timber

The Bishop's Lodge was constructed in 1897 to the design of Tunbridge and Tunbridge, an important Townsville architectural firm, as the residence of the Anglican Bishops of North Queensland, it has continued as the official residence ever since. Of the bishops who have resided at the Lodge, John Oliver Feetham is particularly well known, partly because of his 35 years in office. Feetham was an attractive and eccentric personality, born in England in 1873 as the son of a vicar. Intelligent and well-educated himself, he took an interest in the provision education which was to be a focus for much of his work in North Queensland. The Lodge, like many buildings in Townsville, has suffered damage from cyclones, notably in 1903 and 1971, followed by extensive repair work. In the 1970s a bathroom was added on the south west verandah and the Feetham chapel was created on the north east verandah by glassing in this area. This has preserved a view across the bay seen beyond the altar of the chapel. During the 1970s, a considerable portion of the Lodge's land was subdivided. The house is still the official residence of the Bishops of North Queensland. The Bishop's Lodge is a large timber building situated on an exposed northerly ridge of Castle Hill. The ground falls away from the house on three sides and the Lodge is visible from the surrounding suburb and from the sea. In turn the house has splendid views of Cleveland Bay towards Magnetic Island from its verandah. The architect has used this position to advantage, creating a striking house which is a flamboyant blend of Victorian Gothic and vernacular architecture; perhaps appropriate for an English church transplanted to tropical Australia. It also responds well to the climate with wide verandahs right around the house to obtain the best of both breeze and view. A terrace at the front of the house has a lawn with trees and flowering shrubs. Source: apps.des.qld.gov.au/heritage-register/detail/?id=600883#:...

Fraser Island was World Heritage-listed by UNESCO in 1992 in recognition of its natural values. The official citation pays tribute to the island's "exceptional natural beauty" and refers to "over 250km of sandy beaches with long, uninterrupted sweeps of ocean beach, with more than 40km of strikingly colored sand cliffs, as well as spectacular dune blowouts and ocean surf beaches; tall rainforests growing on low nutrient sands; perched dune lakes including both clear "white water" lakes and dark "black water" lakes; banksia woodlands, heath, patterned swampy fens and sheltered mangrove areas in a spectacular "mosaic landscape." Fraser Island provides a globally significant example of geological processes and biological evolution, including complex coastal dune formations that are still evolving; an array of lakes that is exceptional in terms of number, diversity, age, and the evidence of dynamic and developmental stages; and outstanding examples of ecosystems that have developed in response to maritime conditions and poor soils in coastal dune formations. The Butchulla people are the indigenous people of Fraser Island. The documented early history of the people of Fraser Island is incomplete and open to debate and discussion. Aboriginal people closely guard many of their traditions, legends, and laws and after European settlement, much of the evidence of the Fraser Island people's way of life was destroyed either intentionally or through ignorance. European involvement on Fraser Island may go back as far as a voyage by Portuguese explorer de Menonca around 1521. Clay pipes found in middens at Indian Head are thought to be evidence of undocumented visits by Dutch navigators in the 17 Century. In 1836 Captain James Fraser on the brig 'Stirling Castle' was wrecked at Swain's Reef, north of Fraser Island. The survivors traveled south in a lifeboat and eventually found themselves marooned on Fraser Island. Of them, only Eliza Fraser, the wife of Captain Fraser, lived to return to the mainland and the island was subsequently named after her. Logging was started on Fraser Island in 1863 by ‘Yankee Jack Piggott. The first trees taken by the loggers were the kauri pine, hoop pine, and cypress pine. In 1925 the satiny became the European Historyajor timber logged on the island after it was found to be resistant to marine borers and became popular for use in marine conditions around the world. Satinays logged heavily in the Pile Valley area, were used in the construction of the Suez Canal and to rebuild the London Docks after World War II. Central Station, a former logging camp, is now a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service ranger information station and interpretive center. Source: www.fraserisland.net/fraser-island-history/european-history

Townsville Customs House is a heritage-listed former customs house at Wickham Street, Townsville CBD, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by George David Payne and built from 1900 to 1902 by Crawford & Cameron. With its distinctive entrance portico and domed roof the former Townsville Customs House makes an outstanding contribution to an historic and aesthetic streetscape that includes Anzac Memorial Park, the former Queen's Hotel, the State Government Offices, Tattersalls Hotel, and the former Bank of New South Wales. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townsville_Customs_House#External_l...

Townsville's first Queen's Hotel, a two-storeyed timber structure, was erected at the corner of Wickham Street and The Strand in 1872, and was extended along Wickham Street in the 1880s. It early acquired a reputation as one of the best-kept hotels in Queensland, patronised by visiting dignitaries. In 1899 the property and license were purchased by John Henry Tyack. He raised a £14,000 mortgage on the property, and called for competitive designs to replace the timber building with a substantial brick structure. The original design was more modest in size than the final structure, extending along the Strand only as far as the eastern tower, and around the corner of Wickham Street for eight bays. It was erected in stages, with trade continuing from the original hotel on the corner of Wickham Street and the Strand until 1925. In 1901, Tyack purchased an adjoining block (site of the former North Australian Hotel) along the Strand, which permitted construction of the first section of the new Queen's Hotel, comprising the eastern tower and four bays to its west, c.1902. This section was extant by March 1903. In May 1904, Tyack replaced the first mortgage with one for £20,000, which probably financed construction of the second section, completed by 1905. This involved demolition of part of the timber building along the Strand, and the extension of the brick building a further six bays toward the corner of Wickham Street. The contractor was a Mr Boyle, and work was underway in January 1904. For the next twenty years, Queen's Hotel consisted of a brick wing along the Strand, and a corner timber section that continued back along Wickham Street. Source: mstrong.info/qsatwig/historic-places/townsville/queens-ho...