Located on the corner of Landsborough and Little Brown Streets, the Normanton Westpac Bank is a single-storeyed exposed frame timber building on timber stumps, with a corrugated iron pyramid roof. It has wide timber verandahs on three sides which have corrugated iron skillion roofs. The bank has a simple rectangular plan, with a "book room" in the eastern corner. There is a weatherboard annex and c1970s staff quarters to the rear of the bank.
The exterior is modestly detailed, with bracing, studding and nogging over T&G boarding, paired shaped eaves brackets under the main roof, and timber doors and double hung sash windows. The verandah has square timber posts with a braced balustrade. The Landsborough Street elevation has central timber stairs with a timber pediment above the landing. The Little Brown Street elevation has timber stairs, new doors, and a partially enclosed verandah.
Internally, surviving evidence of earlier operations of the bank include gold scales and the manager's safes.
The Landsborough and Little Brown Street elevations are intact, and the building contributes to the townscape of Normanton.
","history":"This single storey timber building was constructed in 1886 as the permanent premises for the Normanton branch of the Bank of New South Wales.
By the mid 1880s Normanton, on the Norman River, had developed as the port for a large extent of pastoral and mining country, including the Cloncurry gold and copper fields, and the Etheridge and Croydon goldfields. The development of banking facilities was important to the commercial role of Normanton as a supply centre for the Gulf region. Normanton was constituted a municipality in 1886.
The Bank of New South Wales commenced trading in Normanton in 1884 in rented premises, acquiring the present site in 1885. The building was designed by Richard Gailey, who was responsible for the design of bank buildings elsewhere in Queensland during the late 1880s.
The building was used as both the bank premises and manager's residence until the late 1960s when the manager moved to a new residence. The residential component of the building was kept as staff quarters until 1971 when it was replaced by new staff quarters at the rear of the bank building.
In 1978 substantial internal alterations were undertaken to the premises to update the banking facilities. The verandahs which had been enclosed by the mid 1960s were reopened.
A storage shed was erected on the site in 1991.
The Westpac Bank is the only remaining banking facility in Normanton.
","criteria":"The Normanton Westpac Bank, erected in 1886, is important in demonstrating the pattern of Queensland's history, in particular the pattern of development of the Gulf region of north-west Queensland, and the development of Normanton as a commercial centre for the Gulf region.
|It is significant as a rare example of a large timber bank building, with early scales and safes, surviving in Queensland.
|It is significant as a rare example of a large timber bank building, with early scales and safes, surviving in Queensland.
|The building exhibits aesthetic characteristics valued by the community, in particular its contribution to the townscape of Normanton.
|As a banking premises in continuous use in Normanton since 1886, it has a strong association with the community.
|It has a special association with the work of Richard Gailey, as one of a number of rural bank buildings designed by Gailey during the late 19th century.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion G | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":15170,"place_ref":600395,"name":"Normanton Railway Terminus","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"Matilda Street","suburb":"NORMANTON","lga":"CARPENTARIA SHIRE COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1992-10-21","description":"The buildings at Normanton Railway Terminus are located at the edge of the town on a very level site which makes the buildings stand out sharply against the skyline. The surviving buildings comprise the station building with its attached carriage shade, the goods shed, water tank, vertical boiler and some relatively modern buildings such as the Officer in Charge's house at the Landsborough Street crossing.
The station building is rectangular in plan with offices on either side of a cental arched passage and is constructed of corrugated iron and timber on a slab laid on the ground. The timber wall frame is exposed and has cross braced studs which have been used to decorative effect. It has timber framed sash windows and is lined on the inside with vertical corrugated iron sheeting. The hipped roof is also clad with this material. A verandah with a curved corrugated iron roof stretches along the sides and street elevation where a small gable in the verandah roof marks the entrance. The rooms are now used as museum, store, shop, tea room and an room for the officer in charge. The ceilings are timber lined and retain early colour schemes. Some original furniture remains.
From the platform side of the building arches a huge steel framed carriage shade supported with decorated cast iron columns made by the Toowoomba foundry that supplied some of the steel sleepers. It extends over three tracks and has a continuous ridge vent. The bow string trusses are exposed at each end of the arcade and a scalloped sheet metal fringe edges the curved roof at each end of the structure.
The Goods Shed faces the station across further lines and is also of corrugated iron, although far more utilitarian in design. Even so, its simple lines and arched entrances complement the more ornate nature of that building. It has an internal loading platform. The outside loading platform has a 5 ton Ransomes and Rapier of London crane dating from about 1902.
The water tank is located near the site of the engine shed and is a single tier tank on a cast iron stand manufactured by Haslam and Co Ltd, of Derby. The site of the workshops consist of the footings, base walls, slabs and inspection pits. A vertical boiler by A. Overend & Co survives at the southern end of the fitting shop area. Also scattered through the yards are the remains of several locomotives, tenders and section of line and sleepers.
","history":"The railway complex at Normanton consists of the major buildings of an important inland railway terminus connecting this port with the goldfield at Croydon.
A railway line between Normanton and Cloncurry had been discussed as early as 1883 and was approved by Parliament in 1886. This was a difficult stretch for carriers and a rail link would have been valuable to pastoral stations in the area and would also have served the Cloncurry Copper Mine. It was at the time intended to eventually link the new line with the Great Northern Railway connecting Charters Towers and the important port of Townsville. However, in November 1885 a major gold strike was reported at Belmore Station, 145 km east of Normanton and by the end of 1886 the population of the Croydon field was 2000 and 6000 in the following year. Transportation was a major problem and access to this field became more important than the link to Cloncurry. It was decided to divert the line to Croydon. Tenders were called in July 1887 and the first section to Haydon began in May 1888. The work was designed and supervised by George Phillips and this section opened on 7 May 1889. The current route of the line was finalised in 1889 and reached Croydon on 7 July 1891, opening on the 20 July.
In 1867 Phillips had taken part in the exploration of the country around Normanton with William Landsborough, working for him a surveyor. Soon afterwards, he surveyed the area chosen as a port to become the town of Normanton. The country was difficult for conventional railway tracks due to flooding, lack of suitable timber and voracious termites. In 1884 Phillips patented a system for taking railways across such country which utilised special U section steel sleepers laid directly on the ground. During floods the line could be submerged without washing out the ballast and embankments normally used, so that it could quickly be put back into service when the waters subsided. The steel sleepers were also impervious to termite attack, and although initially more expensive than timber sleepers, were cheaper to lay and maintain. It was this system that was specified for the Normanton to Croydon line and Phillips was engaged to supervise the construction. After the railway was completed he maintained an interest in the area, serving as MLA for Carpentaria, inspecting artesian bores and writing a report on ports and railways in 1909.
The station building and carriage shade were designed under Phillips direction by James Gartside, a draftsman for the department. and were built about 1889. The line was opened in 1891. At its peak, the complex at Normanton consisted of a station building containing a telegraph office, station master's and traffic manager's offices, clerks' room, waiting room, parcels and cloak room, booking office, and a ladies' room with a ramp to ladies-only earth closets. Attached to the station building, and sheltering the platform and three tracks, was an arcaded carriage shade with a curved roof .
The terminus also had a large goods shed with a crane and because the line was isolated, a workshop area comprising a maintenance store, suspense stores, a timber shed, tanks, locomotive store, fitting shop, carpenter's and blacksmith's shops, timber shed, gantry and engine shed.. There was also a horse and carriage dock, porters' and lamp rooms, closets, and a tool house nearby. Residences for the station master, enginemen and guard were located south-east of Landsborough St. The traffic manager's house and stables adjoined where the wharf line departed for the Margaret and Jane landing on the Norman River.
The goldfield at Croydon did not sustain its initial success. By the early 1900s its output had dropped considerably and after WWI when widespread mining diminished, it was obvious that the field would not recover. Traffic on the line was never high and steadily declined, although its value as a community service and a vital link during the wet season kept the line open. This was because the Phillips system worked well and the track could be put back into use almost immediately after flooding, whereas roads stayed impassable for much longer. Fortunately, the track took less maintenance than standard track because in the early 1920s the number of services and staff were considerably reduced. In the 1930s, all weather roads made the railway less important, but until the late 1960s the rail remained a vital transport link in the area. The terminus now functions largely as a tourist attraction. One railmotor was restored and named the 'Gulflander' in 1978.
Although the line initially used steam locomotives, supplying enough suitable water for them locomotives was a problem from the beginning on this line and trains eventually carried water trucks. Railmotors were also more economical to run, so in 1922 the first railmotor, a Panhard, was tried on this route. In 1929 steam locomotives were discontinued and railmotors only were used. Diesel locomotives supplemented these in the 1980s.
Some of the working buildings at the terminus deteriorated and were removed including the workshops, carpenters and blacksmiths, though the sites can be still plainly seen.
","criteria":"The Railway Terminus at Normanton, as an important part of the Normanton to Croydon railway line, demonstrates the pattern of development in Queensland in which the railways linked ports with inland resources, particularly mineral fields. The terminus was intended eventually to serve lines to Cloncurry and other centres, so that its scale reflects the prosperity of the area at the time and its prospective importance.
|It is a substantially intact and distinctive terminal station for an isolated inland railway system, retaining a carriage shade attached to the station building which shields the platform and tracks, plus a goods shed with its original crane.
|The Normanton terminus is a well executed and interesting example of late nineteenth century railway architecture in Queensland. In a flat and open landscape, the scale, form and skilful use of vernacular materials make the terminus a striking and important component of the townscape of Normanton.
|The Normanton terminus is a well executed and interesting example of late nineteenth century railway architecture in Queensland. In a flat and open landscape, the scale, form and skilful use of vernacular materials make the terminus a striking and important component of the townscape of Normanton.
|The railway itself, with its use of low level submersible track and Phillips patented steel sleepers, was an important technical innovation which has proved remarkably durable. The terminus buildings designed by Phillips also show an imaginative and practical use of materials in this difficult location.
|The terminus has strong associations with the life and work of George Phillips, who helped to explore and survey the area, served for several years as its Parliamentary representative and designed and supervised the building of the railway. It is also associated with James Gartside who prepared the designs for the terminus buildings under Phillips' direction.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion D | Criterion E | Criterion F | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place is important in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":15171,"place_ref":600396,"name":"Normanton to Croydon Railway Line","alternate_name":null,"street_address":null,"suburb":"NORMANTON","lga":"CARPENTARIA SHIRE COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1992-10-21","description":"The Normanton to Croydon Railway runs 94 miles in a roughly south-east direction from Normanton to Croydon, in the Gulf country of North-west Queensland. The line, carried for most of its length on Phillips patent steel sleepers, runs over level country and crosses a number of streams by low level bridges. It has stations at each end of the line with several stopping places in between.
The buildings at Normanton Railway Terminus are located at the edge of the town on a very level site which makes the buildings stand out sharply against the skyline. The surviving buildings comprise the station building with its attached carriage shade, the goods shed, water tank, vertical boiler and some relatively modern buildings such as the Officer in Charge's house at the Landsborough Street crossing.
The station building is rectangular in plan with offices on either side of a cental passage and is constructed of corrugated iron lining a timber frame set on a slab. The pattern formed by the frame and cross braced studs has been used to create a decorative effect. The hipped roof is clad in corrugated iron, as is the roof of the verandah which stretches along the sides and front of the station, where a small gable in the verandah roof marks the entrance. From the platform side of the building arches a huge steel framed carriage shade supported with decorated cast iron columns made by the Toowoomba foundry that supplied some of the steel sleepers. It extends over three tracks and has a continuous ridge vent. The bow string trusses are exposed at each end of the arcade and a scalloped sheet metal fringe edges the curved roof at each end of the structure.
The goods shed faces the station across further lines and is a large building, clad and roofed with corrugated iron. The roof extends to provide awnings to the sides, one of which has been built in. It has an internal loading platform and the outside loading platform carries a 5 ton Ransomes and Rapier of London crane dating from about 1902.
The water tank is located near the site of the engine shed and is a single tier tank on a cast iron stand manufactured by Haslam and Co Ltd, of Derby. The site of the workshops consist of the footings, base walls, slabs and inspection pits. A vertical boiler by A. Overend & Co survives at the southern end of the fitting shop area. There is a modern engine shed which houses the rail motor. Also scattered through the yards are the remains of several locomotives, tenders and section of line and sleepers.
The station complex at Blackbull comprises a skillion roofed 1966 shelter shed which, although relatively modern, utilises the timber frame and corrugated iron cladding typical of buildings on this line. An interpretive centre has been established in the early 20th century railway workers' quarters. These are also skillion roofed and are corrugated iron clad with top hinged, steel clad shutters. There is an 1890 McKenzie and Holland elevated standard single tier cast iron water tank on a cast iron stand adjacent to a bore at the trackside. A mid twentieth century house recently moved to the site, modern shade structure and toilet block make up the facilities.
Croydon station is now a simple building clad in corrugated iron with a low pitched roof which does not resemble the station destroyed in 1969, but appears to have reused some of the materials. A set of Avery scales are against the outside wall at the end of the building and a cylindrical water tank is adjacent. Beyond the tank is an 1887 Saxby and Farmer lever, believed to be rare.
The complex also contains also a set of quarters similar in appearance to those at Blackbull with detached kitchen and shower annexes to the rear. Croydon station also retains some original equipment such as a Ransomes and Rapier crane, as at Normanton. This is located beside the line at a short distance from the station building and near the former goods shed, the concrete slab of which survives. A loading ramp constructed of metal sleepers and rails and filled with earth also remains, though in a ruinous condition. The tower section of a windmill made from rails is also in the yards and locomotive parts are scattered about.
","history":"The railway line linking Normanton to Croydon was built between 1888 and 1891 and is the last isolated line of Queensland Rail still in use. It utilised an innovative system of submersible track with patented steel sleepers and retains buildings of considerable architectural and technical interest at its terminus in Normanton.
In 1867 William Landsborough investigated the Norman River area to select a port site to serve the pastoral stations south of the Gulf of Carpentaria. With him was George Phillips who shortly thereafter surveyed the chosen site of Normanton. Phillips later supervised the construction of the Normanton to Croydon Railway, and retained an interest in the area, serving as MLA for Carpentaria in the 1890s.
A railway line between Normanton and Cloncurry had been discussed as early as 1883 and was approved by Parliament in 1886. This was a difficult stretch for carriers and a rail link would have been valuable to pastoral stations in the area and was planned to serve the Cloncurry Copper Mine. It was at the time intended to eventually link the new line with the Great Northern Railway connecting Charters Towers and the important port of Townsville. However, in November 1885 a major gold strike was reported at Belmore Station, 145 km east of Normanton and by the end of 1886 the population of the Croydon field was 2000, rising to 6000 in the following year. Transportation was a major problem and access to this field became more important than the link to Cloncurry. It was decided to divert the line to Croydon.
The line was technically innovative, in response to the terrain and conditions. The country was flat but difficult for conventional railway tracks due to flooding, lack of suitable timber for sleepers and termite attack. In 1884 Phillips patented a system for taking railways across such country which utilised special U section steel sleepers laid directly on the ground. During floods the line could be submerged without washing out the ballast and embankments normally used, so that it could quickly be put back into service when the waters subsided. The steel sleepers were also impervious to termite attack, and although initially more expensive than timber sleepers, were cheaper to lay and maintain. The bridges along the line were also designed to be submersible. This system was particularly suited to the Gulf country and was specified for the Normanton to Croydon line with Phillips engaged to supervise the construction. Tenders were called in July 1887 and the first section to Haydon began in May 1888. The first line laid was between the Normanton station site and the Margaret and Jane landing at Normanton wharf in order to bring materials from ships to the terminal site. This line has not survived.
Some problems were encountered with constructing the line because of the difficulty of maintaining a constant and adequate supply of Phillips sleepers. They were cast at the Toowoomba Foundry at Woolloongabba in Brisbane and also in Glasgow, but in order to keep construction going, timber sleepers were used on some sections and timber was also used for some bridges, originally designed to be made of steel.
The construction method involved clearing a three metre wide band ahead of the rail which was stumped, ploughed, harrowed, rolled and lightly ballasted. The U shaped sleepers were then laid on this prepared surface and the rail attached to them by special clips. The construction train then passed over them forcing the U shape down into the ground and depressing the sleepers for above half their depth. Soft spots were then packed. The finished rails were intended to be 25 to 50 mm above the surface. However, in practice the sleepers became more deeply embedded with time. The first section of 61km to Haydon was opened in May 1889, then to Patterson's (Blackbull) in December 1890, and to Croydon in July 1891.
The buildings for the terminus at Normanton consisted of a station with a large arched carriage shade and a goods shed, all constructed of corrugated iron on timber frames, although the framework for the station building was used to considerable decorative effect. Because the line was isolated, a range of maintenance buildings and facilities such as machine shops, blacksmith and carpenters shops were added over the next few years. At the other end of the line, Croydon had more modest goods and locomotive sheds and a station with a roofed section over 2 tracks. In 1895, a railway water reserve was proclaimed on the flooded Bird-in-the-Bush shaft on True Blue Hill at Croydon.
Most of the timber sleepers on the line were soon replaced because of termite damage, although one section over salt pan used timber rather than metal to prevent corrosion. A number of low level bridges form an important part of this line and were also intended to be metal. In 1900 two bridges at Glenore Crossing which had been built in timber in 1890 were replaced by low level concrete and steel bridges. That at Glenore Crossing number 3 reused fishbelly plate girders from the original 1876 Albert Bridge in Brisbane as main spans. Original metal and concrete bridges survive and those at 80 Mile Creek and Belmore Creek at Croydon are good examples of their type.
Initially the line carried perishables, mail and passengers, and goods like building materials and merchandise. It also ferried firewood for mine boilers and batteries as the land was progressively cleared. During the late 1890s special trains were run for picnics at most of the water holes along the line, particularly the Blackbull lagoon and weekend excursions from Normanton to Croydon or Golden Gate. The Golden Gate mine, some 4 miles west of Croydon and on the railway line, was first mined in 1887. It enjoyed prosperity from about 1895 to 1901, and the Golden Gate township itself had 1500 inhabitants. A service between Croydon and Golden Gate on the weekends was introduced in 1902.
However, the goldfield at Croydon did not sustain its initial success. By the early 1900s its output had dropped considerably and after WWI when widespread mining diminished, it was obvious that the field would not recover. The railway had only run at a profit between 1898 and 1902 and traffic, never high, steadily declined. The line stayed open as a community service and as a vital link during the wet season. This was largely because the Phillips system worked well and the track could be put back into use almost immediately after flooding, whereas roads stayed impassable for much longer. Fortunately, the track took less maintenance than standard track because in the early 1920s the number of staff was considerably reduced. To cut costs, and because the supply of suitable water had always been a problem, the first railmotor, a Panhard, was introduced in 1922. By 1929 steam trains had been completely phased out. In the 1930s, all-weather roads made the railway less important, but until the late 1960s the rail remained a vital transport link in the area. The terminus now functions largely as a tourist attraction. One railmotor was restored and named the 'Gulflander' in 1978 and a railmotor now makes a weekly trip hauling carriages and a flat top wagon for passengers' cars. In the wet season it also carries freight when the roads are cut. Stops are at Clarina (11 miles), Glenore (14m), Haydon (40m), RM Stop No1 (49m), Blackbull (56m), and on to Croydon (94m). There is often also a photo stop at the remains of the Golden Gate mine (92m).
Not all of the buildings have survived; the station at Croydon being destroyed by a storm in 1969. The tank there was demolished in 1972, that at Haydon in 1980, and the blacksmiths shop and workshops in Normanton were sold and demolished in 1980.
","criteria":"The Normanton to Croydon railway illustrates the way in which the rail system in Queensland developed as a series of isolated lines which connected ports to inland resources. It also demonstrates the short lived importance that goldfields, such as that at Croydon, might have.
|The Brisbane to Cairns railway connected all independent railways running from ports inland apart from Normanton and Cooktown, which closed in 1962. The Normanton to Croydon line is therefore the last isolated section of the Queensland Railways to remain in use. It is also the only complete line to have been constructed using the Phillips patented sleeper system, which is still in working order.
|Because of its isolation, extensive workshop facilities were provided and locomotives and rolling stock were retained when obsolete. Although some have now been removed, the line retained much of its individuality and can provide information on the way in which such an isolated line was maintained and the technology used.
|The buildings connected with the railway make skilful use of vernacular materials in a harsh environment The Normanton station in particular is a well executed and interesting example of late nineteenth century railway architecture in Queensland. In a flat and open landscape, its scale, form and materials make the terminus a striking and important component of the townscape of Normanton.
|The railway line itself, with its use of low level submersible track and bridges and Phillips patented steel sleepers, was an important technical innovation designed for Queensland conditions which has lasted in use with a low level of maintenance for over a hundred years, proving its viability in these conditions.
|The railway has strong associations with the life and work of George Phillips, who helped to explore and survey the area, served for several years as its Parliamentary representative and designed and supervised the building of the railway. It is also associated with James Gartside who prepared the designs for the Normanton terminus buildings under Phillips' direction.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion C | Criterion E | Criterion F | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Queensland's history | The place is important because of its aesthetic significance | The place is important in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":16264,"place_ref":601501,"name":"Normanton Gaol","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"27 Haigh Street","suburb":"NORMANTON","lga":"CARPENTARIA SHIRE COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"1999-07-23","description":"Normanton Gaol is located on a rectangular block bounded by Haig Street, and three residential blocks. It is a single-storeyed concrete and corrugated iron building with multiple entrance points, each indicating a cell or group of cells. The smaller tracker's quarters, a single storeyed timber and corrugated iron building is located in the north eastern corner of the block behind the gaol building.
The 1892 core of the building incorporates two large cells, each with an exercise yard and two smaller cells with a single L shaped yard. Exercise yards are enclosed by concrete walls, three and a half metres in height. Each of the yards is separately entranced by iron doors with peep holes and large draw bolt locks. In each of the four 1892 cells, railway iron rails are imbedded horizontally in concrete piers between the top of the external walls and the ceiling, providing ventilation. The remand cell has railway iron rails spanning the room at the top of the walls spaced 25 centimetres apart, the ends being imbedded into the walls. The ceilings are lined with tongue and groove hardwood boards.
The 1895 extension, consisting of three cells adjoins the original exercise yard wall. A fourth cell was added to the 1895 range in 1899 and is of congruous design and form. Three of the cells are four metres by two metres, and are unadorned and without windows. The north eastern cell has a second doorway leading to the L shaped exercise yard. The south western cell is larger and has a set of louvred windows facing Haig Street. A shower block extension, including two bathrooms and open plan thoroughfare, was added to the western elevation of the building and is made of besser brick and open iron bars covered with security mesh.
The 1892 core has a hipped skillion roof, clad with galvanised iron. Small bull nose rooves extend from the main roof along the exercise yard walls. Earth closets, once located under these extensions, have been removed. Two ornate finials ventilate the roof and indicate the cell spaces. The 1895/99 addition has a pitched roof which was extended over the modern addition. Three smaller finials are located on the ridge of this roof.
The trackers' quarters, located at the north eastern corner of the block, at the rear of the main building, is a simple single-storeyed weatherboard and corrugated iron structure. It has two single rooms, each with an entrance and exit door and a double hung sash window in each room. The hipped roof provides an awning for a covered porch area. A toilet and shower facility are located in this area.
","history":"The Normanton Gaol is a complex of two buildings, consisting of a single-storeyed cement and corrugated iron cell block constructed between 1892 and 1899, and a smaller timber and corrugated iron building formerly used as the trackers quarters.
Normanton, gazetted as a town in 1868, was originally settled to provide port facilities as an alternative to the Burketown port. The port facilities, situated sixty kilometres upstream from the gulf provided access for incoming goods as well as allowing for a more efficient trade route to Brisbane from the Carpentaria region. The site for Normanton is located on an ironstone ridge, protecting it from the topographic changes that occur during the wet season. Although the region had been opened up as a pastoral district during the 1860s for cattle, it was the discovery of gold at Croydon in 1885, that saw the township boom. The Normanton-Croydon railway opened in 1891 and road links to the Cloncurry copper fields saw Normanton port become a gateway for the north-western region of Queensland.
From the earliest days of the township, an important element in the Normanton community was the variety of cultures that were evident. As well as the pioneering European settlers, in themselves a diverse cultural group, a significant minority of Chinese immigrants were attracted to the area through the Croydon goldfields. Fringe camps of Aboriginal peoples, originally located on the northern side of the Norman river, developed into large groups by the turn of the century. Some of these peoples were removed to reserves on Mornington Island, 1914 and Doomadgee, 1936. Fringe camps endured and were similar in character to those found in other townships of the Gulf region.
In 1888 Normanton became the central town of the police district and therefore the court district. On 25 November 1890 The Prisons Act assented with the aim to consolidate and amend the law relating to gaols, prisons, houses of correction and penal establishments. This Act created a prisons department under the control of the Comptroller General and clarified the distinction between a Police Gaol, being a specially proclaimed lock up or watch house, and a prison. As a result of this Act Normanton was initially proclaimed a Police Goal in 1891, possibly as an interim measure until the construction on the larger site could be undertaken. In 1890 a gaol reserve of nine acres was proclaimed on the outskirts of town adjacent to the hospital reserve. Plans were drawn up for the Gaol reserve by William Taylor Jack who was working in Normanton as the Foreman of Works for the department of Public Works at the time. These plans incorporated warder's residence and a total of twenty four cells.
The gaol was eventually built on an unproclaimed reserve in Borck street (now Haig street) and was a far more modest four cells. The Police Gaol proclamation was rescinded in 1893 when it was proclaimed a prison. The deferment of the status of prison is an indication of the stature of Normanton amongst townships in the Carpentaria Gulf region. Locating the gaol in the centre of town maintained a close proximity between the gaol, police reserve and the Court House. The location allowed Normanton Gaol to be used as both a police lockup and a district gaol. This meant that prisoners on both short and long term sentences were held together with those awaiting trail. It was part of a larger police reserve that encompassed barracks, conjoining the Gaol, stables and horse yards with offices and inspectors residence on the opposite side of Haig Street.
In a township dominated by timber and corrugated iron built form, the gaol is distinct as an early concrete structure. The gaol incorporates the distinctive use of iron railway rails in the construction of the walls and frames for the ceilings. This was incorporated as reinforcing device as well as using materials available due to the recent construction of the Normanton-Croydon railway. Praised by the Sheriff for accommodating the harsh climate of the Gulf, the concrete structure also deterred white ants that plagued timber buildings at this time. The ground floor construction of the building impeded potential breakout from the gaol experienced in the previous timber building where an inmate broke through the floor and escaped. The configuration of yards and cells isolated prisoners and separated those remanded from those carrying out longer sentencing.
As a district gaol, Normanton serviced Croydon, Georgetown, Cloncurry, and Burketown, encompassing the large district of Cook and Burke. The gaol was extended in 1895, as a result of overcrowding with as many as twenty four prisoners held in the original four cells. A further two cells were added, along with a new kitchen and a stockade fence around the perimeter. A seventh cell was added into the 1895 range in 1899. The superintendent of the prison was drawn from the resident police officers, and paid a supplementary stipend of £20 per annum. Similarly the local Protector of Aborigines, appointed after the enactment of the Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897, was drawn from Normanton's senior police ranks.
Trackers' quarters are located in the eastern corner of the block and are a small two room weatherboard hut. Aboriginal trackers were retained by the police force to assist with the capture of errant prisoners and recalcitrants. They were also used to find lost children and were highly prized for their bushcraft skills. In addition to such duties, aboriginal trackers also acted as subordinate staff, attending to such jobs as stable hand, cleaner and handy man. The location and size of the hut are indicative of the hierarchy in police accommodation, with aboriginal peoples on the lowest position, in the smallest building with the least amenities. The trackers' quarters is more akin to the cell blocks than to the accommodation for constables and inspectors.
After its closure as a gaol in 1945, it reverted to the police service and continued to be used as a watch house until the late 1992. Recommendations arising from the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody saw the watch house fail to comply to Queensland Police Service operational requirements and it was subsequently closed.
","criteria":"The Normanton Gaol is a complex of two buildings, consisting of a single-storeyed concrete and corrugated iron cell block constructed between 1892 and 1899, and a small timber and corrugated iron building formerly used as the trackers' quarters. The placement of the gaol in Normanton is indicative of governmental confidence in the growth in this area, in both mining and pastoral sectors and the need to provide for law and order in conjunction with the other services, such as port and Post and Telegraph facilities. The gaol building demonstrates the importance of Normanton as a central administrative hub for the Carpentaria region at a time of rapid economic growth.
|It is a rare and intact example of a nineteenth century gaol used to service a remote regional area, once part of a broader network of prisons throughout Queensland administered under the Prisons Act 1890. As such it demonstrates the range of penal institutions developed within the network that included small cell blocks through to large complexes as can be seen at Boggo Road Gaol, Brisbane [601033]. Gaols once featured in the urban landscapes of regional centres such as Roma, Toowoomba, Cooktown and Thursday Island, most of which no longer survive. The substantial concrete form of the gaol building demonstrates the distinction made between a lock up and a prison, illustrating attitude to prison construction.
|The small two room trackers' quarters, the only remaining building of a larger police reserve, demonstrates the hierarchal social structure attached to accommodation in the Queensland Police Service. It also demonstrates the use of indigenous peoples in the Queensland Police Service.
|Normanton Gaol has association with the peoples of the Gulf region as a place of incarceration and punishment from the late nineteenth century.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion D | Criterion G","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":16894,"place_ref":601157,"name":"Normanton Cemetery","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"Burke Developmental Road","suburb":"NORMANTON","lga":"CARPENTARIA SHIRE COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2000-03-24","description":"The Normanton Cemetery Reserve covers eight hectares of flat ground on the southern outskirts of the town. Wooden gates mark the entrance to the well-maintained cemetery. There are lawn plots to the right of the front gate while the oldest burials are to the rear of the reserve. A modern fence surrounds the whole cemetery with some white cedar trees on the fence line although there are very few trees within the boundary.
It is divided into several areas including early graves, an old Chinese section, and a section for various religious denominations and a newer lawn cemetery area. Most of the graves have remained undisturbed and some are from the time before the cemetery was officially gazetted. The burial register dates from 18 August 1887, but one of the earliest headstones dates from 24 January 1870. In all there are over 1000 names in the burial register and the cemetery is still being used.
There are a remarkable variety of memorials. They range from marble and sandstone to wrought iron bedsteads; from the very simple to the ornate, from very well preserved to mere traces. The Chinese section is of particular interest as evidence of the part played by Chinese people in the development of the area.
The headstones consist of many forms of slab that were possibly imported from east coast or southern Queensland. Some of the graves are still enclosed by wrought iron railings, which seem to be in good condition. Some have sheet galvanised iron around them while others have a galvanised metal shelter over the main part of the grave and some have small shelters for flowers. Most of the headstones are small, indicating the difficulty of transportation to the isolated north west of Queensland.
Iron bedsteads bound many graves of small children; some with the testers to hold mosquito nets still attached. Some of these are further decorated with large seashells. One grave is outlined with large turbinate seashells, covered with small gravel and marked by a small burial marker.
","history":"Normanton Cemetery has served the town and surrounding district since at least 1870. The cemetery, which is still in use, contains some unusual memorials and encapsulates information on the history of the area since settlement.
The first settlers in this area of north west Queensland were Liddle and Hertzer who selected Magowra Station in the 1860s. The settlement of Normanton was established in 1864 as a port and service centre for the surrounding pastoral ventures and was declared a town in 1868. In 1879 James Burns (later Burns Philp & Co) established a store there. Normanton, because of its location on the north coast of Australia, was utilised as a point of departure for goods and passengers destined for Europe, China, Asia and India. Wool, meat and later minerals were exported and the town was once suggested as the terminus of the proposed transcontinental rail line. With this suggestion, land prices in the town boomed with allotments selling for £200in the early 1880s.
The discovery of gold in the Croydon district in 1885 and the subsequent demand for access to and from the port at Normanton saw the construction of the Normanton to Croydon Railway in 1891.
By this time there were an estimated 2000 people in the town, which was a centre for government services. The Carpentaria Divisional Board office was the only brick building, but the town boasted a Police Court, Customs House, School of Arts, many hotels, two churches, a hospital and a school. Two newspapers were published bi-weekly and the town was connected to the outside world by the telegraph, a weekly steamer to the south and a train to Croydon three times a week in 1891.
The town did not develop as its early planners had hoped and when mineral prices fell and mining declined cattle were the main export by the First World War. Early in 1920 the steamer service was reduced to once in three weeks. Then Normanton was serviced from Thursday Island each month until the development of the beef road system in the 1960s. From this point, Normanton lost some of its isolation and commerce shifted to trade with the coastal towns of Queensland by road. With the reduction of the rural labour force, the town slowly declined until today there are 4200 people in the Carpentaria Shire including a substantial Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
The cemetery, in operation since at least 1870, has continued to serve the community of Normanton and the Carpentaria Shire for one hundred and thirty years.
","criteria":"The Normanton Cemetery, in use from at least 1870, reflects the development of the region from that period to the present day.
The economic and social history of the district can be read through the inscriptions and type of material used in headstones. Nationality, health, social status, lodge affiliation, occupation, religion and cause of death are often included in the inscriptions. Family relationships can be noted and the high infant mortality and death in childbirth are often recorded. The large number of single graves is illustrative of the hardship and isolation of pioneering life in north west Queensland.
|The cemetery is an important record of the cultural development of the area, showing the ethnicity, occupations and social status of the inhabitants of Normanton and the Carpentaria Shire since settlement.
|The cemetery is significant for its high spiritual and symbolic value to the community
because of its continuity of use as a burial place for the region for one hundred and thirty years.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion D | Criterion G","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":16977,"place_ref":602156,"name":"Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX and Walker's Camp, Little Bynoe River","alternate_name":"Walker's Camp","street_address":"Burke and Wills Access Road (Private Road)","suburb":"NORMANTON","lga":"CARPENTARIA SHIRE COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2008-08-14","description":"Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX and Walker's Camp are located 35 kilometres south-west of Normanton. They are about 2 kilometres south of the Normanton-Burketown Road and close to the Little Bynoe River. The sites are located above the waterline on small, seasonal overflows of the river.
Both campsites are accessible via the Burke and Wills Access Road, which runs south off the Normanton-Burketown Road. Both sites are located on unremarkable, dusty landscapes showing no evidence of the dramatic events that took place there. The Burke and Wills Camp B/CXIX is marked by signs and memorials and enclosed by a graded track. Visitors are able to bring vehicles onto the site via this track.
Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX is marked by the 10 remaining blazed trees made during the party's three day occupation of the site. These trees are located within the fringe of bush round the site and are not obviously tampered with. The blazing is unimposing but remains present on a number of trees at the camp sites. The fact that the blazes are not readily evident without examination has probably enabled most to survive.
Walker's Camp lies within an overflow of the Little Bynoe River. It is marked by a single blazed tree. A stainless steel plaque which reads "Walker's Camp, 8-12th Jan 1862 DNH 1998" has been fastened to the blazed tree. Visitors to this site need to walk through bush for about 500m to reach it.
Carpentaria Shire Council has completed significant signage and site protection work as part of funding received from the Community Memorial Restoration Program. Interpretative signage, bollards that protect the site and help restrict access, a protective shelter and a designated car park and access roads have all been installed on the site. None of these additions or alterations is of cultural heritage significance.
","history":"On 11 February 1861, four members of the Burke and Wills expedition attempting to cross the Australian continent from south to north, established their most northerly campsite adjacent the Bynoe River in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Two of the party camped at this location for three days while expedition leader Robert Burke and surveyor William Wills ventured further north in an attempt to reach the Gulf coast. During their occupation of the site, the party blazed 15 trees to mark its location. A search party led by Frederick Walker arrived in the area 11 months later, on 8 January 1862, and also established a camp on a small seasonal lagoon near Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX. Walker's expedition blazed a tree to record the location of their camp approximately three quarters of a mile (1.2 kilometres) north of Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX.
Inspired by the prevailing interest in the sciences and exploration, the Royal Society of Victoria established a committee in 1857 to 'fit out' an expedition to traverse the Australian continent from 'south to north'. The Royal Society, a philosophical organisation whose membership came from the highest levels of society, the sciences, the squattocracy and the government in Victoria, approached the community for donations to fund the exploration. Within two years they raised over £9,000 including £6,000 from the Victorian Government. The chief aim of the expedition was to build on previous exploration work in order to open up the "centre" of the continent.
The Royal Society advertised the position of leader of the Victorian Exploration Expedition and Robert O'Hara Burke, a police superintendent from the Castlemaine District of Victoria, was chosen to lead the expedition - a position he had anxiously and diligently pursued. Burke was born in 1821 in County Galway, Ireland, to Protestant gentry. He was educated at Woolwich and served as a lieutenant in the Austrian cavalry and later in the Irish Mounted Constabulary before emigrating to Australia in 1853.
The Society chose William John Wills as the expedition's surveyor and astronomer and third-in-command behind camel master George Landells. Wills was born in Devon, England in 1834 and trained in medicine. He emigrated to Australia in 1853 and after a short stint working as a shepherd at Deniliquin, New South Wales, he assisted in his father's medical practice at Ballarat in Victoria.
The guidance from the Royal Society regarding the details of the expedition were unclear and it appeared from instructions presented to Burke on 16 August 1860, that he could travel in any direction he chose once he arrived at Cooper's Creek. However, there was pressure on Burke and Wills to hasten to the "centre" ahead of a rival South Australian group to be led by John McDowell Stuart, who was instructed to explore to the northwest across the continent.
Burke left Melbourne ahead of Stuart with a large party of men, stock and supplies. By the time he reached Menindee on the Darling River, it was obvious that the push north was going to be hampered by extreme summer weather and the slow speed of the drays carrying equipment and stores. Burke decided to establish a permanent camp there while waiting for the last of his equipment to arrive. Feeling that he had to continue north as quickly as possible, Burke left a party of men at Menindee and pressed on towards Cooper's Creek with a reduced team of eight men. He arranged to have the rest of the team and stores moved up to Cooper's Creek within three months.
On arrival at Cooper's Creek, Burke decided to make a dash for the Gulf with Wills, Gray and King, before the wet season set in. This northern party was made up of Burke as party leader, Wills as second-in-command and astronomer, navigator and meteorologist, King as attendant to the party's camels, and Gray as camp organizer.
Following a line to the northeast of Stuart's proposed track, Burke and his team arrived at the Little Bynoe River on 11 February 1861. They were 57 days out from Cooper's Creek and 13 days over the planned time. Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX became the most northern of their camps as mangroves blocked further progress to the Gulf. As they were running low on stores and concerned about meeting the remainder of the exploration party at Cooper's Creek, Burke and Wills left Gray and King at Camp B/CXIX and pushed further north through the mangroves in an attempt to reach the Gulf of Carpentaria coast. However, after three days of difficult travel, they returned south picking up Gray and King at Camp B/CXIX. The explorers left little evidence of their stay on the Gulf except for 15 blazed Coolibah and Gutta-percha trees.
Most early Australian explorers marked their route of passage across the continent by blazing trees. Blazed trees identify the routes they travelled and the points along their route where they made important observations. Distinguishing markings were often cut within each blaze. The most common markings included the initials of the explorer, the date the blaze was made, and a unique number related to the progress of the expedition (e.g. the number '1' would be used to signify the location as camp 1). Explorers were often directed by expedition organisers and sponsors on the configuration of the actual markings to be cut. It is common for unique markings on blazed trees to be matched with entries made in explorers' diaries and journals. In this manner, it is sometimes possible to gain an understanding of what occurred at a particular location when little physical evidence remains.
Between 14 February and 21 April 1861, the four men, with Gray sickening, struggled back towards Cooper's Creek on short supplies and with failing camels. Gray became ill suffering from pain in his head and limbs. His condition continued to deteriorate until he died on the morning of 17 April 1861.
Travel had been so slow that the team at Cooper's Creek gave up hope after four months of waiting, and after burying messages and food at the foot of a tree, left the camp to go for help hours before Burke, Wills and King returned to the camp. Thinking they were alone and unaware of the buried supplies, the three men attempted to reach the nearest police station at Mount Hopeless in South Australia. However, the difficult terrain and the health of the explorers and their two remaining camels were so bad they were forced to remain along Cooper's Creek, where both Burke and Wills died in late June. King was cared for by local Aboriginal people and survived until rescued by Alfred William Howitt's search party in mid-September 1861.
Apart from Howitt, others were sent to search for the lost explorers. One such person was Frederick Walker, who had already made several prospecting trips on behalf of pastoralists during 1860 and 1861. In late 1861, Walker led a party to find the Burke and Wills expedition. Walker established his own camp on a small seasonal lagoon and, during the subsequent four days, located Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX approximately three quarters of a mile away on the Little Bynoe River. Walker's party left several blazed trees in the vicinity of his campsite beside an overflow of the Little Bynoe River.
In the early 1860s, Liddle and Hertzer established Magowra Station, which encompassed Camp B/CXIX and Walker's nearby campsite. The township of Normanton, 35 kilometres from Camp B/CXIX, was established in 1864 as a port and service centre for the surrounding pastoral ventures and was declared a town in 1868.
Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX and Walker's Camp remained 'undiscovered' until 1909 when staff from Magowra Station found Walker's blazed trees and the blazed trees at Camp B/CXIX. JP Thomson, of the Queensland Geographical Society, published an article in the Queensland Geographical Journal 25th Session titled "Expedition to the Gulf of Carpentaria, 1909-10". Thomson located 15 blazed trees on this visit.
In 1999, David Hillian revisited the site and was able to relocate 10 blazed trees. Thomson's recorded Tree Number 9 is believed to have vanished in 1997 and Number 1 was destroyed in 1999. Tree Number 6 had also been removed to be housed in the Normanton Railway Museum.
","criteria":"The Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX and Walker's Camp are significant in illustrating a principal characteristic of early exploration in Queensland - the marking of expedition campsites with blazes to record information for future travellers. The earliness, intactness, and rarity of these blazed trees makes this place an outstanding example of its type.
|The camps are significant in that they have the potential to yield additional archaeological evidence that may add to our store of knowledge about practices and processes of nineteenth century exploration in northern Queensland and Australia.
The place has research potential, especially if other campsites from the Burke and Wills expedition are located in the future, and therefore may enable a better understanding of the hardships endured on that expedition. The place may also yield information suitable for comparative analysis with camps associated with other exploration events.
|The Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX of 11-14 February 1861 and Walker's Camp of 8-12 January 1862, adjacent to the Bynoe River in the Gulf of Carpentaria, are important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history in that they reflect the nineteenth century interest in scientific exploration and the exploration of central and northern Australia. The Burke and Wills Camp B/CXIX is the most northerly marked camp established during the expedition.
Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX is important in demonstrating the pattern of exploration designed to 'open up' the Australian continent for pastoralism. The process of pastoral expansion into a still largely unknown Gulf region of Queensland commenced soon after the expedition concluded, forever changing the region.
The place is significant to the broader Queensland and Australian community as a symbolic representation of the past in the present, providing tangible evidence of the Burke and Wills Expedition and the search effort by Walker's party that was made to locate the lost explorers. Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX is significant as a landmark.
The camps are also significant tangible evidence of the extent and degree to which the story of the Burke and Wills Expedition has had an impact on the broader Queensland and Australian community.
|The blazed trees on both the Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX and Walker's Camp sites, together with the 'Dig Tree' at Cooper's Creek (601073), are rare surviving and tangible evidence of the ill-fated Burke and Wills Expedition, and also of Frederick Walker's search for the lost explorers.
The blazed trees are also rare in that they are still identifiable as belonging to an early exploration event and that they have also survived since 1861 in a remote and inhospitable landscape.
|Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX and Walker's Camp sites have a special association with the work of Robert O'Hara Burke, William John Wills and Frederick Walker who were key figures in nineteenth century Australian and Queensland exploration.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion D | Criterion C | Criterion A | Criterion B | Criterion H","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history"}, {"heritage_type":"State Heritage","site_id":22361,"place_ref":602781,"name":"Burns Philp Building (former)","alternate_name":null,"street_address":"cnr Landsborough Street and Caroline Street","suburb":"NORMANTON","lga":"CARPENTARIA SHIRE COUNCIL","register_entry_date":"2011-10-14","description":"The former Burns Philp building, situated on the north-eastern edge of the town of Normanton at the corner of Landsborough (Burke Development Road) and Caroline Streets, is highly visible from the northern approach to the town and positioned in close proximity to the Norman River. The building aligns with both street frontages, occupying the southern corner of its large site, providing it with a generous open area to the north-east and river, where loading platforms are located.
The former Burns Philp building is a large timber-framed structure elevated on masonry and timber stumps and clad in vertically fixed corrugated iron sheeting. Behind a distinctive curved triple-fronted parapet facing south-east to Landsborough Street, the building is divided into three bays of varying width, each with a gabled roof and valley gutters running the length of the building. Two roof ventilators are positioned along the ridge of the middle bay. A timber-framed corrugated iron clad awning with ogee eaves gutter supported on posts (one early timber post survives) extends over each footpath. Two entrances are located on Caroline Street accessed by stairs and a connecting ramp. The kerbing to both streets is made from local stone and cast iron gutter covers inscribed with the words 'Normanton Municipal Council' span the channel between the asphalt concrete road surface and concrete path to the footpath.
On the south-eastern elevation to Landsborough Street, the decorative parapet is lined with flat metal sheeting with the words 'BURNS PHILP & Co LTD' painted to follow the upper curves of the parapet above the words 'GENERAL MERCHANTS, SHIPPING, FORWARDING AND COMMISSION AGENTS'. Below the awning, the three bays are distinguished by different openings. The south-western bay (Bay 1), has two large curved arch windows with half round mullions and the southern window has the remnants of the words CADBURY'S COCOA painted on the upper sash. Security grills secure both windows. Between the windows, fixed glazing, with a pair of tall centre pivoting fanlights above, has replaced a pair of doors and has a recent security grill fixed over the lower section of the opening. The centre bay (Bay 2) has three double hung windows, with two light sashes, mesh head vents and security grills, separated by a four panel door with fanlight over. A recently installed steel-framed panel of steel mesh has been fixed over the door. Centred in the north-eastern bay (Bay 3) is a large ledged and braced sliding door. There is no apparent evidence of stairs, providing access to any of the doors along the Landsborough Street elevation, which are located approximately one metre above ground level.
The south-western elevation to Caroline Street comprises four double hung windows with two light sashes, mesh head vents and grills similar to those on the south-eastern elevation. Vertical louvred metal vents are located at floor level below each window. Two pairs of four panel doors with fanlights separate the windows and provide entry to the building.
On the triple gabled north-western elevation all openings are protected by timber framed corrugated clad awnings and each apex houses a pair of centre pivoting sashes: two light sashes to Bay 1 and four light sashes to Bays 2 and 3. Bay 1 comprises a central pair of doors with tall centre pivoting fanlights above, between two double hung windows, covered by an awning supported on steel posts which provides protection for the air conditioning units positioned against the wall. Bay 2 comprises a row of three pairs of centre pivoting sashes above a large awning supported on four timber posts. Under the awning, a single four panel door and three small windows to the toilets are separated by a pair of four panel doors (with centre pivoting fanlights over) accessed by a set of stairs. Bay 3 contains a large, central, sliding ledged and braced door with a braced and ledged door adjacent to the north.
Along the north-eastern elevation there are two large ledged and braced sliding doors, one opening onto a loading ramp and a double hung window with six-light sashes at the northern end.
The interior of each bay varies in finish and the use of a variety of early linings suggests second hand materials, perhaps from the earlier store, may have been used in Bays 1 and 2. Arched openings between the bays provide transverse access from the Caroline Street entrance doors in Bay 1 to the large sliding doors in Bay 3. The openings between Bays 1 and 2 are in-filled with later doors and fixed panels.
Bay 1 is currently used as a tourist information centre and library. The south-eastern wall of the information centre has exposed framing lined externally with wide chamferboards (behind the corrugated iron to the façade). The remaining walls are lined with flat sheeting except for a section of the north-east wall where the horizontal tongue and groove board lining has been left exposed. A ceiling of tongue and groove boards is fixed between the bottom chord of the trusses with a section of double beaded boarding over the entrance to the middle bay. The library walls and ceiling are lined with flat sheeting and the timber floor throughout is lined with carpet. There are two later offices in the library that are not of cultural significance, one in the western corner and one in the eastern corner which has a raised floor level.
Bay 2 has unfinished timber floors, unpainted timber wall linings except around the arched door openings, and king post trusses that have a painted finish. Small areas of acrylic roof sheeting provide natural light. Some early shelving survives at the south-eastern end along with unpainted vertical beaded tongue and groove boards. On the south-western wall (west of the door way from the information centre), a small section of wall is lined internally with horizontal beaded boards. The remainder of the south-western and north-eastern walls are lined on the outside only with horizontal beaded tongue and groove boards except for a section of chamferboard lining at the western end of the south-western wall. The north-western wall is lined with wide, unpainted, vertical beaded tongue and groove boards. Toilets and a kitchen area of more recent construction are located in the south-western corner of this bay and have no cultural significance.
Bay 3 is an open space with no fixtures. The king post trusses are unpainted and the timber floor has been lined with hardboard. The north-western, north-eastern and south-eastern walls are unlined and the horizontal beaded boarding to the south-western wall is unpainted.
In the grounds at the rear of the building behind Bay 3 is a detached rendered masonry strong room with a heavy metal door and a curved concrete roof clad in corrugated sheet metal surmounted by a roof ventilator. Later additions sheeted in asbestos cement planking and metal cladding with skillion roofs abut the north-western and north-eastern walls of the strong room. To the west of the strong room, a toilet block constructed of concrete blocks with skillion roof is located behind Bay 1. The additions to the strong room and the toilet block are not of cultural significance.
","history":"The former Burns Philp building in Normanton is located on the corner of Caroline and Landsborough streets (Burke Development Road), on a site close to the former town wharves and opposite the site of the former Customs House. This locality was strategically important for a store, because all goods and services were transported by boat along the Norman River. The large timber-framed and metal-clad warehouse-style building, built in 1884, occupies around one third of its 5,900 sqm allotment and is a dominant feature of the town, being visible from the air when flying into Normanton, and from the river when entering the town from the northern port of Karumba.
\nNormanton arose as the principal service town and port for the pastoral district of Burke, in lieu of Burketown, which was declared a port in 1864. The Burketown population was beset by a typhoid fever outbreak in 1866, leading to the abandonment of the settlement, and its relocation to Sweers Island, [1] where a port was declared in March 1867. [2] The search for an alternative gulf port led to the January 1867 exploration conducted by William Landsborough and Government Surveyor George Phillips. They chose a site for a township on the western bank of the river which they named the Norman, in honour of Captain Norman, the Commander of the HMCS Victoria, which had accompanied Landsborough's brig Firefly to the gulf in his earlier 1861 quest to find Burke and Wills. The town site was on an ironstone ridge, which was thought to be above flood and high tide levels. [3] The Town of Norman was gazetted in August 1868, and became the most important centre in the Gulf, known as Normanton. [4] Cattle stations throughout the area, from as far south as Cloncurry and Georgetown, procured their supplies from Normanton. Its importance was further entrenched with the opening of the overland telegraph line from Cardwell in January 1872, linking Normanton and Kimberley (now Karumba) to the main line between Brisbane and Townsville, which had been completed in 1869. [5]
\nThe Burns Philp Company evolved from the business that James Burns established in Townsville in 1873 from which he supplied goods to the mining towns of Charters Towers, Etheridge, Ravenswood, Hodgkinson and Palmer River. Burns suffered from recurring bouts of malaria, and was advised by doctors to move to Sydney. [6] By October 1877 he had transferred his Townsville interests to Robert Philp, [7] who had been managing the store in his absence. [8] Philp expanded the business, building new wharves and warehouses along Ross Creek. Burns began a new business based in Macquarie Place in Sydney, establishing a fleet of sailing vessels plying their trade between Sydney and Townsville, while Philp expanded his operation by establishing bases in Cairns and Charters Towers.
\nThe growth of towns servicing the grazing and mining industries in the Gulf led to the development of the combined business and shipping interests of Burns and Philp in that area. By March 1879, James Burns was running the schooner the Dawn between Thursday Island and Normanton. He established a store at Normanton in July 1879 [9], serviced every two months by it and the Rover. [10] This store was reputedly relocated from Burketown, being the former store of Robert Towns. [11] Within two months of opening this store, Burns had received £2,000 worth of orders for goods to transport to graziers in the district. [12] The manager of the store issued one and five pound notes for use as change, in an environment where 'legal tender' was hard to come by. The notes were used in Normanton and Thursday Island for a period of around ten years between 1880 and 1890. [13]
\nBurns initiated his monopolisation of trade in the Gulf, [14] with the takeover of his major competitor, Clifton and Aplin, in May 1880. [15] It had been a pioneering mercantile firm in Townsville and the Gulf, establishing a store in Normanton around 1871 and one in Burketown in 1879.
\nBy January 1881, James Burns was operating the steamer Corea between Sydney and Normanton, sometimes calling in at Burketown. [16] The steamship Truganini was purchased in June 1881 to run between Thursday Island and Normanton. [17] Along with the Corea, it soon became part of the fleet of the Queensland Steam Shipping Company, a London Corporation in which Burns and Philp jointly held £5,000 in shares. The deal also included ships of the British India Steam Navigation Co., which had the mail contract from Britain, Singapore, and Batavia to Brisbane via Thursday Island and North Queensland ports. The Truganini operated the mail contract between Thursday Island and Normanton, which Burns had procured for £2,000 a year for three years. He further cemented his local monopoly by including clauses in the mail contracts, prioritising Burns and Philp cargo at cut rates. Burns then bought out the store of Theodore Amsden and Co. in Normanton, keeping Amsden on as manager. Also in mid-1881, Burns bought out a Thursday Island storekeeper, with Philp owning a share in that business as well. [18] The new Burketown store of James Burns was opened by the end of March 1883. [19]
\nIn early 1883, the businesses of James Burns of Normanton and Sydney were amalgamated with that of Robert Philp of Townsville. [20] Burns Philp & Company Limited was incorporated under New South Wales law with its registered office in Sydney. The nominal capital of the firm was £250,000, with 90% of the capital coming from Australian sources. The amalgamated company had assets in Sydney, Townsville, Normanton, Thursday Island, Cairns and Charters Towers, which included 22 vessels of all kinds, from ships to lighters, which were used to ferry goods and passengers from larger ships to the wharves. The company adopted a flag of red, white and blue, with a Scotch Thistle in the centre. [21]
\n\n
By September 1884, Burns Philp had taken over a number of small businesses in Burketown, [22] and in October, builder Andrew Murphie was engaged in building a large warehouse for Burns Philp in Normanton which was claimed to be the company's largest in Queensland outside of Brisbane. [23]
\nNormanton was thriving at that time. The foundation stone for the hospital, also built by Andrew Murphie, was laid on 1 December 1884; several new shops were under construction in the main street, including a large general store for JA Marshall and Company near the post and telegraph offices. [24] Murphie successfully tendered for additions to the Post and Telegraph offices in December 1885. [25] Profits generated in Burns Philp's Normanton store in the 1884-5 and 1885-6 financial years were greater than that of Townsville. The Gulf stores of Normanton, Burketown and Thursday Island, were together far more profitable than the stores in the major towns of Townsville, Cairns and Charters Towers which at that time were managed by Philp. [26] He was elected to Parliament in 1886 as the member for Musgrave, and from 1888 represented Townsville.
\nThe discovery of gold at Croydon in 1885, soon led to further growth in Normanton, as it became the supply base for miners. At that time the government was proposing to build a railway linking the Cloncurry copper mines and Normanton. By the end of 1886, the population at Croydon had reached 2,000, so the decision was made to divert the railway construction to Croydon utilising the materials that had been already delivered to Normanton. Tenders were called in July 1887, and the line to Croydon completed in July 1891 (QHR 600396, Normanton to Croydon Railway Line). [27] The rail line featured innovative steel sleepers, designed by George Phillips. Burns Philp was the shipping agent for the steel sleepers, manufactured in Glasgow and transported to Normanton. [28] The growth of the Croydon goldfield provided wealth for Burns Philp during the somewhat brief time it operated.
\nCompetition in local shipping activities led Burns Philp to form the Australasian United Steam Navigation Company in 1887, which evolved from the Australasian Steam Navigation Company. It was in financial difficulties, because of fierce competition from the largely Burns Philp-owned Queensland Steam Shipping Company. [29] To further shore-up the company's business interests in the Gulf, Burns engineered the pooling of three companies' resources which supplied lighter services to Burketown and Normanton in 1888. These included boats operated by Burns Philp, the Australian United Steam Navigation Company and lighters owned by Captain P Robinson. Lighters were needed because the bar of the Norman River had continually silted up, making it inaccessible to larger vessels. [30] The new company, the Carpentaria Lighterage Company was registered in Brisbane in December 1900. [31] Burns Philp also had a shipping agreement with Howard Smith and Sons Ltd for the operation of a Queensland service, terminating in Normanton, commencing on 1 January 1891, with Burns Philp holding dual agencies at the far northern ports. The lease for the municipal wharf at Normanton which had been held by Theodore Amsden was transferred to Burns Philp in April 1891. [32] Burns Philp became known as the 'octopus of the North' because of its extensive business interests. [33]
\nFrom late 1889 until about 1895, there was a depression in Queensland. North Queensland suffered especially, due to a significant downturn in sugar production, and a drought, which peaked in 1889. This had a severe impact on the regional mining industry because the crushing mills needed water. Charters Towers and Croydon were affected and this had a flow-on effect for Burns Philp. Robert Philp had speculated on mining and real estate and had to sell his company shares and resign from the Board in 1893. [34] It suffered a substantial decline in profitability, which in 1893 James Burns blamed on 'insane overstocking of Normanton five years ago' with mining supplies. [35] This included 300 pairs of bellows [36] which are used in the dry-processing of gold. Despite the downturn, approval was given for the addition of a strongroom to the Normanton building, in late 1892. [37] In January 1893 Burns Philp wrote to the Normanton Municipal Council requesting kerb and gutter be installed adjoining their store on Landsborough and Caroline Streets. The tender of £24 from local contractors Copeland and Cant for stone and concrete kerbing was accepted in February. It was installed ten feet past the side entrance to the Burns Philp store in Landsborough Street and to the end of the veranda in Caroline Street. The Council then requested the installation of spouting and gutters on the Burns Philp store. [38] The cast iron gutter coves on the kerb were not tendered for at this time, and presumably were added later, reportedly manufactured at the Croydon foundry, [39] operated by Messer's Stuart and Mackenzie between 1891 and 1912. [40]
\nThe fading fortunes of the Croydon gold mines in the early twentieth century had significant impact on the economy of Normanton, as did the construction of a railway between Townsville and the copper mines of Cloncurry in 1908. This settlement had been previously served by Normanton, and despite the best efforts of a former Burns Philp Normanton manager, and now Member of Parliament, James Forsyth, to build the Cloncurry to Normanton railway, it did not proceed. [41] By 1920 the Carpentaria Lighterage Company withdrew from the Gulf trade and two lighters, the Atlas and Hercules were sold to the Shire Councils of Normanton and Burketown. The Lighterage Company was liquidated in 1926. [42]
\nBurns Philp as a company had expanded its interests and its ports of call. By 1914, apart from the Sydney and London offices, there were 23 branches; 13 in Australia, three in the Solomon Islands, two in Papua, two in Java and one each in the New Hebrides, Tonga, Samoa and New Zealand. There were also sub-branches in Fiji and the Gilbert Islands, as well as a pearling fleet in the Torres Strait. Between 1890 and 1910 all the company's existing timber and iron buildings were replaced, with the exception of Normanton. The only extant buildings from this rebuilding exercise in Queensland are the Charters Towers store, built in 1891 and later incorporated into the adjoining store, now known as Bartlam's Store (QHR 600409) and the 1895 Townsville building (QHR 600914). The only other known Burns Philp building remaining in Australia is the Sydney office in Bridge Street, built between 1899 and 1900. (NSW Heritage Register: 00347). Burns Philp chroniclers Buckley and Klugman described the unaltered Normanton store as:
\n'fossilised in a stagnant community...an example of an old kind of structure supplying a wide range of goods to a motley collection of isolated people' no longer typical of Burns Philp's operations in Australia by 1914; but the company still ran such stores at overseas branches.' [43]
\nDespite this critique, the manager of the Normanton store was able to increase the profits during 1914-15, by marking-up the prices of existing stocks in anticipation of wartime shortages. [44] However, by 1923-24, the Normanton branch recorded a loss of over £2,000. [45] During the 1930s, Burns Philp interests included copra plantations in Java and New Guinea, goldmining in New Guinea, and the establishment of retail stores, including the Penneys chain across Queensland and northern New South Wales (taken over by Coles in the post-war era.[46]) Despite the Depression, profits were still realised. [47]
\nWhile passenger services had always been part of the company's business as a means of supporting the cargo trade, James Burns realised the tourism potential of the South Pacific while he was in Java securing the importation of copra in 1908. The Burns Philp Tour and Travel Department was established soon after, and the company published the Picturesque Travel magazine from 1911 promoting travel destinations world wide. [48] Burns Philp had a monopoly on shipping passenger services in Melanesia prior to WWI. By the mid 1920s, Burns Philp World Tour and Travel Department became agents for QANTAS. [49] The Winton-based company which had formed in 1920 established a mail route from Charleville to Cloncurry in 1925, which was extended to Camooweal in 1925 and to Normanton by 1927. The inaugural run to Normanton was piloted by one of the company founders Hudson Fysh. [50] The first paying passengers on the mail run arrived in Normanton on 17 April 1929 after a fifty-one hour flight over three days. [51] Burns Philp travel manager Mr Harman promoted the town as a sportsman's paradise, rich in wild fowl and alligators, fifty pound barramundi, groper, diamond fish and swordfish, with well priced accommodation available at the local hotels. [52] Air transport became an integral part of business in the Gulf, even improving the local fishing industry, allowing fish caught at Normanton in the morning, to be sold at Longreach the same evening. [53] By 1930, winter trips to Normanton were being promoted by Burns Philp travel office in Brisbane. [54]
\nBy the late 1940s the population of Normanton had declined to 234. [55] The development of the prawn fishing industry at Karumba during the 1950s led to its population increasing into the 1970s, as it became the centre of the Gulf fishing industry. The prawn and barramundi fishing industries generated around $130 million in 2010. [56] Tourism and amateur fishing are also major industries in the region.
\nBurns Philp and Company continued to expand and remained a blue-chip mainstay of the Australian Stock Exchange throughout the 20th century, and by the 1980s it was an international empire of more than 200 companies involved in a range of industries from toy manufacture, perfume production, pharmaceuticals, car sales and the BBC hardware chain. It had been involved in insurance and banking, backing the formation of the North Queensland Insurance Company, which later grew into QBE.
\nBoth Burns and Philp had served in the parliaments of Queensland and New South Wales. Robert Philp was Premier of Queensland between 1899 and 1903 and again from 1907 to 1908. He had entered parliament in 1886, managing various portfolios up until 1908 before moving to the back bench, and his retirement in 1915. He was knighted that year. [57] James Burns, based in Sydney, was a Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly between July 1908 and August 1923. He was knighted in 1917. [58]
\nFollowing the exit of the last family member from the management board in 1984, the new CEO began rationalising the smaller companies and consolidated the hardware and food ingredient businesses. It acquired Goodman Fielder in 2003, extending the company's operations across 30 countries. [59] However, Burns Philp was deregistered on the stock exchange in December 2006 following a disastrous attempt at controlling the world yeast and spice market. [60] Despite the folding of the company it was inducted into the inaugural Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame in September 2009. [61]
\nThe Normanton property was sold to the Delta Pastoral Company Pty Ltd in July 1983. It was further transferred to Normanton Mai Aboriginal Corporation in May 1985, when it was renamed Normanton Traders. It was again transferred in 1987 [62] and 1999, but continued to operate as a general store. [63] The Carpentaria Shire Council acquired the property in mid-2000. [64]
\nThe structure comprises three gabled sections, each divided by walls, running parallel to Caroline Street. Former employee Robyn Merrin, who worked in the store from 1978-86, stated that the first section along Caroline Street was dedicated to sales, the second and third sections for the stocking of goods, with the back section devoted to produce such as hay, feed and molasses and some farm machinery. [65] In October 2008, the section of the building along Caroline Street opened as a tourist information centre and library. The central section included some interpretation panels, and was used for storage. The northernmost section remains vacant and has been used for local social events. The concrete block toilet facilities at the rear of the building in Caroline Street and the additions to the strong room have been more recently constructed.
","criteria":"Built in 1884, the Burns Philp Building (former) in Normanton is important as the oldest surviving store of the company which dominated shipping and mercantile trading in Australia and the South Pacific from the late 19th century to the late 20th century. Its construction and success in generating a greater income for Burns Philp than the larger centre of Townsville in the mid-1880s, is indicative of Normanton's regional importance as the major port in the Gulf at that time, servicing the mining and grazing industries.
|As the earliest surviving store of Burns Philp and Company, constructed shortly after its formation, the building has a special association with its founders, the pioneering businessmen Sir James Burns and Sir Robert Philp. The company became one of the largest mercantile providers in Australia and the South Pacific, known as the 'Octopus of the North' by the 1890s, and during the 20th century was involved in shipping, travel, retail stores, car sales, hardware, pharmaceuticals, perfume manufacture and insurance.
Burns Philp and Company was inducted into the inaugural Queensland Business Leaders' Hall of Fame in September 2009, in recognition of its significant contribution into the economic success of Queensland and Australia.
|The Burns Philp Building (former) is an excellent and rare example of an early store which provided goods and services to a geographically diverse community for a period of more than 120 years. The building with its decorative parapet is highly intact and demonstrates its function through the layout of spaces, including the retention of interior shelving and its detached strong room, as well as through the loading access points at the sides and rear with door openings at truck bed height. Its prominent location the main street's highest point, close to the former town wharves, was strategically important to the success of the company's business both locally and within Queensland.
|The former Normanton store of Burns Philp is a rare surviving example, and the oldest of the company's nineteenth century structures in Queensland which included those in Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Bowen, Charters Towers, Burketown, Cooktown and Thursday Island. This building was left untouched by a major rebuilding exercise undertaken by Burns Philp at all of its Australian mainland stores between 1890 and 1910, and therefore it operated continuously as a general mercantile store and agency office for more than 120 years. Only Charters Towers, built 1891 (QHR 600409) and Townsville built 1895 (QHR 600914) remain.
","criteria_letters":"Criterion A | Criterion H | Criterion D | Criterion B","criteria_definitions":"The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history | The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history | The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places | The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage"} ]}