Old Government House, Official residence in Brisbane, Australia.
Old Government House is a two-storey Neoclassical building in Brisbane, listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, with a symmetrical facade and a columned entrance portico. Inside, the rooms are arranged around formal reception and living areas with high ceilings and cedar joinery throughout.
The building was designed by architect Charles Tiffin and completed in 1862 as the official residence of Queensland's governors. It served eleven governors over more than four decades before the residence function came to an end in 1909.
The rooms of Old Government House are arranged around formal reception areas that give a sense of how colonial authority was performed in everyday life. Visitors can see how the space was designed to impress guests while also serving as a working residence.
Old Government House sits on the Queensland University of Technology campus in central Brisbane and is easy to reach on foot from the city center. It is worth checking ahead whether the building is closed for special events or whether guided tours require a booking.
Despite several rounds of renovation over the decades, the original cedar joinery and marble fireplaces from 1862 are still in place throughout the building. This makes it one of the few colonial buildings in Queensland where so many original interior details have survived.
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