Imagine arriving here from the Queen’s Wharf; to your first home in
colonial Brisbane. Would Queensland be your land of milk and honey as the
immigration agent had promised?
When to go: 9.30 am to 3.30 pm
The former Immigration Depot, now known as National
Trust House, was constructed in 1865–66. It was
located adjacent to the Queen’s Wharf, which was the
point of arrival for thousands of immigrants entering
the new free colony between 1848 and 1897. Queen’s
Wharf was located in the area now known as the north
bank of the Brisbane River.
Where to go: 95 William Street, Brisbane
Tours: Self guided tours
Building type: Office
Built: 1865–66
Successive colonial governments actively pursued
a programme of immigration of free settlers after
the Penal Settlement of Moreton Bay closed down.
The first immigrants, arriving in 1848, were housed
in the Old Military Barracks, but as conditions there
deteriorated a decision was made to construct a new
Immigration Depot.
Architects: Charles Tiffin, extensions by
Thomas Pye and John Murdoch
© State of Queensland // Katherine Hagenbach
Web: www.epa.qld.gov.au/chims/basicSearch.
html (enter place ID ‘601093’)
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The Immigration Depot was designed by the office of
Queensland’s first Colonial Architect, Charles Tiffin. It
was originally single-storeyed with a basement facing
William Street and a three-storeyed wing at the rear
towards the river.
In 1887 a new larger Immigration Depot, known as
Yungaba, was opened at Kangaroo Point. In 1890
the William Street Immigration Depot was adapted
as offices for the newly established Department of
Agriculture, which later became the Department of
Primary Industries.
Between 1898 and 1936 the building was extended
several times, including the addition of new wings and
an extra storey to the William Street elevation. In 1994,
some of the post-1899 extensions were demolished to
make way for a new government office complex.
© State of Queensland // Katherine Hagenbach
The central shield above the entrance
to National Trust House is now
blank but formerly bore the words
‘Department of Agriculture’. The
pediment above the shield shows
the date 1898 AD, reflecting the
date of the extension of the former
Immigration Depot for Department
of Agriculture purposes.
In the late 1990s the building housed the Centenary
of Federation offices then became the new home
of the National Trust of Queensland. Apart from the
National Trust, the building also houses other cultural
and natural heritage community organisations, the
Office of the Queensland Government Architect and the
Architectural Practice Academy (APA).
The sub-basement, known as Basement 3, is the home
of the Architectural Practice Academy and will be
accessible to the public for Brisbane Open House. APA,
a business unit of the Department of Public Works, is
a practice studio developed as an incubator for recent
architectural graduates. During your visit you will see
models and computer generated illustrations of the
APA’s recent projects.
© State of Queensland // Katherine Hagenbach
National Trust House
© State of Queensland // Katherine Hagenbach
© State of Queensland // Katherine Hagenbach
CITY PRECINCT
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The rear wing contained three large separate wards;
one for single women at the William Street level, with
married couples at the basement level and single men
at the sub-basement level, which was also ground
level at the rear. This building was the first home in the
new colony for these immigrants while they searched
for work and lodgings.
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