Historic properties from Australia’s colonial era
While we have a tendency to view places like the Sydney Opera House as being as close as we’ll get to getting heritage buildings, it’s easy to forget that Australia does have a substantial history. After all, Sydney is older than Singapore, Washington DC, Johannesburg or San Francisco, and many of its buildings from the colonial era have been preserved and restored. And what’s more, there are other fascinating old properties that can be explored across the country.
Sydney
As Australia’s oldest city, it’s no surprise that Sydney has the lion’s share of historic old buildings. Some of them are just old, but many are worth a visit not only for their heritage, but because of what has been put inside them.
Cadman’s Cottage in The Rocks is Sydney’s oldest house. It’s been rather multi-purpose over the years, being both a transport HQ and a water police base. Now hosts the Sydney Harbour National Park Information Centre and a small museum.
However, most of Sydney’s heritage buildings are lumped together under the banner of the Historic Houses Trust. Of the big-hitters, most are to be found around Macquarie Street and the Domain in the north-east of the city centre.
First stop should probably be the Museum of Sydney, which is on the site of the first ever Government House. Nearby is the Police and Justice Museum, which is in an old police and court building dating back to the mid-19th century. It now houses excellent exhibits on the whole justice process. This includes a mocked-up magistrates’ court, relics from famous Sydney crimes and lots and lots of gruesome weapons
The Hyde Park Barracks are also nearby. This was where the military used to live back in colonial times, and the museum inside explores what life was like in the early days of settlement.
The cream of the crop, however, is Government House. It’s only been open to the public since 1996, but now it’s possible to go on guided tours provided there aren’t any official functions on at the time.
Parramatta, NSW
The oldest buildings in Australia, however, are in Sydney’s Western Suburbs. Old Government House is the oldest public building in Australia, dating back to 1799. It was regarded as the country retreat of NSW’s governors for decades, and the rooms inside the house have undergone period restoration, so that it’s like walking back into the 1820s.
The museum inside explores what life was like for the colony’s upper classes back in the day, as well as the conflicts with the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land. There are also ghost tours available on the third Friday of every month.
But even Old Government House isn’t quite as old as Elizabeth Farm in Rosehill. Managed by the Historic Houses Trust (www.hht.net.au), it was built in 1793 by John and Elizabeth Macarthur, who were major players in the early days of settlement. Today it has lovely gardens and tearooms.
Melbourne
The Victorian capital also hosts more than its fair share of Heritage Buildings. The city museum is inside the rather grand Old Treasury Building. This was constructed in the mid-19th century once the gold rush had made Melbourne a wealthy city, and was designed to look like an Italian palazzo. It was used to store the colony’s gold and also hosted government offices.
Another key building is the Old Customs House. Again dating from the mid-19th century, this was where all goods and ships entering and leaving the colony were recorded. It was also where immigration and censorship were controlled from, and the building now houses the Immigration Museum.
Then there’s the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens. It was the first non-Aboriginal cultural site in Australia to win World Heritage Listing. It was build in 1880 for an international exhibition – these were all the rage back in those days – and it is one of the few exhibition buildings from that era that is still standing. It now contains the Melbourne Museum and is the venue for numerous trade fairs and public events.
Regional Victoria
Many of the historic highlights in regional Victoria date back to the 19th century gold rush. Ballarat has plenty, such as Her Majesty’s Theatre, Craig’s Royal Hotel and the Fine Art Gallery, while Bendigo is practically bursting at the seams with them. The Wine Bank on View (www.winebankonview.com) is a wine store in a former colonial era bank, while the Supreme Court House and Town Hall are also suitably aged.
Meanwhile, Castlemaine boasts a grand old theatre (now a cinema), Maryborough’s 1890 railway station was commented on by Mark Twain and the whole town of Beechworth reeks of the colonial era. More than 32 buildings in the historic gold mining town are listed by the National Trust.
Hobart
Hobart also overflows with heritage buildings. The restaurants, cafés and shops on the harbour front at Salamanca Place are in former whaling warehouses from the 1830s, while the churches and houses around Battery Point have been preserved to keep the 19th century look.
For a proper history blast, head down Macquarie and Davey Streets. There are 60 National Trust listed buildings on these two thoroughfares alone.
Also check out the Narryna Heritage Museum on Hampden Road – it’s in a Georgian sandstone building from 1836.
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is the oldest settlement in WA. The Western Australian Museum explores the past in a building from the 1850s, while the Old Gaol explores a decidedly murkier history (and has excellent ghost tours at night). Meanwhile, Patrick Taylor Cottage is believed to be the oldest building in the whole state.
This article was originally written for Ninemsn.
Copyright David Whitley
