Gladstone Court House, Heritage courthouse in Yarroon Street, Gladstone, Australia
The courthouse is a two-story masonry building with red face brickwork, rendered string courses, and a columned portico with Doric supports at its main entrance. The ground floor holds a central corridor, general office, and Magistrate's Court, while the upper level contains the main courtroom with period furnishings.
Built between 1940 and 1942, this structure replaced an 1873 timber courthouse that served the Port Curtis district. Its construction marked a major step in the city's judicial history, providing a permanent and purpose-built home for court proceedings.
The building reflects Queensland's public works design standards of the 1940s and preserves its original oak furnishings and architectural details. Visitors can observe how earlier generations furnished and used courtroom spaces.
The courthouse sits on Yarroon Street and is easy to spot with its red brick front and classical columns. Visitors should allow time to appreciate the details both inside and on the exterior, as the building showcases thoughtful architectural design from its era.
Before this building existed, court cases were handled inside tents, showing how quickly judicial operations evolved in the early settlement. The structure marks a shift from temporary makeshift arrangements to a solid institutional presence in the growing town.
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