HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Naval Stores is a heritage-listed storehouse at 34 Amesbury Street, Kangaroo Point,
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...
, Australia. It was built from 1886 to 1900s. It is also known as Naval Brigade Stores and Naval Depot. It was added to the
Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. A ...
on 21 October 1992. Brisbane-based adventure company, Riverlife Adventure Centre, operates from the Naval Stores premises.


History

The original Naval Stores comprised a pair of two-storeyed iron-clad stud-framed buildings and a wharf, which were constructed between 1886 and 1888. The complex has been used throughout its naval and army history for two main purposes, as a storage depot and for training. In 1884, at the height of the Russian war scare, the Queensland colonial government commissioned two gunboats, the Gayundah and Paluma. In 1885 the gunboats arrived and with the government's acquisition of other vessels the development of a naval depot for storage, repairs and training became necessary. The Naval Stores were built on the site of a former Kangaroo Point quarry (now known as the
Kangaroo Point Cliffs The Kangaroo Point Cliffs are heritage-listed cliffs located at Kangaroo Point just across the Brisbane River from the Brisbane CBD in Queensland, Australia. A popular recreation spot, especially for climbing and running, they are convenient ...
). The ground floor of Store No 1 contained the battery and lecture rooms used for training. The four rooms upstairs were used for stores and carpenters' shops. By 1913 upstairs was partitioned to provide for an orderly room, instructors' mess room and several small storerooms. Store No 2 originally consisted of two large rooms on either floor, with workshops on the ground floor. The first floor storerooms included the
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...
store room. After the
1893 floods Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...
, Store No 1 boat shed was replaced with a detached shed, a bridge linking the two stores was built, and an extension to the cliff stairs was added. About 1900 several additions to the site included the paint store, magazine, turntable between the stores and some first floor ceilings were lined. The wooden stairs provide access up the cliff to Amesbury Street and St Mary's Anglican Church which has been the Naval Chapel for many years. The stairs have been extended over the years. As the Queensland Naval Brigade developed, further depots were located at Maryborough, Rockhampton,
Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
, Cairns and
Cooktown Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repai ...
. Other colonies also developed their naval and military forces. The depot was the base of the Queensland Navy until the formation of the Royal Australian Navy after
Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...
. Radio communication history was made in 1903 when the first Australian ship to use wireless telegraphy, the Gayundah, sent signals from
Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...
to the Stores. Alterations to the stores and additional structures were built during the occupation of the site by the
Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
. The RAN Reserve vacated the site in 1959 and it was occupied by the
Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...
till 1984. In 1984, two breech-loading Armstrong forward guns from the Gayundah and Paluma were recovered. One gun and its mount have been lent to the
Queensland Maritime Museum The Queensland Maritime Museum is located on the southern bank of the Brisbane River just south of the South Bank Parklands and Queensland Cultural Centre precinct of Brisbane, and close to the Goodwill Bridge. The museum was founded in 1971 ...
Association. The flagpoles, semaphore and several other structures have disappeared since 1984. In 1987 the property was purchased by the
Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...
, tenders were called for its development and a fire partially destroyed Store No 1. The unoccupied Store No 2 has suffered degradation from vandals and
white ant ''White Ant'' ( Chinese: 白蟻─慾望謎網) is a 2016 Taiwanese drama film and the narrative feature film debut of Chu Hsien-che, who worked as a documentarian for more than 20 years prior to ''White Ant''. The film stars Wu Kang-jen, Aviis Z ...
infestation.


Description

The complex stands on a narrow strip of river flat with steep cliffs and includes the following items: * Store No 1 (1886–88), the ground floor and charred remnants of the first floor are all that remain as a result of the 1987 fire. Prior to the fire, style and construction were similar to that of Store No 2. * Store No 2 (1886–88) is smaller in floor size. It has two gablets with hoists and two pairs of ventilators. There are pairs of board doors and a set of wooden stairs inside and outside provides access to the first floor. It has a hardwood frame clad with corrugated iron. The ground floor is concrete with concrete footings and stone
plinths A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...
and the roof has twin
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
s. Sash windows are multi-paned and protected by sunhoods. Walls and ceilings are lined with tongue and groove boards. At the northern end is a skillion roofed smithy and forge. * Wharf (1887–88) is an integral part of the stores. Wooden piles support the wooden decking and stanchions. The wharf has been resheeted with diagonal boarding over the original. * Wooden stairs (c.1890) connect various parts of the complex and are currently in a very dilapidated state and unsafe for public use. * Turntable (c.1900), for manoeuvring guns to and from ships. Only the outline remains. * Paint store (c.1900), a one room timber structure on stumps with a corrugated iron hip roof. * Magazine (c.1900), a single room weatherboard structure with corrugated iron gable roof and brick stumps. * Slip (c.1900) is concrete and has been extended over the years. * Duty hut, a one room weatherboard structure with corrugated iron pyramid roof that is lined internally. * Changing rooms, timber with sloping corrugated iron roof; built on the foundations of the 1890s boat shed. * Toilet facilities, a timber and corrugated iron structure. The site remains a strong visual element of the riverscape.


Heritage listing

Naval Stores (former) was listed on the
Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. A ...
on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. The former Naval Stores provide evidence of the Queensland Marine Defence Force which was an integral part of the Queensland colonial defences. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. The former Naval Stores are significant as part of the historic cityscape at Kangaroo Point which includes the former Kangaroo Point quarry, St Mary's Church group and the linking cliff face stairs. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. The Stores are significant for their continuous association with both colonial and Commonwealth defence forces.


References


Attribution


External links

{{Royal Australian Navy Queensland Heritage Register Kangaroo Point, Queensland Military buildings and structures in Queensland Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register History of the Royal Australian Navy Queensland Maritime Defence Force Warehouses in Queensland