Hou Wang Temple, Taoist temple and museum in Atherton, Australia
Hou Wang Temple is a Taoist temple and museum in Atherton built mainly from locally sourced wooden beams and corrugated iron roofing. The building holds several rooms including a main hall, kitchen, and storage areas that show how the temple served as a community gathering place.
The temple was founded in 1903 to serve the needs of over 1000 Chinese workers who had settled in the region. These workers were mainly employed in timber cutting, market gardening, and corn growing, and needed a place for their spiritual and social gatherings.
The temple displays traditional Chinese craftsmanship and objects that visitors encounter while walking through the rooms. The hand-carved wooden panels on the walls and old artifacts tell the story of how early Chinese settlers lived in this region.
The building is easy to reach via Herberton Road and visitors should come during opening hours when the rooms are accessible. Getting there by public transport is also an option since regular bus connections run from the surrounding area.
The building is the last surviving Chinese temple made of timber and iron in Australia and houses a clapperless bell from 1895. This bell and other imported items came directly from China and are found nowhere else outside China in this particular combination.
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