Herries Private Hospital, Heritage hospital in North Cairns, Australia.
Herries Private Hospital is a two-story wooden building with a hipped corrugated iron roof, enclosed verandahs, and weatherboard walls located at 180 McLeod Street in North Cairns. The interior contains narrow stairs leading to former maternity care rooms and operation facilities on the upper floor, with remnants of an air raid shelter visible in the backyard.
The building was moved from Cooktown in 1920 and operated as a private hospital from 1921 under Matron Janet Abercombie Herries until her retirement in 1939. This relocation brought dedicated maternity and surgical care to the North Cairns community during a period of growth and development.
Many older Cairns residents were born here, and the hospital served women from distant Tableland communities seeking medical care during childbirth. The building remains connected to family memories and the history of local maternity services in the region.
The building can be viewed from the street and its exterior structure provides good visibility of the original design and features. Access to the interior may be restricted, so visitors should check ahead about viewing opportunities or guided tours before planning a visit.
The truncated southwest corner of the structure preserves evidence of its earlier life as Miss Timony's fashion house in Cooktown before its conversion to a hospital. This unusual adaptation from a clothing business to a maternity facility shows how communities repurposed buildings to meet emerging medical needs.
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