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 ...

's first Government House is located at Gardens Point in the grounds of the

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...

at the end of George Street in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, Queensland, Australia. The building's construction was the first important architectural work undertaken by the newly formed

Government of Queensland The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...

Residence of the Queensland governor

Architecture and construction

The government residential building was constructed to accommodate the first

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...

, Sir George Bowen, and his family. On 22 May 1860, the first Queensland parliament met. One month later a vote to fund a new government house was successful. The site chosen for the building was a high point of Gardens Point overlooking the Brisbane Botanic Gardens and with expansive vistas of the Brisbane River. There was an issue with the building being built in Brisbane, as the capital of Queensland had not yet been decided. The two-storey building was designed by colonial architect

Charles Tiffin Charles Tiffin (1833–1873) was an English architect, who spent most of his career in Queensland, Australia where he held the post of Queensland Colonial Architect. Early life He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England where he studied und ...

in the

Classical revival Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

style in 1860.History of Government House
, accessed 23 May 2009 The front half of the building contained the Governor's public and private rooms while the rear housed the service section. The front of the house had a plain design without displays of grandeur so as not to affront politicians and country citizens. The first stage of the building was completed in March 1862 by builder Joshua Jeays. The building is built from locally sourced materials, with

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

facades,

Brisbane tuff Brisbane tuff is a type of rock, formed as a result of a volcanic eruption. As the name suggests, it is a type of tuff found in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is a form of welded ignimbrite. Brisbane tuff comes in a variety of colours: p ...

(stone) (sometimes referred to incorrectly as ' Porphyry') to the service areas, red cedar,

hoop pine ''Araucaria cunninghamii'' is a species of '' Araucaria'' known as hoop pine. Other less commonly used names include colonial pine, Queensland pine, Dorrigo pine, Moreton Bay pine and Richmond River pine. The scientific name honours the botanist ...

and

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

.QUT: Old Government House: Separation
/ref>

Governor Sir George Bowen

The family first arrived in Brisbane in 1859 and Adelaide House, now The Deanery of

St John's Cathedral :''This list is for St. John the Evangelist Cathedrals. For St. John the Baptist Cathedrals, see St. John the Baptist Cathedral (disambiguation)'' St. John's Cathedral, St. John Cathedral, or Cathedral of St. John, or other variations on the name ...

, was leased for their use as a temporary

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

, while the construction of this building was undertaken. The Governor and his family moved into the building in April 1862. The first public function held in the building was a ball on Monday 16 June 1862 to celebrate the birthday of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

. The ball was to have been earlier (Victoria's birthday being 24 May), but was postponed due to a period of public mourning for the Prince consort

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

. Sir George and Lady

Diamantina Bowen Diamantina, Lady Bowen (; 1832/1833–1893), was a noble from the formerly Venetian Ionian Islands who became the wife of Sir George Bowen, the first Governor of Queensland. Personal life The '' Contessa'' Diamantina di Roma was born in 183 ...

hosted 300 to 400 guests. It was a gala occasion and the new Government House was praised for enabling ''"the Governor to exercise his hospitality without restrictions through the want of space"''. There were rooms available for dancing, drinking of

claret Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the ...

sherry Sherry ( es, jerez ) is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versi ...

, tea and coffee and the playing of the card game

whist Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the rules are simple, there is scope for strategic play. History Whist is a descendant of the 16th-century game of ''trump'' ...

. Meanwhile, the dowagers and other ladies not involved in the drinking, dancing and card playing were entertained in drawing room. At 1 am, supper was served in the quadrangle, protected by a canvas roof and decorated with candles and Chinese lanterns. The dancing continued until 4 am, although the Bowens did not participate in the dancing due to his wife Lady Diamantina's ''delicate health''. Approximately one month later on 26 July 1862, Lady Diamantina was safely delivered of a daughter, Agnes. Lady Diamantina's ''"delicate health"'' at the Birthday Ball was presumably a delicate reference to her advanced pregnancy. Agnes is believed to be the first child born in the building (the custom of those times was that children were born at home, indeed, Brisbane had no maternity hospitals in that era). Their son, George William Howard, was also born at Government House on 9 April 1864. Old-government-house-brisbane-1879

Lady Diamantina Bowen was interested in the development of the gardens around the building, which features lawns and flower gardens on the public sides of the building and vegetable gardens at the rear. She collaborated with

Walter Hill Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...

, curator of the adjacent Brisbane Botanic Gardens on a number of projects, including large public events which extended out from the grounds of Government House into the Botanic Gardens. The house was originally lit with candles and kerosene lamps, but by the late 1860s, gas became available and was installed. Unfortunately the initial pipes used were too thin and it was not possible to turn on all the gas lights simultaneously. In 1866 the

Bread or Blood riot Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

started, threatening the sacking of Government House. Hundreds of government officials were sworn in as Special Constables to assist police.

Other governors

The building was home to the first 11 of the Governors of Queensland and their families. The building was modified somewhat during those years, the most obvious difference to the public face of the building being the roofing of the previously open upper terraces converting them into more Queenslander-style

verandah A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''vera ...

s. In 1873, a roof was built over the balcony. By the late 1870s the building was being described as inadequate, particularly for large scale entertainment purposes. Some extensions were also made at the rear, but these were more related to the service areas. Larger gas pipes were eventually installed to allow all the lights to be used. Although Brisbane had electricity in the late 1880s, the cost of fitting it to Government House was regarded as too expensive. About 1900, a billiard room was added at the request of

Lord Lamington Baron Lamington, of Lamington in the County of Lanark, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1880 for Alexander Baillie-Cochrane, a long-standing Conservative Member of Parliament and old friend of Benjamin Disra ...

. The interior was renovated and redecorated in 1985–96.

Last resident governor

By 1909 the once spacious Government House was now nearly fifty years old, and by the standards of the times, perceived as being too small for the Governor's residence, especially as it lacked a ballroom deemed essential for entertaining. It was decided to give Government House to be the nucleus of Queensland's first university, the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

, which was to be established at Gardens Point. A plaque on the building commemorates this transfer in December 1909. In early 1910, the Governor, Sir William MacGregor, relocated into the leased property Fernberg at

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...

, a suburb of Brisbane, as a temporary measure while a new Government House was constructed in

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

. However, although the plans for the new Government House were drawn and the foundations laid, for some reason, the project was abandoned. In 1911 the Government purchased Fernberg for to be the permanent Government House of Queensland, a role that continues to the present day.

University of Queensland

On 10 December 1909, Old Government House was given to be the nucleus of the newly established

, as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the founding of the State of

. The university had electricity connected to the building about 1911. The

used the building until the late 1930s when the university outgrew the Gardens Point campus and relocated to its current main campus at

St Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindi ...

Heritage protection

Old Government House has been used as the Queensland headquarters for the National Trust of Australia. Concerts have also been performed in the building. In 1969, Old Government House was placed on the first list of significant heritage buildings compiled by the

National Trust of Queensland National Trust of Queensland is a membership-based community organisation to "promote the natural, Indigenous and cultural heritage" of Queensland. It was founded in 1963. It is a member of the National Trust of Australia, which federates the e ...

, which protected the building from demolition. In March 1978, Old Government House became the first building to be protected by Queensland heritage legislation.QUT: Old Government House: National Trust
accessed 23 May 2009.

Queensland University of Technology

In 2002, an agreement between the

, the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended f ...

and

gave custodianship of Old Government House to the Queensland University of Technology—QUT. Queensland University of Technology performed a major three-year restoration of the building and it re-opened in 2009, with a ceremony on 7 June 2009 to mark the 150th anniversary of the establishment of

. Speakers at the ceremony included

Peter Coaldrake Owen Peter Coaldrake (born 1951) is an Australian academic and higher education administrator. Early life Peter Coaldrake was born Gregory Alan Naylor to a young mother Jeanette in Marrickville. He was adopted as the only child of Anglican miss ...

Queensland Governor The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial funct ...

Penny Wensley,

Queensland Premier The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is a ...

Anna Bligh and QUT Chancellor (and former

)

Peter Arnison Major General Peter Maurice Arnison, (born 21 October 1940) is a retired Australian Army officer who served as the 23rd Governor of Queensland, in office from July 1997 until July 2003. He graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in ...

. In addition to unveiling the plaque, Anna Bligh announced that QUT's lease of the building would be extended for another 30 years. Having restored the buildings, QUT uses it for events and functions, and provide tours and information (including interactive displays) for visitors.

Origin of the lamington

One of Australia's famous culinary features, the

lamington A lamington is an Australian cake made from squares of butter cake or sponge cake coated in an outer layer of chocolate sauce and rolled in desiccated coconut. The thin mixture is absorbed into the outside of the sponge cake and left to set, gi ...

was invented by the cook Armand Gallan at Government House, during the time of the Queensland Governor,

.Speech by Queensland University of Technology Chancellor, Sir Peter Arnison, Old Government House, 7 June 2009.

References

External links

QUT: Old Government House
– information provided by the current custodians

Government House, Queensland – Official Website
– includes information about Brisbane's first Government House {{Queensland University of Technology Tourist attractions in Brisbane Government Houses of Australia Queensland places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate Neoclassical architecture in Australia Government buildings completed in 1862 Queensland University of Technology Museums in Brisbane Historic house museums in Queensland Landmarks in Brisbane History of Brisbane 1862 establishments in Australia Charles Tiffin buildings Brisbane central business district Queensland Heritage Register Government buildings in Queensland