2018 TIME & place ISSUE 33 - Queensland Government
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TIME & place
ISSUE 33
2018
3 4 6
FROM THE MINISTER
NOTE FROM THE CHAIR
THE GOLDEN HISTORY
OF RAVENSWOOD
IN YOUR TOWN
RAVENSWOOD
8 9 10
IAN TREVOR SINNAMON
PROTECTING QUEENSLAND’S
CULTURAL ICON
QUEEN OF THE STREETS
12 14 18
SIGNS OF THE TIMES CONSERVING OUR BEST FOREVER OPEN HOUSE 2018
22 23 24
LEADERS VOW TO BROADEN THE
STORY OF AUSTRALIA’S HERITAGE
SANDY POINT SHIPWRECK NEW LISTINGS
ABOUT THE QUEENSLAND HERITAGE COUNCIL
The Queensland Heritage Council is the state’s independent advisor on non-Indigenous heritage matters. The Council works to
identify and protect places that have special cultural heritage value to the community and for future generations.
The Queensland Heritage Council was established by the Queensland Heritage Act 1992, which requires the council to act
independently, impartially and in the public interest.
The Queensland Heritage Council is the key decision-maker about places of cultural heritage significance to Queensland, deciding
what is entered in or removed from the Queensland Heritage Register.
The Queensland Heritage Council also:
• provides strategic advice on heritage matters to the Queensland Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef,
Minister for Science and Minister for the Arts, Leeanne Enoch
• works with government departments and community
organisations to conserve culturally significant places
and spaces CONTACT DETAILS
• advocates on behalf of owners of heritage places Queensland Heritage Council (QHC)
• educates and informs the community about Queensland’s Secretariat, Department of Environment and Science (DES)
cultural heritage. A: GPO Box 2454, Brisbane, QLD 4001
T: 13 QGOV (13 7468)
The Queensland Heritage Council receives professional E: heritage.council@des.qld.gov.au
advice and administrative support from the Department of
Environment and Science’s Heritage Branch. KEY CONTRIBUTORS
Debbie Best, Chair, QHC
Fiona Gardiner, Director, Heritage Branch, DES
COVER IMAGE: Queen Street, Brisbane 1959.
Courtesy of John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Susan Flynn, Time & Place Editor
Shari Blaney, Time & Place Design
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018
FROM THE MINISTER/NOTE FROM THE CHAIR
FROM THE MINISTER
It is a great honour to be the opportunities to turn our heritage places into sought-after
Minister responsible for protecting tourist attractions. I am eager to identify potential heritage
Queensland’s magnificent stock of tourism ventures within Queensland’s fabulous national
heritage places. Heritage places are parks—which are also part of my Ministerial responsibilities.
important to our way of life—they
enrich our local communities by their In this era of globalisation, conserving the heritage places that
physical presence and they also play tell the very unique stories of our past has never been more
an important role in reinforcing our important. Queensland’s rich array of heritage places reminds
sense of place and identity. us of the cultural diversity that formed our great state—and
hopefully fosters an appreciation and mutual respect for the
I strongly believe the stories our heritage places tell are just different groups within our community.
as important as their material elements. These stories from our
past create a thread that weaves our communities together in The Queensland Government is committed to the ongoing
ways we can’t always understand or explain. They connect us protection and conservation of our important heritage places.
through a shared bond to our past, our present and our future. Over the coming years I will work closely with the Heritage
Council and the Department of Environment and Science to
Being the Minister for both arts and historical cultural heritage ensure the state’s heritage receives the prominence and standing
is serendipity, as there are clear synergies between the two it deserves within government, industry and the community.
portfolios which we can capitalise on. Like art, heritage places
create shared experiences through the stories they tell, enrich our As a parent and a proud Quandamooka woman, I appreciate
environment, and enhance the cultural life of our communities. the importance of protecting our unique heritage places for this
generation and as a gift for those to come.
Heritage tourism has the potential to considerably improve the
economic viability of many of these communities—particularly Leeanne Enoch
in our regions. Together with the Queensland Heritage Council Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef
and my department, I will be seeking to stimulate and nurture Minister for Science and Minister for the Arts
NOTE FROM THE CHAIR
The Queensland Heritage Council about their successes and challenges in conserving heritage
welcomes Minister Leeanne places. We were also able to see firsthand some great examples
Enoch whose portfolio includes of adaptive reuse such as the Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator in
responsibility for Queensland’s Ipswich. Who would have thought that an industrial incinerator
cultural heritage. The Queensland would be converted into a community theatre which is now home
Government places considerable to the Ipswich Little Theatre. The Council members were very
value on conserving buildings and impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment of the volunteers
places of state significance, whilst who have worked so hard to restore this historic facility. The best
working with local governments to way to protect heritage places is to keep them in active use, and
encourage their active engagement in protecting buildings and accessible to our communities.
places of local heritage significance. The Heritage Council looks
forward to working with Minister Enoch to ensure the protection The Heritage Council continues to support the wonderful Open
of Queensland’s important heritage places through conservation House initiatives being held across the state each year. These
and adaptive reuse. events provide locals and visitors with the chance to discover
and learn about our history.
Time and time again we encounter the erroneous view that heritage
listing is a barrier to development and is locking up buildings or On a sad note I acknowledge the passing of one of our members,
‘freezing’ them in time. To the contrary, the Heritage Council is very Ian Sinnamon. We were so privileged to have someone of Ian’s
committed and supportive of the adaptive reuse of historic buildings expertise and standing in architectural education and heritage
to ensure their sustainability and longevity through continued use. conservation as a member of the Heritage Council. He worked
There are so many examples across the state of beautiful old historic tirelessly providing expert advice and insights of incredible
buildings which have been lovingly conserved, opened up to the wisdom—all delivered with a delightful touch of humour. Ian
community, and used for new purposes. will be greatly missed and on behalf of my fellow members, I
extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
In 2017 members of the Heritage Council visited Rockhampton,
Mt Morgan and Ipswich where we met with owners of heritage Debbie Best
places and local government representatives to hear directly Chair, Queensland Heritage Council
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018
THE GOLDEN HISTORY OF RAVENSWOOD
THE GOLDEN HISTORY OF
RAVENSWOOD
mining revival opens a new chapter
Part of the legacy of the complex and innovative history of mining in Ravenswood—north Queensland’s
first significant goldfield where gold was discovered in 1868—is captured within the Ravenswood Mining
Landscape and Chinese Settlement Area (RMLCSA). The ruins of eight mines and four mills punctuated by
mullock heaps, artefact scatters and alluvial and sub-surface workings, spread over 50 hectares adjacent
to the town, is a haunting reminder of the precarious nature of Queensland’s mining booms.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018
THE GOLDEN HISTORY OF RAVENSWOOD
Within this heavily modified, evocative landscape, for the significant features—including the 1883
where the most productive of Ravenswood gold School building, 1873-1897 residence and
reefs were located during the 1900-1908 boom saplings propagated from the mature fig tree—to
period of the town’s prosperity, lies important be relocated to the new school site in Elphinstone
evidence of mining operations and practices, Street, within a new heritage boundary. The
habitation and the innovative technologies buildings will be conserved, integrated and
developed to extract gold from ore. The Chinese reused by the school to ensure that the cultural
settlement area, which dates from the 1870s–20th heritage values are maintained.
century, demonstrates the important contribution
of the Chinese population in the exploitation of As a number of heritage features will be within the
natural resources and the evolution of mining open-cut pit, there are several requirements for
settlements in Queensland. The remains of the recording and conservation. The archaeological
earliest known Chinese temple in Queensland, survey and archival recording of sites is in
an adjacent pig roasting oven, artefact scatters progress. To date, the School and Residence
and habitation sites are important evidence of and their surrounds have been 3D scanned. The
Ravenswood’s early Chinese community. high level of accuracy (to 1mm) and ability to
negotiate through and around the buildings at the
When RMLSCA was entered in the Queensland desktop have opened up exciting opportunities for
Heritage Register in 2016, the mining lease holder, future management and interpretation.
Carpentaria Gold, was seeking and received
government support for the expansion of the Buck Reef In addition a program of conservation for retained
West open-cut mine through a prescribed project mining structures, a tourism initiative and education
declaration. The Queensland Heritage Council and interpretation programs will be implemented.
recommended Carpentaria Gold enter into Heritage At the completion of the mining, the noise bund
Agreements with the Department of Environment and wall north of the mine will be lowered so that the
Science to manage the conservation of the RMLCSA iconic view of the brick chimney stacks of Sunset
and the Ravenswood School and Residence—also No 2 Mine, Grand Junction Mine and Mabel
impacted by the project. Mill will be returned.
Negotiated over a nine-month period, the
Agreements signed in August 2017, incorporate
a number of conservation strategies to occur
before, during and after the mining works to
ensure the impacts on the values of both State 01 Ravenswood Mining Landscape across Mabel Mill site.
02 Ravenswood Mining Landscape brick chimneys.
heritage places are mitigated and appropriately 03 Ravenswood Mining Landscape remains of Chinese pig oven.
01
managed. The Agreement for the School provides
02 03
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018
IN YOUR TOWN: RAVENSWOOD
In Your Town
RAVENSWOOD
Ravenswood—a small township located approximately 130km south-west of Townsville and 90km
north-east of Charters Towers—is a living tribute to the history and heritage of western Queensland.
The 1867 discovery of gold at Ravenswood underpinned the prosperity of North Queensland in
the 19th century. Ravenswood was the first significant goldfield in north Queensland and the fifth
largest gold producer in Queensland. By 1871, the town had 30 hotels. Two major fires in 1901 led
to new town buildings being constructed in brick. After the early 20th century mining downturn, many
timber buildings were moved away. This evocative town with its landmark brick hotels, was entered in
the Register of the National Estate in the 1980s. In 1987, a new open cut mine brought life back into
Ravenswood. The old hotels are now patronised by a new generation of miners as well as tourists.
This grand three-storey brick In April 1901, soon after it was The importance of an ambulance
RAILWAY HOTEL
IMPERIAL HOTEL
AMBULANCE STATION
hotel, built in 1904 for publican built, the first Imperial Hotel was service to a mining community
John Moran, remained in the destroyed by fire. Owner James cannot be underestimated. In
Moran family for many years. The Delaney, swiftly replaced it with Ravenswood, between 1879
Railway Hotel offered low-cost an impressive, exuberant two- and 1917, 22 miners were killed
accommodation in the basement, storey banded red brick hotel, and 116 injured in the course of
with better quality rooms on the designed by Townsville architects their work. An ambulance centre
first floor. Moran provided free Eaton, Bates and Polin. Opened was established in 1902 as a
accommodation to miners when only eight months later, this bold sub-centre of the Charters Towers
times were tough. Ravenswood German Renaissance style hotel Ambulance. The Ravenswood
began to decline in 1908, and with intricately detailed façade hospital closed in 1904, and
this continued with the outbreak of continues to make a memorable the new ambulance building
war in 1914. The rail service was impression today. Described as opened in early 1905 with 11 staff
reduced in 1916, and by 1920 the ‘best finished hotel in North members. The ambulance centre
most timber buildings were being Queensland’, its outstandingly was the first port of call for medical
sold for removal. Being a brick intact interior retains early furniture services through to the 1950s.
building, the Railway Hotel could and fittings and fine cedar and Since the 1960s, the Royal Flying
not be moved and continued to silky oak joinery, including an Doctor Service has continued to
trade. The Railway Hotel continues elaborate cedar bar. The Delaneys provide monthly surgery here,
to be a dominant feature of the retained the hotel into the 1990s while other community health
mining landscape of Ravenswood. and it is now lovingly maintained services visit as required.
by its current owners.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018
IN YOUR TOWN: RAVENSWOOD
The two-storey rendered brick Ravenswood Community Church The Mabel Mill site runs along
THORP’S BUILDING
COMMUNITY CHURCH
MABEL MILL
building was constructed after was built as St Patrick’s Catholic Barton Street from the Railway
the fire of April 1901, for Sydney Church in 1884. This gothic-styled Hotel to the south-west. The
Hood Thorp, a sharebroker and timber church replaced the original mine was established by Hugh
mining agent. He had established 1871 church and its presbytery; Hawthorn Barton in 1883. The
a mining exchange in 1887 on both destroyed in a storm. A new property included a ten-stamp
the opposite side of the street. The presbytery was built at the same mill, furnace, chimney-stack and
new building was designed by time, and a convent and school a residence. A change of hands
architects Eaton Bates and Polin of were added to the site in 1889. In in 1899 saw an upgrade of the
Townsville, and was built in 1904. 1905 the church was extended to machinery. From 1902, cyanide
The initial tenant was Holliman’s meet the needs of the expanding extraction was introduced which
machinery, hardware and population but fell into disrepair required further construction,
timber merchants—a company in after the 1920s downturn in mining. including a tailings wheel and
which Thorp was a shareholder. The church survived through local a flume. By 1910, the site also
It continued to operate as a fundraising and working bees from included an assay building,
hardware business and later the 1950s through to the 1970s. chlorination building, drying
diversified into selling groceries. In Its ownership was transferred to shed, stamper shed and multiple
recent years Thorp’s Building was the Dalrymple Shire Council in the chimneys. The Mable Mill site is
run as an arts and antiques store. 1980s, and it continues to serve the managed as an outdoor museum
community for special events. by the Ravenswood Restoration
and Preservation Society.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018
IAN TREVOR SINNAMON
IAN TREVOR
SINNAMON
Architect, academic, heritage conservationist and social activist
Born: 6 January 1935, Toowoomba
Died: 17 December 2017, Brisbane
Ian Sinnamon will be remembered for his outstanding
contributions to architectural education and heritage
conservation in Queensland. He was an active member of
the Queensland Heritage Council at the time of his death
and is greatly missed by his fellow members for his in-depth
knowledge, insightful comments and gentle wit.
Ian’s life was intimately woven into the history and Ian’s interest in his ‘place’, its built environment and landscape meant that he was
heritage of Queensland. He was a third generation at the forefront of heritage conservation at critical moments in Queensland. He
member of the pioneering Sinnamon family, who served on the National Trust of Queensland’s Listings Committee from 1972–84
in the 1860s settled beside the Brisbane River at and established the Trust’s Conservation and Restoration Committee. In 1979
Seventeen Miles Rocks, eventually giving their name he stood in front of bulldozers at the demolition of Brisbane’s Bellevue Hotel.
to the locality. He was educated at Ironside State Joining ICOMOS in 1978, he attended its General Assembly in Moscow
School and Brisbane Grammar School, graduating while on study leave. He also undertook short courses in the conservation of
in architecture from the University of Queensland in historic buildings at the University of York and at the Society for the Protection of
1958. An exceptional student, Ian won his year’s Ancient Buildings (SPAB) in London. In 1981 he was an inaugural member of the
thesis prize for his dissertation ‘Colour in architecture’ Brisbane City Council’s heritage advisory committee, and a member of a similar
and also an Italian Government scholarship for group formed in Ipswich eight years later. From 1988 he served on the Heritage
postgraduate study at the University of Rome. Advisory Committee of the Ahern and later Goss Governments; he was also a
member of the Green Paper Committee for Heritage Legislation which led to the
After working in Rome and London, he returned to establishment of the Queensland Heritage Council in 1992. Ian was a member
Brisbane and in 1961 entered partnership with the of the Heritage Council’s Heritage Register Advisory Committee for many years
English-trained architect John Hitch. Ian also began before being appointed to the Council in 2017. He was instrumental in guiding
part-time teaching in the Architecture Department at the Heritage Council’s response to complex development proposals including
the University of Queensland, becoming a full-time Queen’s Wharf Brisbane and the Herston Quarter redevelopment.
lecturer in 1963. Ian had a transformative influence
on the architectural curriculum and the lives and Ian also taught architectural history and sponsored pioneering local research
careers of hundreds of students. He served as the while undertaking many heritage studies himself and providing advice on
Department’s Head from 1981 to 1985. heritage matters. His four-volume Ipswich Heritage Study (with Satterthwaite
et al,1992) is a model for such work in Queensland and continues to guide
the city’s planning. Ian was the first scholar to study the work of the Austrian
émigré architect and town planner Karl Langer (1903–1969) and he also
wrote entries for the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Although he was a humble and modest man, Ian Sinnamon’s influence on
heritage conservation policy and practice is immeasurable. Peter Marquis-Kyle,
one of the authors of the Illustrated Burra Charter, remembers first hearing the
aphorism “do as much as necessary but as little as possible” in a lecture Ian gave
in the 1980s. Marquis-Kyle included this phrase in the first edition of the Illustrated
Burra Charter (1992) and it was later brought into the text of the charter itself. In
the current (2013) version it is in article 3.1. This phrase—now part of Australia’s
heritage conservation lexicon—was a mantra by which Ian Sinnamon lived.
01 Queensland Heritage Council visit to St Joseph’s Cathedral, Rockhampton, May 2017.
01
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018
PROTECTING QUEENSLAND’S CULTURAL ICON
PROTECTING QUEENSLAND’S
CULTURAL ICON
MINISTER LEEANNE ENOCH’S FAVOURITE HERITAGE PLACE
One of my very favourite places to visit in Brisbane is the fabulous the late Queensland architect Robin Gibson. Construction of
cultural precinct at South Bank. On any given day, locals and this somewhat ambitious complex, between 1976 and 1988,
visitors alike can experience world-leading exhibitions and proved to be a milestone in the history of the arts in Queensland
theatre—a place to discover, preserve and share Queensland’s and the evolution of our state.
natural and cultural heritage.
Last year Arts Queensland commissioned a conservation
And now as the new Minister for the Arts in Queensland I am so management plan to help us better understand and manage
excited to play a role in managing this much-loved and iconic site. the Cultural Centre’s heritage values, guide future planning, and
ensure it thrives and adapts into the future. It is accepted that this
Back in 2015, I welcomed the news that the Queensland important cultural place must be allowed to adapt and reinvent
Heritage Council had entered the South Bank Cultural Precinct— itself over time in response to the changing needs of its exhibits,
including the Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland Museum, performers and visitors alike. However, through this plan we can
Queensland Performing Arts Centre, the Cultural Forecourt and ensure the original design by Robin Gibson will be respected as
The Edge at the State Library of Queensland—in the Queensland part of any potential enhancements and development.
Heritage Register. This decision protected the original cultural
and civic buildings from inappropriate future development and Not just my favourite Brisbane place—the Cultural Centre is
put an end to controversial plans, proposed by the former LNP a much-loved public asset attracting millions of visitors every
Government, to build two high-rise towers in the precinct. year. The sheer brilliance of its architecture and design plays
a continuing role in celebrating and stimulating our cultural
Widely recognised as a unique part of Brisbane’s skyline, the and creative identity—and it is comforting to know it will be
original buildings are some of the most celebrated works of conserved for now and into the future.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018
INSERT ARTICLE NAME HERE
02
01 Night view of Queen Street Brisbane 1959. 03 Busy Queen Street Brisbane 1889.
02 Queen Street Brisbane looking south 1928. All images courtesy of John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018QUEEN OF THE STREETS
Queen of the streets
Queen Street, in Brisbane’s CBD, was one of the few areas developed during the convict settlement
of Moreton Bay—and the military, prisoners’ and female barracks were all constructed along its path.
When Brisbane was opened for free settlement, Queen Street became its main thoroughfare. George Le
Breton launched its first shop in 1842, selling slops, ironmongery, groceries, wine and beer. More shops
opened following land sales, but the line of bakers, grocers, drapers and residences slowed beyond
Albert Street, as the land sloped away into swampy ground. In the 1870s, retailers gradually occupied
sites between Albert and Edward Streets, but found their basements inundated and their goods washed
away down Queen Street after heavy rain.
Despite the setbacks—and with improved drainage—retailers persisted. Drapers-turned-department
store proprietors Chapman and Edwards, Allan and Stark, and Finney and Isles opened large stores in
the sloping northern end of the street. Their floor-to-ceiling front windows enticed late-night shoppers, and
Christmas displays captivated young children. New buildings reflected the expectations for the street,
with a Royal Exhibition Arcade (approximately where Tattersall’s Arcade now runs), Grand Chambers
and Grand Arcade built in the late 1870s and early 1880s. Trams began running in 1885. The ‘narrow,
01
dirty, hilly’ street was not considered ‘a pretty place’ by 1887, but it was ‘the heart of the city, the centre
of the colony, and is well worth seeing when it throbs as it throbs on Christmas Eve.’
An entertainment precinct developed along the north-eastern side of the street with Her Majesty’s Opera
House opening in 1888. It was here that patrons saw performances by local and international stars,
including Dames Clara Butt and Nellie Melba, Madam Anna Pavlova, and Gladys Moncrieff. More
venues were built nearby in the early 1900s and the 1920s, including the Majestic (1915; rebuilt as
the Odeon in 1957), Wintergarden (1924) and Regent (1929) theatres. Night-time entertainment was
brightened by the introduction of neon signage in the 1930s.
On the north-western side, the department stores were upgraded to become ornate multistorey buildings,
designed by prominent architects. Finney Isles and Co expanded its business to include a restaurant,
hairdressing salon and art gallery. New shopping arcades were built, including the 1924 Brisbane Arcade,
and banks expressed their confidence in the street with large new premises such as the National Bank of
Australasia’s 1931 seven-storey freestone-faced building. With most of Queensland’s businesses invested
somewhere along Queen Street, it remained the premier street through the first half of the 20th century.
In the early 1950s, with a stable economy, a high standard of living, and an anticipated visit by Queen
Elizabeth, the Queen Street retailers ‘glamourised’ their premises. New shop fronts and signs were added,
fashion stores opened, and ‘glamour girls’ sold tram tickets. In 1957, however, Allan and Stark’s Chermside
03 drive-in shopping centre began to draw customers away from the city. Over the next two decades Queen
Street’s Queensland-based department stores were sold, its trams were removed and theatres closed.
The street revived after its conversion to a pedestrian mall in 1987, and at the turn of the 21st century
was described as ‘one of the best in Australia’. Tourists joined locals on the street, and international
retailers comfortably occupied the old department stores, arcades and banks. While only glimpses of the
glamorous 1959 Queen Street remain in 2018, its retail spirit is the same as ever.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018SIGNS OF THE TIMES
BREAKFAST CREEK HOTEL—
BRISBANE
Perched on top of this Brisbane icon, the neon Fourex beer sign has been
Image courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland.
a landmark feature of the Breakfast Creek Hotel from as early as 1959. An
ornate 19th century French Renaissance style hotel designed by architects
Simkin and Ibler, it was opened on 17 May 1890 by publican and Mayor
William Galloway. He died in 1895 following a fall from the balcony—
after sampling too much of his own product! His ghost is said to haunt the
hotel to this day. His wife sold the property to Perkins Brewery in 1900
which merged with Castlemaine in 1929. Castlemaine-Perkins dominated
Queensland brewing and pub ownership for much of the twentieth century.
The Brekky Creek Hotel is one of few pubs in Queensland where you can
still sample XXXX ‘off the wood’, poured from a traditional wooden keg.
Image courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland.
Historic signage and symbols can be key features of heritage places—and can make an
important contribution to our understanding of them. Jostling for attention in townscapes,
signage has always occurred in a range of forms—painted, applied, attached, built into
the fabric of a building, or as freestanding structures. Across Queensland there are diverse
examples of this aspect of our heritage—from names and slogans, symbols of businesses
or organisations, to products sold or services offered.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018SIGNS OF THE TIMES
BURNS PHILP—
NORMANTON
The 1884 Burns Philp building in Normanton, with
its distinctive triple-fronted parapet and traditional
signage, is a remnant of one of Queensland’s
most important companies. Known as the ‘octopus
of the north’, Burns Philp’s shipping interests
initially provisioned the gulf and east coast, later
expanding throughout Australia and the South
Pacific. The Normanton store was the company’s
largest in Queensland, serving townsfolk, gulf-
land graziers and gold miners in Croydon.
The building now houses Normanton’s library
and tourism information centre. The Burns Philp
building will host a grand ball in August 2018,
celebrating Normanton’s 150th anniversary.
Image courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland.
THE SAINT, CASTLE HILL—
TOWNSVILLE
Castle Hill (Cutheringa) has been synonymous with
European images of Townsville since the 1860s.
On St Patrick’s Day in 1962, students from James
Cook University painted ‘The Saint’ logo on the
northern cliff face at the top of Castle Hill. The
logo was created by Leslie Charteris, author of
‘The Saint’ books, which were adapted for radio
plays and a 1960s television series. The television
show inspired the student prank. The University
Rugby League Club adopted ‘The Saint’ as its
emblem. Once slated for removal, this historic
ADELAIDE STEAMSHIP CO LTD graffiti is now very much a local icon. In 2015, ‘The
(FORMER)—CAIRNS Saint’ temporarily became a North Queensland
Cowboy, in the lead up to the NRL Grand Final.
The importance of Cairns as a port was enhanced after a channel was created
across the bar to Trinity Inlet in 1905. The Adelaide Steamship Company
established an office in Cairns in the same year and in 1910 constructed
new offices, the work of local architect Howard Draper. The Arts and Crafts
styled office was designed with the tropical climate in mind, featuring a stylish
company ship moulded into the central gable, atop the company name. The
company’s headquarters in Adelaide also featured a prominent ship symbol.
ST JOHN’S LUTHERAN CHURCH—
BUNDABERG
Was Queensland’s first ‘big thing’ a bible? This landmark 1960 church is the work
of influential Austrian-born architect Dr Karl Langer. Langer explored and merged
ideas from the traditions of Ancient Greece with modernist ideals from Europe. St
John’s is a building with a simplified traditional form featuring a very tall spire set back
from the street. The front of the church appears as an open bible, with passages in
large letters. This symbology represents the authority of scripture within the Lutheran
faith. Side walls of the tower also feature large Christian motifs in raised brickwork.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018CONSERVING OUR BEST FOREVER
01
CONSERVING
OUR BEST
FOREVER
The Burra Charter—a set of guiding principles for the care of heritage places—defines conservation as all the processes of looking
after a place so as to retain its cultural heritage significance. This article looks at the conservation of three of Queensland’s important
State heritage places.
In 1979 the Queensland Women’s Historical Association (QWHA) commissioned architect Richard Allom to prepare a study and
survey of their house museum, Miegunyah, located in Bowen Hills. Since then the QWHA has taken a best practice conservation
approach and for the past 39 years a conservation management plan has guided all the maintenance, preservation, reconstruction,
restoration and interpretation work at the house.
In the 1990s the former stables at Rhyndarra—a heritage-listed residence in Yeronga—were adaptively reused as a residence, with
a new living quarters lightly attached to the original brick building which became the bedroom wing. The recent conservation work
is an example of like-of-like replacement of the galvanised corrugated iron roof sheeting.
The Cairns School of Arts is an example of a building that was constructed in stages. The recent conservation work reveals the history
of the building and its distinctive architectural styles and phases of construction. A new contemporary extension contains the modern
services that are required for its use as a museum.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018CONSERVING OUR BEST FOREVER
02
MIEGUNYAH
A fine example of Queensland architecture of the Victorian age, Miegunyah
is open to the public as a house museum and provides a unique insight
into 19th century middle class colonial life. Purchased by the Queensland
Women’s Historical Association (QWHA) in 1967, conservation of this
remarkable 1880s Brisbane timber residence, stables and garden has
been an ongoing, long-term project.
The Miegunyah Conservation Survey and conservation management plan
(CMP) provides a consistent approach and guided works which has been
especially helpful as volunteers and committee members have changed
over the years. Prepared by heritage architects in 1979 and subsequently
updated, the CMP identifies the residence’s heritage values, sets out
policies to guide conservation and future change, and provides strategies
to put policies into action.
The wide-ranging conservation works at Miegunyah have included
restoration of the enclosed verandas to reveal original, richly decorated
iron-lace balustrades, filigree columns and friezes; restoration of interiors
and original room layouts; maintenance of original building finishes
including reinstating original exterior paint colours; and repairs to original
flooring and guttering.
A charitable organisation relying heavily on volunteers, the QWHA has
been successful in securing a number of Queensland Government grants
to assist conservation work, including a Community Sustainability Action
Grant for the update of the Miegunyah CMP.
01 Miegunyah veranda. Courtesy of Briony Walker.
02 Miegunyah frontage. Courtesy of Briony Walker.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018CONSERVING OUR BEST FOREVER
THE FORMER RHYNDARRA STABLES
Constructed in 1888-89 the former Rhyndarra estate comprises a grand
riverside residence, stables and grounds, which are significant for their
portrayal of late 19th century Brisbane life. The property was subdivided
in 1999, the stables were sold separately from the house and converted to
a family home.
The adaptive reuse of the stables received several awards for its sensitive
conservation and design approach which sought to maintain heritage
values, retain the building’s predominant and striking original form and
02
materials, and preserve the visual connection between it and the original
Rhyndarra residence.
A conservation management plan (CMP) written prior to adaptation of the
stables set out conservation policies to manage future development and
ongoing maintenance and repair of the original stables building. Recently
updated to maintain its currency, the CMP policies specified urgent
maintenance of the stables to address extensive rusting of the roof’s ridges,
eaves and fixings. Due to the age of the roof sheeting and its method of
installation, it was not possible to repair the roof insitu. In line with good
conservation practice, it was proposed to remove and replace the roof
sheeting with materials and construction methods to exactly match the
existing heritage roof.
No longer available, the original profile of the galvanised corrugated iron
roof had to be specially manufactured to ensure an exact match, and a
specialist heritage roofer was employed to ensure accurate installation.
Unique in pitch and height, additional scaffolding was also required
during installation to ensure workers’ safety. The exact reconstruction of
the roof ensures the cultural heritage significance of the stables will be
maintained into the future. The project was funded through the Queensland
Government’s Community Sustainability Action heritage grants program. 01 Rhyndarra Stables. Courtesy of Ruth Woods.
02 Rhyndarra Stables roof details. Courtesy of Ruth Woods.
03 School of Arts building, Cairns. Courtesy of Andrew Watson.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018CONSERVING OUR BEST FOREVER
CAIRNS SCHOOL OF ARTS
One of the city’s oldest public buildings, of the older building. Previously Service upgrades were designed
the Cairns School of Arts is valued for concealed parts of the building and located to ensure minimal impact
its streetscape appeal and continuous that were uncovered during works or changes to the existing building so
community use since construction in were reconstructed using original that surviving evidence of the history
1907. Subject to major extensions in photographs and drawings and the of the place was preserved. For
1932, 1939, and most recently in 2016, various historical eras of the building example, original worn floor boards
each addition to the centre reflects the are now once again visible. have been retained as a feature of the
unique architectural style of the period. new museum, and original concrete
Work included the conservation of walls are now exposed to evidence
Unmistakably contemporary in the 1939 art deco façade; faithful the building’s story as the first-hand
appearance, the 2016 extension reconstruction of the 1930s awning and poured reinforced concrete structure in
houses the new Cairns Museum and reinstating the original 1907 veranda; the region.
is carefully designed and detailed to previously enclosed in the 1980s.
seamlessly integrate the new and old Where documentation of original The extension and conservation works
parts of the building. Included in the missing parts was not available the were awarded the Don Roderick
project was an extensive program of project architects introduced sensitively Award for Heritage Architecture at the
conservation works to address the designed contemporary replacements 2017 Queensland Architecture Awards.
01
substantial deterioration and disrepair rather than create inexact copies.
03
04
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018OPEN HOUSE 2018 TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018
OPEN HOUSE 2018
01
02
OPEN HOUSE 2018
Celebrating our built environment, heritage and design
Since the first Open House event was held in London in 1992, the movement has expanded to over 30 affiliated cities across
five continents. In Australia, Open House events are held each year in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart and Adelaide.
The first of Queensland’s Open House events started in Brisbane in 2010 when 16 buildings opened and just over 12,000 visits
were recorded. Since then Brisbane Open House has grown into a major annual design festival. The number of buildings
has now quadrupled, with the events and programs expanding each and every year. In the past eight years, more than 220
buildings across Brisbane have opened their doors to curious locals and visitors—all eager to explore the city and celebrate
Brisbane’s built environment, heritage and design community.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018OPEN HOUSE 2018
Since 2010 the Open House juggernaut has expanded throughout
Queensland with annual events now being held in Maryborough,
Toowoomba, Gold Coast, Bundaberg, and the Sunshine Coast. Each year,
the public support and engagement with the Open House events grows
significantly—proving our communities are clearly interested in discovering
how good design, engineering and the built environment contributes to our
society and shapes our community.
Hot on the heels of Brisbane, Maryborough Open House kicked off in 2012,
and each year since has seen a steady rise in the number of places opening and
visitors attending, as more and more people discover the architectural charm of
this historic city. Held over a weekend, Maryborough Open House is unique
to the other Queensland events in that it dedicates a whole day to featuring the
city’s beautiful gardens—many of which are historic in their own right.
Now in its sixth year, Toowoomba Open House provides residents and visitors
with a rare opportunity to discover first-hand the hidden wealth of architecture,
engineering and history in the city’s buildings and places. Last year the event
included a walking tour of the Toowoomba CBD led by local architects, a
tour featuring Toowoomba’s railway heritage, a laneway and hidden building
discovery walk, and a tour of the Drayton & Toowoomba Cemetery.
03
Bundaberg Open House provides locals and
visitors with the chance to explore and learn more
about some of Bundaberg’s iconic buildings—as
well as share their memories about the places that
played an important part in their lives. Last year
the event attracted visitors from as far afield as
Mackay, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Gold Coast Open House has gone from
strength to strength since the inaugural event in
2015. Last year 40 buildings, places and spaces
were unlocked across the city—from heritage gems
to Commonwealth-Games-ready sports venues,
sky-scraping towers, homes, churches, schools,
universities, museums, art galleries, public utilities,
innovative offices, and TV and radio studios—
reflecting the Gold Coast’s unique architecture
and urban design.
04OPEN HOUSE 2018
08
The very first Sunshine Coast Open House commenced last year—and
06 was a great success. Visitors explored 30 historic and contemporary buildings
across eight precincts including Caloundra, Maroochydore, Sippy Downs,
Nambour, Pomona and the Hinterland.
The Queensland Heritage Council has been a proud supporter of
Queensland’s Open House events since the first one kicked off in Brisbane in
2010. The other common denominator in Queensland’s Open House series
is the overwhelming popularity of the heritage buildings at each event—every
year they are at the top of the list of the most visited places—indicating the
interest and value the community places in our history and heritage.
Following are some of the community’s favourite Open House heritage places:
Brisbane—City Hall, Peters Ice Cream Factory, Old Windmill Tower
Maryborough—Baddow House, City Hall, Ann Street Water Tower
Toowoomba—Augusta’s Cottage, Empire Theatre, Clifford House
Bundaberg—East Water Tower, Bundaberg Post Office, Bert Hinkler House
Gold Coast—Southport Town Hall (former), The Southport School, Surfers
Paradise Fire Station
Sunshine Coast—Caloundra Lighthouses, Majestic Theatre in Pomona,
05 07
Maleny Lodge.
2018 EVENTS
Brisbane Open House Sat 13–Sun 14 October
Maryborough Open House Sat 22–Sun 23 September 01 Walter Taylor Bridge, Brisbane. Courtesy of Jake Churches.
02 1 William Street, Brisbane. Courtesy of Jake Churches.
Toowoomba Open House Sun 27 May 03 Eddie De Vere Building Courtyard, Sunshine Coast.
04 Maritime Museum. Courtesy of Kalem Horn.
Bundaberg Open House Sat 25 August 05 Monaise House. Courtesy of Jake Churches.
06 East Water Tower, Bundaberg.
Gold Coast Open House Sat 27 October
07 Harris House, Toowoomba. Courtesy of Stephanie Keays.
08 School of Arts, Bundaberg.
Sunshine Coast Open House Sat 20 October Courtesy of Bundaberg Regional Council.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018LEADERS VOW TO BROADEN THE STORY OF AUSTRALIA’S HERITAGE
Leaders vow to broaden the
story of Australia’s heritage
The Heritage Chairs and Officials of Australia and
New Zealand (HCOANZ)—a group tasked with
raising the profile of historic heritage and advising
the highest levels of government on historic
heritage matters—met in Darwin on 22 May 2018. HERITAGE CHAIRS AND OFFICIALS OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
The Heritage Chairs and Officials of Australia and New Zealand came together for an historic meeting of cultural heritage leaders in
Darwin on 22 May 2018.
In a momentous move, the HCOANZ invited the The Heritage Chairs were joined by representatives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage from the Commonwealth,
Chairs of the respective State Aboriginal Heritage States and Territories and have taken the opportunity to work together in advancing a shared approach to Australia’s cultural
heritage.
Committees/Councils to attend the meeting. This was welcomed by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
The outcome was a unanimous agreement to The group agreed to implement best practice cultural heritage principles including:
Sharing the comprehensive Australian heritage story
Inclusion and engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
work together to tell the comprehensive story Co-operation and collaboration
of Australia’s heritage by adopting a shared The Chairs acknowledged the critical importance of recording and sharing the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
cultural heritage.
approach to Australia’s cultural heritage.
The Hon Dr David Kemp AC Wayne Kraft
Chairperson Chairperson
Australian Heritage Council Northern Territory Heritage Council
After the meeting, the Chair of the Australian
Heritage Council, the Hon Dr David Kemp AC, GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601 Email: AHC@environment.gov.au
and the Chair of the Northern Territory Heritage
Council, Mr Wayne Kraft, released the following
announcement about the historic decision—to be 01 Plinth behind church, Fantome Island.
known as the Darwin Statement.
NEWS FLASH
The 2018 National Trust Australia (Queensland) Heritage Awards event was held on 31 May at Brisbane’s Old
Museum at Bowen Hills. Running annually since 1974, the Awards aim to recognise and celebrate meritorious conservation or
heritage presentation projects. Leeanne Enoch, Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Minister for Science and
Minister for the Arts attended the event and presented the Conservation Planning Awards. The 2018 John Herbert Memorial
Award went to Queensland Rail for its heritage program—managing 600-plus heritage assets across the state.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018SANDY POINT SHIPWRECK INVESTIGATED
Sandy Point
shipwreck investigated
The Queensland Heritage Act 1992 Some of the artefacts recovered from
requires that discoveries of possible historic the site were completely covered in
shipwrecks be reported to the Department concretion, making it difficult to identify
of Environment and Science. The the objects. A small number were
Queensland Government is conducting selected for x-ray examination; which
a survey of historic shipwrecks and revealed the largest piece was a range
members of the public are encouraged to top from a wooden stove. Probably the
report discoveries through the Australian ship’s stove used by the crew, it has a rail 02
National Shipwreck Database at www. around the edge to stop pots and kettles
environment.gov.au/heritage/historic- sliding off as the ship moved. items must be left undisturbed, unless
shipwrecks/australian-national- recovered as part of a proper investigation,
shipwreck-database. The stove and a small number of other as their position and relationship with the
artefacts have been sent to the WA rest of the wreck can reveal a lot. If they
In early 2017 Mr Bill Condon reported Maritime Museum in Fremantle for are taken or disturbed, the ability for these
his sighting of a wreck exposed by heavy conservation works which is expected to artefacts to tell their story will be lost.
erosion in the intertidal zone near Sandy take about 12 months. Ideally the artefacts
Point, north of Rockhampton. The department will then be acquired by a museum in The wreck of the Violet will continue to
believed the discovery was the wreck of or near Rockhampton, allowing locals be periodically exposed and recovered.
the ketch Violet, constructed in 1877 in the and visitors to appreciate the important While it is possible for the community
Brisbane Waters region near Gosford in role the maritime industry played in to enjoy it, they also need to be careful
New South Wales. The Violet was chiefly the development of the region, and and respect the site by not disturbing
involved in the timber trade, and in its last Queensland generally. The remainder or interfering with it. Rangers from the
few years of operation frequently travelled of the items have been reburied near the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
between Queensland’s regional ports— wreck. This is an increasingly common continue to monitor the area and there
particularly Bundaberg and Rockhampton. technique used to manage and preserve are penalties for interfering with or
During a storm, the vessel ran aground north artefacts after they have been recorded. damaging shipwrecks or their artefacts.
of Keppel Bay on 24 February 1896.
It is important to understand that shipwreck
Timber analysis of the wreck showed the sites are very vulnerable. Objects that may
01 Wreck of the Violet, Sandy Point (main image).
hull planking was made from Sydney appear solid or in reasonable condition Courtesy of Carl Porter.
Blue Gum, the keel from Grey Iron Bark will usually deteriorate quite quickly
02 Stovetop artefact x-ray,
and the frames were Blackbutt, backing once they have been removed from the I-Med Radiology, Yeppoon.
the department’s theory about the identity environment that has helped protect them
of the wreck. This specific combination of for the last 100 years or so. Even stable
timbers was known to be used in other
vessels built near Gosford.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018INSERT ARTICLE NAME HERE
SOMERSET GRAVES SITE
This graves site at Somerset Bay, Cape York, is
NEW LISTINGS
a remnant of the original settlement of Somerset,
established in 1864 as a port of refuge and a
re-fuelling depot—a joint venture between the
Queensland and British governments. From 1864
until 1876, Somerset acted as the regional centre
for Cape York, and afterwards it remained as a
settlement available to assist travellers and seafarers.
The site includes seven marked graves and at least
one unmarked grave. At least three of the graves
belong to members of the Jardine family who
held important government positions based at
Somerset, and were early overland explorers from
Rockhampton to Somerset, bringing the first cattle
into Cape York. The Jardine River was named
after them, as a result of this feat.
QUEENSLAND HERITAGE REGISTER
RAVENSWOOD
STATE SCHOOL
SWIMMING POOL
Constructed in 1925 the Ravenswood State School
swimming pool (former) is a unique example of an
early 20th century swimming pool, built largely
by Ravenswood State School students and their
teacher using discarded bricks from local mines.
The pool demonstrates the growing popularity of
children learning to swim for health and safety
reasons, at the time of construction.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018NEW LISTINGS
GROVE STREET
PENSIONER COTTAGES
Built by Cairns City Council between 1953 and 1958, these cottages
are important in demonstrating the widespread movement during the
1940s–1950s in Queensland to provide affordable housing for old
aged pensioners. The eight small timber houses—which form part of a
now larger accommodation complex—are arranged in a curved layout
surrounded by lawns and gardens, with the eighth cottage standing alone
to the rear.
The Grove Street Cottages, the first of their type in Cairns, set the standard
for pensioner accommodation in the region at the time and have been
continuously occupied ever since.
The Department of Environment and Science is working with Cairns
Regional Council, the Department of Public Works and Housing, and
Economic Development Queensland to ensure sensitive integration of the
cottages as part of the proposed redevelopment of the larger site.
PACIFIC ISLANDER HOSPITAL
AND CEMETERY SITE
Now an archaeological site, the Pacific Islander Hospital and Cemetery
site demonstrates the response during the 1880s to the high death
rate among indentured South Sea Islanders, resulting from their work WAAJE FIRE TOWER NO. 4
establishing and developing the Queensland sugar industry.
Located in the Barakula State Forest, northwest of
Over approximately 35 years, thousands of South Sea Islanders worked Chinchilla, the Waaje Fire Tower No.4 was erected
in the Maryborough district and during this time 1,964 of them were in 1964 by the Queensland Forestry Department to
admitted to the Pacific Islander Hospital at Tinana where sadly 363 died. help pinpoint fire outbreaks within valuable native
As the site of one of only four ‘central hospitals’ built to treat South Sea forest. It was the first fire tower in the state to exceed
Islanders, it is a rare and important example of a ‘Polynesian cemetery’ 30m in height, and is now the tallest surviving intact
reserve attached to a 19th century Pacific Islander hospital. four-legged timber fire tower in Queensland.
Of the 65 timber four-legged fire towers built in
Queensland between the 1930s and 1960s, only
six of these—including the Waaje Fire Tower No.4—
are still in-situ. The towers have been rendered
obsolete since the shift in 2002 to using remote
camera surveillance mounted on steel structures.
Image courtesy of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018NEW LISTINGS
More Queensland schools make the grade
for entry in the Heritage Register
Bundaberg State High School, and Coorparoo,
Toowoomba East, Ashgrove, Morningside and
West End State Schools have all been entered in
the Queensland Heritage Register.
The six schools were nominated for heritage listing
by the Department of Education and Training
in Stage 3 of its comprehensive Queensland
Schools Heritage Strategy. The strategy aims to
identify, assess and protect Queensland schools
that may be of state heritage significance.
Ashgrove, West End, Morningside and
Toowoomba East State Schools all feature
Depression-era Brick School Buildings. These
buildings were constructed as part of the
Queensland Government’s building and relief West End State School was established in 1875 within one of Brisbane’s
work programs during the 1930s that stimulated the earlier urban communities. A local landmark, the elegant classically composed
economy and provided work for men unemployed façade of the 1936 brick building is aesthetically significant because of its
as a result of the Great Depression. massing, style and its prominent streetscape presence.
The first two timber teaching buildings constructed
at Bundaberg State High School in the early
1900s are still in-situ, as well as an early vocational
building. The school also features two saw-tooth
workshop buildings—one built in 1956 and the
other in 1959. These buildings are still used for
manual arts, a gym and classrooms.
Ashgrove State School demonstrates two important phases of school
building in Queensland. Both the handsome two-storey brick Block A and
the highset timber-framed Block B structures are imported Boulton and Paul
Prefabricated Buildings. The adoption of imported prefabricated systems
were part of the government’s response to the student population boom and
acute building material shortages in post-war Queensland.
TIME & PLACE | ISSUE 33 | 2018INSERT ARTICLE NAME HERE
Morningside State School features some good examples of timber-framed
sectional school buildings built between 1920 and 1930 with gabled roofs,
raked ceilings, banks of south facing casement windows and teachers’ rooms
as verandah annexes. Other buildings on the site include a Depression-era
Brick Infants School; a building constructed in 1937, and highset timber school
designs of the 1950s.
Coorparoo State School, which opened in 1876, was important
to Coorparoo’s foundation. The school uniquely gave its name to the
suburb that grew around it—a variation of the Aboriginal name for the
area. It retains a range of significant buildings and landscape features,
including two urban brick school buildings, built in 1928-33, and 1942.
The school also features a 10-post playshed built in 1907, retaining
walls and fences established in the 1930s-1940s, and a sundial built
around 1932-35.
Toowoomba East State School was established
in 1887 through the fundraising efforts of the local
community. The place is important for its contribution
to the educational development of Toowoomba
with generations of local children having been
taught there. It features the principal characteristics
of a Queensland state school built during the
Depression-era—a large brick school building set
in landscaped grounds with mature shade trees,
assembly, play, and sports areas.
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