustainability perspective, adapting an
old building instead of building a new one can
result in significant energy savings. To do this
successfully requires balancing the place’s
heritage values with a range of economic,
environmental and community expectations.
In 2007, the Queensland Heritage Council approved a development
application for the $120 million mixed-use redevelopment of the
site. The developers were QM Properties and Property Solutions
working with architects Arkhefield.
The challenges for the architects with the former Police Barracks
building were many including adapting the original layout of
small cellular rooms and installing modern services such as
plumbing and electrical cabling.
On the positive side, the building had good ventilation, shaded
verandahs, high thermal mass (low temperature fluctuation), and
reasonable orientation to the sun. Also, a high sustainability rating
could be achieved for the project by recognising the embodied
energy contained in the existing building.
The architects opted to maintain the visual prominence of the
heritage buildings and respectfully conceal the new building
behind the old, which preserved the Petrie Terrace streetscape.
The new buildings had to be relatively low with large floor
plates—a cinema, supermarket, and hospitality and retail outlets
proved ideal. A thoroughfare connecting Caxton Street and the
city was included in the redevelopment to ensure a constant flow
of activity through the site.
A combination of the right uses, clever planning, and government
support for the concepts resulted in a striking transformation that
successfully integrated the three heritage-listed buildings with
contemporary architecture to create a multi-award winning
landmark retail and commercial precinct.
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The Petrie Terrace Police Barracks building pictured in 1951
Photo courtesy of the State Library of Queensland
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The challenges facing the architects were many
‘Before’ photos courtesy of Arkhefield
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The striking transformation is a credit to all involved in the project
‘After’ photos courtesy of Arkhefield (photos by Scott Burrows)
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Defining Queensland
Northern
‘cultural’
exposure
The rich tapestry that is
Queensland’s cultural heritage
has been woven by the lives
of our forebears, patterned
by their cultural backgrounds
and shaped by the state’s
environment and resources.
Many of our vibrant and
diverse heritage places stand
as a lasting tribute to the
aspirations, beliefs and values
of our forebears who came to
Queensland seeking their fortunes
from a variety of far-flung places
around the globe.
In the state’s north, there are a
number of heritage-listed places
that demonstrate the lasting
influences of these migrant men
and women. This story covers just
a few of these special places.
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Paronella Park
In the early 1930s, Jose Paronella designed and constructed Paronella Park
as a commercial ‘pleasure garden’ and Spanish-style castillo (castle).
Jose migrated to Australia from
Catalonia, Spain in 1913 and after saving
money earned from a variety of labouring
jobs, was able to buy, improve and sell a
succession of cane farms to become
comparatively wealthy.
Inspired by his grandmother’s romantic
tales of Spanish castillos, Jose had long
dreamt of building a castle and
surrounding pleasure garden. He found
the perfect site on the northern bank of
Mena Creek, south of Innisfail, in an area
Opened to the public in 1935,
Paronella Park was one of the earliest
tourist attractions in North Queensland.
The park’s life as a pleasure garden
continues as José intended with scores
of visitors enjoying this unique location
every year. It gained National Trust
listing in 1997 and was entered in the
Queensland Heritage Register in 1999.
of exceptional natural beauty that
includes Mena Creek Falls. Jose purchased
the land in 1931 and set about
constructing the park, with his design
influenced by Moorish architecture, the
gardens of Spain and the work of
Antonio Gaudi.
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Paronella Park’s magnificent fountains in Jose’s
‘pleasure gardens’
Image courtesy of Paronella Park; photograph by Matthew Evans
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The lower ‘refreshment rooms’ at Paronella Park
Image courtesy of Paronella Park; photograph by Matthew Evans
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The moon rising over Paronella Park’s fairytale castle
Image courtesy of Paronella Park; photograph by Matthew Evans
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Floriana
The former family home of a highly successful
Maltese immigrant, located on the Cairns
Esplanade overlooking Trinity Inlet, Floriana
was constructed in 1939 as the city residence
of Paul and Paulina Zammit and their family.
Paul Zammit migrated from Malta in 1912
and became one of the most successful
sugarcane farmers in North Queensland
with a property near Bartle Frere.
Floriana tells the story of one migrant
couple's aspirations to succeed in their
adopted society without losing sight of their
traditional cultural values. Named after a
portside village in Malta, Floriana is a twostory chamferboard and rendered brick house
that incorporates a number of traditional
Maltese housing elements within a typical
modern Queensland home of its era.
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During the war years, the Zammit family
regularly entertained top visiting US and
Australian Army showbands and hosted
many social and fundraising events in
Floriana's ground floor ballroom.
Floriana was entered in the Queensland
Heritage Register in 2010 and currently
operates as a guest house.
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Paul and Paulina Zammit pictured in front of
Floriana in the late 1940s
Image courtesy of the Zammit family
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Floriana following conversion for holiday
accommodation
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The winding timber staircase forms a dominant
feature in the foyer area
See Poy House
The former family home of one of Innisfail’s most prominent Chinese-Australian business families
was built by Johnstone and Theodora See Poy in Edith Street, Innisfail between 1929 and 1932.
The See Poys were an important ChineseAustralian family in North Queensland
history, operating See Poy and Sons, a
major department store, for approximately
100 years. It became arguably the largest
department store in North Queensland
selling everything from toys and shoes to
groceries, furniture and cars.
The store was established by Johnstone’s
father, Taam Sze Pui, who was known as Tom
See Poy. He migrated to North Queensland
during the 1870s to try his luck on the
Palmer River goldfields but went on to
establish market gardens and then set up
businesses catering for new arrivals.
The family home, See Poy House, and its
formal garden, were used to host community
events establishing the family’s reputation
as key members of the Innisfail community.
With the demolition of the See Poy and
Sons department store, See Poy House now
remains as one of the last tangible links
with this highly successful family and the
role they played in the social and economic
development of North Queensland.
See Poy House was entered in the
Queensland Heritage Register in 2010 and
continues to be used as a family home.
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Johnstone and Theodora See Poy pictured in
front of their home in the 1940s
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The substantial timber home as it looks today
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The beautifully maintained interior of See Poy
House
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Pelota Mano Court
Known by its Spanish name, Pelota Mano (handball) Court was opened on 1959 in Trebonne,
a small township west of Ingham.
The handball court, was constructed by Joe
Sartoresi in the grounds of his Trebonne
Hotel. Sartoresi knew it would serve as a
gathering point for the local Basque
community and expand his business.
Handball, in its various forms, has been an
important recreational activity within Basque
communities for as far back as the 1500s.
The Pelota Mano Court is historically
significant as a rare illustration of the
presence of people of Basque origin in
Queensland. Although small in numbers,
Basque migrants contributed significantly
to the sugar industry in North Queensland
in the 1950s and early 1960s.
The court played an important role in the
social and cultural activities of the Basque
community in Trebonne and surrounding
areas during the post-war period. Entered
in the Queensland Heritage Register in
2001, the court is significant for its rarity
as the only purpose-built Basque handball
court constructed in Queensland.
The rare handball court at Trebonne,
west of Ingham
We have a duty to conserve for
future generations, these living
heritage places that provide tangible
links to the past and to the lives of
our forebears and help to tell the
story of Queensland.
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Local government heritage achievements
In 2007, the Queensland Government amended the Queensland Heritage Act 1992
requiring local governments to establish a register of significant local cultural heritage
places. Local governments across the state have taken up the challenge in earnest
with many already achieving outstanding results assessing and documenting places
of cultural heritage significance in their areas.
Cairns Regional Council
Local Heritage Register
Cairns Regional Council took a unique approach to this challenge
and formed a partnership with DERM in 2007 to undertake the
Cairns Heritage Study. The two organisations joined forces to
identify and evaluate places for both the council’s local heritage
register and the Queensland Heritage Register as part of the
State-wide heritage survey.
The benefits of the partnership have included applying a
consistent methodology and thematic framework, maximising
resources and effort, capacity building, and greater community
awareness and understanding of heritage at all levels.
Following amalgamations in 2008, Cairns Regional Council
commissioned a Heritage Study for the former Douglas Shire
area to complement the work that had commenced in Cairns and
ensure a local heritage register was completed for the whole
Green Island Underwater Observatory
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places in its local heritage register including Green Island
The underwater observatory was installed on a section of the Great
Barrier Reef near Green Island in 1954. It is thought to be the first
structure of its type in the world that is accessible to the general
public. Converted from an underwater diving chamber used during
WWII for erecting pylons, the observatory demonstrates aspects
of the evolution of tourism on the reef. Before more sophisticated
tourist experiences were introduced, the observatory provided a
view of sea life that was not readily accessible by the public.
Underwater Observatory, Oribin House and Studio, and the
Oribin House and Studio, Cairns
region. Both the Cairns and Douglas heritage studies adopted a
thematic approach to identifying the key development trends in
the region and the council’s register covers heritage places that
reflect the key themes including settlement, tourism, and the
sugar and timber industries.
Cairns Regional Council has recently proposed entry of 240
Port Douglas Sugar Wharf and Storage Shed.
Local heritage registers provide a level of protection for heritage
places within council areas while recognising the need to provide
flexibility and adaptability for their ongoing use.
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Architect Eddie Oribin designed and built the house in 1958 and
studio in 1960, both for his own use. The house and studio were so
innovative and unusual that they increased public interest in
modern architecture and inspired other buildings. As such, they
played a significant role in the built environment in Far North
Queensland. The house and studio are now on separate lots
following a subdivision of the property.
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Norman Park, Gordonvale
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The park sits at the centre of a precinct considered to be historically
significant due to the uncommon cultural landscape - the park and
its surrounding commercial and government buildings face directly
onto the Mulgrave Sugar Mill. As the mill is the reason behind the
establishment of the town, this is thought to have been the
deliberate intention of the town’s designers in the 1890s.
Mossman Central Mill
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The grower-owned cooperative sugar mill was built in 1896 by
the Mossman Central Mill League, a group of early settlers who
united to apply for a government loan for the mill’s construction.
The vision of this group made a notable contribution to the
development of the district, particularly the town of Mossman.
The mill crushed its first cane in 1896 and is still in operation.
Port Douglas (Sugar) Wharf and
storage shed 5
Erected in 1904 for the Port Douglas Shire Council, the wharf and
shed were used for the storage and loading of sugar through to
1958. Port Douglas survived principally as a sugar port during this
time and during the second half of the 20th century, developed as
a popular tourist destination. The wharf was leased from 1963 by
well-known diver, Ben Cropp, to house a ship wreck museum until
2000 when he relocated to Cairns.
Saint John’s Anglican Church, Cairns
The aesthetically appealing building was designed in the
Romanesque style by the notable Cairns architect, Richard Hill. Built
between 1926 and 1927, the substantial church replaced the first St
John’s Anglican Church, which was destroyed by a cyclone in 1920.
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Grove Street Pensioner Cottages,
Cairns 6
Built in the early 1950s by the Cairns City Council, the group of eight
pensioners’ cottages are a rare social welfare initiative by a local
government and perhaps the only one of its kind in Queensland. They
were inspired by an Old Age Pensioners Camp established at Mareeba
in the early 1920s, where land was set aside by the government for
pensioners to build their own accommodation.
To view the full list of proposed heritage places on
the Cairns Regional Council Local Heritage Register,
visit www.cairns.qld.gov.au/region/heritage or call
07 4044 3542 for further information.
Photographs courtesy of Cairns Regional Council
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Unique and unusual places
Construction of the landmark silos was a massive undertaking
Nuts about
Queensland’s heritage
When we think of heritage-listed places, we generally think
of the grand old buildings that grace the early streets of
our towns and cities. However, from time to time, seemingly
unusual additions are made to our heritage register. The
places that define Queensland, reinforce our community’s
identity and provide tangible records that reflect our
traditions, history and values, are wide and varied.
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The imposing sentinels rise tall
above Kingaroy’s streetscape
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A clipping from the Telegraph
newspaper in 1938, following the
completion of silo number 2
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In what has been one of the state’s more unusual heritage listings,
three peanut silos blocks in Kingaroy have been entered into the
Queensland Heritage Register.
The three concrete silos blocks were built in 1938, 1948 and 1951
by the Queensland Peanut Marketing Board, the forerunner of
today’s Peanut Company of Australia (PCA), to store peanuts
before their processing and marketing.
The silos are designed to store peanuts in a controlled environment
and protect them from the weather and pests.
The Kingaroy Peanut Silos demonstrated the large-scale
development of the peanut industry in Queensland.
Since the 1920s, the South Burnett district has been the
headquarters of the Queensland peanut industry, a major
agricultural industry for the state.
The 42-metre high silos are visual and historical markers of
Kingaroy that tell an important story about the town’s
development. They dominate the townscape and the landscape of
the South Burnett and can be seen from great distances.
They are a striking physical manifestation of the Peanut Company
of Australia (PCA) and its precursor organisations. These
organisations have been at the heart of the peanut industry in
Queensland and Australia since its inception.
The Queensland Peanut Marketing Board was formed in 1924 with
the first year of operations based in a barn at Crawford, near
Kingaroy. Operations were then shifted to a grain shed at the
Kingaroy rail yards.
It was decided to build the first block of silos after it was realised
that more permanent arrangements were required.
The Association issued shares to the growers in lieu of the levy
received from the Board. In this way, the growers themselves
became the owners of any assets bought or built with the proceeds
of their levy.
These first silos were officially open in 1929, however, were
destroyed by fire in 1951. The concrete silos, known as 2, 3 and 4
survived this blaze although some wooden framework on No. 2
and No. 4 was destroyed.
The Kingaroy Peanut Silos were identified as part of the state-wide
heritage survey being carried out by the Department of
Environment and Resource Management’s Heritage Branch.
PCA Director
Supply and Operations,
John Howard, said
PCA was supportive
of the heritage listing
despite the company's
initial concerns.
"Contrary to our initial concerns about the heritage listing, it was
a pleasure dealing with the DERM Heritage Branch officers during
the process," Mr Howard said.
"We realised that by working together and establishing the correct
application parameters and exemption certificates, that heritage
listing would not be an encumbrance on our operations, efficiency
and stakeholders."
In order to build the silos, the growers formed the Queensland
Peanut Growers’ Cooperative Association Ltd.
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In your town
Heritage places
to visit in Aramac
and Barcaldine
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Aram
Barca
Queensland’s regional communities are host to some of
the state’s most significant heritage places. People in
these communities hold great pride in their heritage places
and work hard to maintain them, often with little external
support and few resources. The Queensland Heritage Council
(QHC) is well aware of the passion shown and the efforts
undertaken by local people to help preserve the heritage
places in their communities. In recognition of this, council
members conduct visits to regional Queensland to meet
with local government representatives, owners of heritage
places and local people to exchange ideas about heritage
and planning issues and to discuss the challenges facing
regional communities.
During one such trip in late July 2011, QHC members visited
a number of towns in the state’s far west. In this edition
of Time & Place, we will bring you a selection of heritage
places from Aramac and Barcaldine. Many of the unique
places visited by council members can also be accessed and
appreciated by all members of the community.
Aramac War Memorial
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Lodge Street, Aramac
Erected in 1924, the Aramac War Memorial dominates the town’s
main intersection and features an obelisk surmounted by a
digger statue. The memorial is significant for its extravagant
scale and design in relation to the size of the town. It
demonstrates the strong patriotism of the local community and
the respect they held for the 132 local men who served in the
First World War including 15 who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Aramac Tramway Musuem
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Boundary Street, Aramac
The Aramac Tramway Museum was originally constructed as the
Aramac Tramway Station in 1912-1913. Funded by the Aramac
Shire Council, the tramway was constructed as a branch line of
the Winton to Longreach line. It was the last locally controlled
tramway in operation in Queensland when it closed in 1975. For
many years, the tramway provided an important economic and
social link to Barcaldine, and in times of floods, provided the
only transport link between the towns.
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QHC member and rural representative John Cotter (left) and QHC
Chair Professor Peter Coaldrake inspecting a tram engine at the
Aramac Tramway Museum
Barcaldine Masonic Temple
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39 Beech Street, Barcaldine
The Masonic Temple at Barcaldine was constructed in 1901 as the
second temple of the Comet Lodge, the first having been moved
from Dingo Creek in stages following the development of the
railway line west. Freemasonry was established in many western
towns by the workers constructing the new roads and railway
lines. The timber-framed Barcaldine Masonic Temple adapts from
the designs used for larger lodges but uses more modest locally
available materials such as corrugated iron for cladding on the
back and sides. The most striking feature of the building is the
elaborate treatment of the front elevation, which is clad with
horizontal timber boards painted to mimic stonework.
mac
aldine
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QHC Chair Professor Peter Coaldrake visiting the Masonic Temple at Barcaldine
Barcaldine Shire Hall and Offices
4
Ash Street, Barcaldine
The Barcaldine Shire Hall and offices were built of timber with a
corrugated iron roof in 1911-1912. It has remained a significant
public building in the town, having served as the centre for local
government and a central social venue of the town for more than
80 years. Extensive alterations were made to ‘modernise’ the
buildings in 1952. The building still houses the office of the mayor
of the Barcaldine Regional Council.
Barcaldine War Memorial Clock
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Ash Street, Barcaldine
4
Unveiled in 1924 by Queensland’s then Governor, Sir Matthew
Nathan, the Barcaldine War Memorial Clock is one of only a few
of this style in Queensland. The memorial is a dominant landmark
in Barcaldine’s streetscape and has been constructed using a high
level of workmanship, materials and design.
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St Peter’s Anglican Church and Hall
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85 Elm Street, Barcaldine
Dedicated in 1899, St Peter’s Anglican Church is a typical example
of a timber Gothic Revival style church of the era. The hall was
added by 1909 and was used between 1909 and 1911 as the venue
for the first secondary school in western Queensland. Built on a
prominent site in the town, the picturesque church and hall have
played an important role in the spiritual and social needs of the
surrounding community for more than a hundred years.
Tree of Knowledge
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Oak Street, Barcaldine
The Tree of Knowledge was a ghost gum growing in front of the
Barcaldine railway Station under which striking workers met during
the Shearer’s Strike of 1891. The strike was a watershed in the
development of the trade unions movement and the Australian Labor
Party and a major event in Queensland’s history. In 1990, the tree was
discovered to have serious health problems but arborists were able to
treat the tree and give it a new lease on life. However, in an act of
vandalism, the tree was poisoned and died in 2006. A wooden
memorial constructed to commemorate the tree was opened in 2009.
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QHC member and rural representative John Cotter (left) and QHC Deputy Chair
Chris Buckley with the Tree of Knowledge memorial structure at Barcaldine
17
For the record
New
listings
in the
Queensland
Heritage
Register
Gympie Railway
Station Complex
As a key site for the movement of goods and people for over a century until its
closure in 1995, the Gympie Railway Station Complex was intimately connected to
the Gympie district’s development of its mining, timber, dairying and agricultural
industries. Initially the terminus of the line from Maryborough, the station evolved
over time following connections to Brisbane in 1891, the Mary Valley branch railway
in 1915, and the extension of Queensland’s coastal railway route. The largely intact
station building is derived from the Queensland Railways A series ‘Pagoda’ style
standard design and is considered rare in Queensland, as is the 1927 luggage lift
connecting the platform and subway.
There are now 1670 places
entered in the Queensland
Heritage Register, made
up of 1654 State heritage
places, 14 archaeological
places and two protected
areas. Here are a few of
the most recent additions.
For further information about these or
any places listed in the Queensland
Heritage Register, go to the Heritage
Conservation page on the DERM website
at www.derm.qld.gov.au
MOunt Elliott
Mining Complex
The Mount Elliott Mining Complex, south of
Cloncurry, was entered in the Queensland
Heritage Register as an archaeological place.
It was one of the major copper smelting sites
in north Queensland during the early 20th
century but has been abandoned for many
years. The site includes remnants of the Mount Elliott Mine, the smelter, a range of
associated infrastructure, scattered archaeological artefacts, the abandoned town of
Selwyn and its associated cemetery. At its peak in 1918, some 1500 people lived in
the township of Selwyn and there is potential to answer questions about how they
lived and worked in this complex historic mining landscape.
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Burns Philp Building
The iconic Burns Philp Building in
Normanton was constructed in 1884,
shortly after the formation of the
company that was to become one of the
most significant mercantile providers in
Queensland. It is a rare surviving
example of a Burns Philp store and the
oldest of the company’s Queensland
structures which were built in Brisbane,
Townsville, Cairns, Bowen, Charters
Towers, Burketown, Cooktown and
Thursday Island. Untouched during a
major rebuilding exercise undertaken by
Burns Philp on all of its other mainland
stores in the late 19th century, the
Normanton store operated continuously
as a general mercantile store and
agency office for more than 120 years.
As the earliest surviving store of Burns
Philp and Company, the building has a
special association with Sir James Burns
and Sir Robert Philp, who founded the
company that became known as the
‘octopus of the north’ due to its diverse
interests in stores and shipping.
Photo courtesy of Gordon Grimwade
Fortitude Valley
Child Health Centre
The Fortitude Valley Child Health Centre
was constructed in 1923 as a baby
clinic and Queensland’s first maternity
and infant nurse training centre. The
centre was purpose-built following the
introduction of the Maternity Act 1922,
which was part of a national and
international movement to improve the
health of mothers and babies.
In1925–26, the Fortitude Valley Child
Health Centre had the highest number
of attendances and visits to newborns
compared with other clinics in
operation throughout Brisbane. The
centre was expanded in 1929 to include
ante-natal care and during the 1930s
the accommodation at the clinic was
regularly overtaxed. The centre remains
as one of the two operational child
health clinics from a group of 13 built
across Queensland between 1923 and
1930. It is significant for being highly
intact and, as of 2011, having been in
continuous use as a child health centre.
Gympie Town Hall
Reserve Complex
The Gympie Town Hall Reserve
Complex includes the Gympie Town
Hall, established in 1890, and smaller
classically-inspired buildings—the
Maternal and Child Welfare Building
and the Art Deco Toilet Block,
established in the 1920s. The Town
Hall is a product of the town’s gold
mining and later agricultural
settlement. It represents the endurance
and continued importance of Gympie
to Queensland as a highly profitable
gold mining town. The former Gympie
Baby Clinic opened in the complex in
1926 following the introduction of the
Maternity Act 1922 and serviced the
district for 66 years. It is one of ten
standard design baby clinics
constructed in regional Queensland
which were funded from the stateoperated lottery, the Golden Casket.
The Art Deco Men’s Toilet Block in
Mellow Street is one of only two
known toilet blocks in this
architectural style in Queensland.
Little Sea Hill Lighthouse
The Little Sea Hill Lighthouse, built on Curtis Island in 1895, is
one of only four timber-framed and corrugated iron-clad
lighthouses which are still in their original location and one of
only three still active. The practice of using timber frames clad in
corrugated iron, which is unique to Queensland, came out of the
late 19th century effort to improve maritime safety along
Queensland’s long coastline within a limited budget. During its
working life, the Little Sea Lighthouse was an integral component
of safe navigation from Keppel Bay to the Rockhampton town
wharves and to the deepwater ports at Broadmount and Port
Alma. The lighthouse demonstrates the classic lighthouse form
and architectural qualities – the truncated cone tower, lantern
room, balcony and domed roof – which are celebrated and
photographed by enthusiasts across Australia.
Photo courtesy of Peter Marquis-Kyle
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Heritage news in brief
Heritage projects honoured at awards night
1
Queensland’s premier awards for heritage conservation were
handed down at the National Trust Bendigo Bank Heritage
Awards in Brisbane on 25 August 2011.
The overall prize (John Herbert Award) was awarded to Ports
North for the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal Project.
The project won for its adaptive reuse of a former wharf and
warehouse complex into an international cruise liner terminal.
The Gold Award for places in the Queensland Heritage Register
went to the Department of Transport and Main Roads for the Mt
Spec Road and Little Crystal Creek Conservation Management Plan.
The plan sets out a conservation management program for
Mt Spec Road and Little Crystal Creek Bridge at Paluma.
The Queensland Heritage Awards recognise the achievements of
owners and custodians in identifying, conserving and promoting
the state’s cultural heritage.
For a full list of 2011 winners, visit the Queensland Heritage
Council website at www.qldheritage.org.au
Brisbane’s heritage ‘unlocked’
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The doors to some of Brisbane’s most intriguing public and
private buildings were opened as part of Brisbane Open House
on 1 October 2011.
Now in its second year, the event provides local residents and
visitors with a rare opportunity to visit buildings and parts of
the city that are not normally open to the public, including
some of Brisbane’s most intriguing heritage places.
The day attracted more than 17 500 visits—an increase of
almost 50 per cent on last year.
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Image courtesy of Tim Nemeth
2
There were 30 buildings open to the public, with more than half
being heritage buildings, including: Queensland Museum,
Christian Science Church, Commissariat Store Museum, Customs
House, National Australia Bank, Old Government House,
Parliament House and Brisbane City Hall.
The Queensland Heritage Council is a major sponsor of Brisbane
Open House.
Churchill Fellowships Seminar
3
DERM’s Heritage Branch hosted a seminar in September for
professionals and tradespeople working in the heritage and
environment sectors who may be interested in applying for a
Churchill Fellowship.
Facilitated by Heritage Branch Manager, Ken Horrigan, the
Brisbane seminar attracted 25 people and highlighted the
experiences of a number of recent fellows.
Mr Horrigan was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2009
to study the relationship between heritage conservation
and sustainability.
President of Churchill Fellows Association of Queensland, Dr
Richard Roylance, gave the opening address about the history of
the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and spoke on the honour
of being awarded a Churchill Fellowship.
Dr Roylance was followed by five recent successful applicants
who talked about their experiences as Churchill Fellows studying
topics diverse as timber conservation and repair techniques in
the United Kingdom, the impact of climate change on rare
plants, community-based projects to conserve endangered river
turtles in Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Brazil and the study of lime
and historic brickwork construction in the United Kingdom.
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3
20-year celebrations
The Queensland Heritage Council will next year commemorate the 20-year anniversary of heritage
legislation in Queensland.
The Queensland Heritage Act 1992 was introduced in 1992, in response to growing public concern
about the demolition of the state’s historic buildings.
Built in 1885-86, the Bellevue Hotel
in Brisbane city was demolished in
the middle of the night on the 20th
April 1979.
The Act provides for the conservation of Queensland’s cultural heritage, principally through the
creation of the Queensland Heritage Register.
The 20-year celebrations will recognise the achievements of the owners and custodians of heritage, in
particular local governments, community groups and owners as the custodians of the state’s heritage.
For all the latest news on Queensland’s heritage, visit the Queensland Heritage Council’s website at www.qldheritage.org.au
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ISSN: 1445-6397 © Crown copyright Printed November 2011.