Goulburn Evening Penny Post Art Deco

Goulburn has many wonderful examples of Art Deco style in it's long main street, and it's well worth taking the time to check out the main drag and side streets as there are many interesting examples of Modernism to view. This building is an impressive example of proportions and symmetry as opposed to over decoration.

Whitsunday International Hotel 1960s Design Features - Mackay

This bold example of 1960s motel accommodation typifies the mid 20th Century when many similar styles of building went up all over Australia, especially in Queensland, the major tourist destination. A lot were to be found on the Gold Coast (Regrettably many have been demolished).

The Whitsunday Hotel has many exciting design features. The most apparent is the main entrance overhang which splays out in a zig-zag pattern. This is a very typical use of concrete in 1960s design and many similar styles can be found throughout mid 20th Century building in Australia. Another highlight of the building is the decorative use of breeze block on the upper section of the building, again typical of 1960s design. In fact I would say that these kind of breeze block is seen more in Queensland than in any other state. The use of plain red brick to create patterns is a very common trait in many 1960s designs.

The period design element of any good 1960s design is in the interior stairwell railings. If you look closely at the photograph below to the staircase you can see what I am talking about. The use of simple patters made with steel are to be found all over place in 1960s design. The most common use was in motels, and the feature can also be seen at sporting venues and public swimming pools designed in the 1950s and 1960s.

Art Deco Apartment - Brisbane

I documented the Art Deco Coronet Flats in my last blog entry and I thought it fitting to highlight these flats as they are next door to Coronet. I like this building because the main stairwell is the main feature, it's as if it has been just attached later to the main building! It's dominant and works a treat with white render finish and class cubes to allow the sunlight to enter the stairwell. You also know you're in the sub-tropics with the building surrounded by palm trees and a evergreen creeper making it's way up the building.

Coronet Art Deco Apartment - Brisbane

Today Art Deco & Modernism Architecture Australia looks at an intriguing Art Deco design that form an apartment block in Brisbane. They would have to rate as one of the most interesting and stunning examples of Art Deco apartment design in Brisbane.
The flats were completed in 1933 and the interesting use of brick work that is stepped back from the main entrance is stunning, as other the other period embellishments such as tiles and glass work.

Cardwell Anglican Church torn apart by Cyclone Yasi

Cardwell was hard hit by Cyclone Yasi. Many homes and commercial buildings were damaged by Cyclone Yasi, with the Bruce Highway that connects Cairns to Brisbane cut off, having tonnes of sand over it and much of the highway has been washed into the ocean.

The Modernist post War designed Anglican Church wasn't spared. It's roof and walls were torn away, and all that remained were the pews that stood open to the elements. To see a photograph of what remains go here

The Modernist Church was fascinating because it uses the Australian vernacular of tin as a major building product for it's roofing and walls, and the timber slats upon entering would have shielded church goers from the hash tropical light and heat. I like to call it the Modernist bush vernacular. I was happy to have taken this photograph, now as a record of what once stood on the site.

Cyclone Yasi Destroys Art Deco building "Bell Chambers" - Tully

The devastation caused by Category 5 cyclone Yasi on the 3rd February has thankfully so far spared human life. There has been a large loss and damage to infrastructure and buildings including homes and businesses between Cardwell and Innisfail, including this Modernist building named "Bell Chambers", located in Tully.


Tully has a large number of Art Deco and Modernist commercial buildings, and sadly it looks like the fate of one of them has been sealed. This design was typical of many buildings built in Tully and throughout the region during the 1930-50s. Similar vernaculars can be seen in places nearby such as Innisfail, Ingham, Millaa Millaa, Malanda and Atherton. It was common for the Art Deco/Modernist style to continue being built well into the 1950s in Australia, in many cases as a result of designs being drawn up prior to the Second World War.

The concrete overhangs of Bell Chambers gave protection from the harsh tropical sun, and my photograph highlights the original windows that were still intact on the right hand side of the building. The coloured panelling that rises centrally on the building splays outwards slightly and is an interesting touch. Sadly, Cyclone Yasi has literally ripped half of the upper level from it's foundations.