The Administrator's House is a heritage-listed former

official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...

and now

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

located south-west of

Flying Fish Cove Flying Fish Cove ( zh, 飛魚灣, ms, Pantai Ikan Terbang) is the capital city and main settlement of Australia's Christmas Island. Although it was originally named after British survey-ship '' Flying-Fish'', many maps simply label it "The Set ...

in the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n territory of

Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory comprising the island of the same name. It is located in the Indian Ocean, around south of Java and Sumatra and around north-west of the ...

. It was added to the

Australian Commonwealth Heritage List The Commonwealth Heritage List is a heritage register established in 2003, which lists places under the control of the Australian government, on land or in waters directly owned by the Crown (in Australia, the Crown in right of the Commonwealth ...

on 22 June 2004. It is also known as Tai Jin House. The house served as the official residence for the

Administrator of Christmas Island This is a list of the administrative heads of Christmas Island since 1 October 1958, when it became an external territory of the Commonwealth of Australia. See also *List of administrative heads of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands This is a l ...

Description

The Administrator's House is a substantial, two storey residence, with a semi-detached service and servants wing, surrounded by a well developed garden. The residence is sited in a prominent location looking across Flying Fish Cove and can be seen from various vantage points on the higher terraces. The style and location of the residence appears to have been designed to emphasise the eminence of the Administrator. In 1965 the ground floor exterior doorways which had timber arches and lattice work infill were altered, the arches were bricked and the lattice work replaced by glass with etched patterns resembling the earlier lattice work. A portico was also added with a balcony above it. Upstairs windows, which were wood shuttered, were glazed. Immediately to the north of the Administrator's House stand a number of ammunition bunkers and a gun emplacement which still contains a naval gun. The complex also contains accommodation and support buildings including a gaol. On the cliff, approximately above the gun, is an observation post and ranging station. The ruins of a Japanese washhouse is reported to be beyond the gun emplacement. The gun emplacement was built before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

for the installation of the 6inch naval gun and a detachment of troops was stationed there. In March 1942 the detachment mutinied on the eve of the Japanese occupation of the island and several officers were killed. The occupying Japanese later took control of the site for the duration of the war. The wider house precinct, including the former ammunition bunkers, gun emplacement and observation post and ranging station just to the north of the house, are also included in the heritage listing.

Condition

The Administrator's House was extensively remodelled in 1965 although the service area is little altered from its original form. The gun emplacement complex is intact despite the post war conversion of the ammunition bunkers to provide servants' quarters and other support functions for the Administrator's House.

Heritage listing

The Administrators House Precinct was listed on the

on 22 June 2004. The Administrator's House is a historic reminder and symbol of colonial rule of Christmas Island, when it was incorporated into the Straits Settlement of Singapore and has been the focus for official duties and functions. The imposing scale of the residence and its location in a prominent position looking across Flying Fish Cove emphasises the previous social importance of the Administrator and provides an important visual focal point from several other parts of the settlement. The gun emplacement and ammunition bunkers have historical significance as a reminder of earlier military threats to the Island and through their direct association with the 1942 mutiny and the subsequent Japanese invasion of the Island.

Museum

, the house served as a museum documenting the history of Christmas Island. The upper floor of the building contains a museum. The museum reopened on 2 July 2018, after it had been unable to accept visitors due to the closure of the access road. The galleries show the history of Christmas Island, as well as its cultural heritage. The house and its precinct are often a location for local community-led events. It is open daily.

Memorials

The precinct is the site of annual

remembrance day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

services. Nearby is the ''

SIEV X SIEV X was the name assigned by Australian authorities to an Indonesian fishing boat carrying over 400 asylum seekers en route to Australia, which capsized in international waters with great loss of life on 19 October 2001. SIEV stands for Suspe ...

Memorial,'' which commemorates the deaths over four hundred asylum seekers in 2001.

References

Bibliography

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Attribution

{{Oceania topic, List of museums in Commonwealth Heritage List places on Christmas Island Official residences in Australia Articles incorporating text from the Australian Heritage Database Museums in Christmas Island