Geelong Customs House Explained

The Geelong Customs House is a bluestone and freestone classical style public building in Geelong, Victoria, built in 1855. It replaced a small timber prefabricated building of 1838, which was later relocated to the Geelong Botanic Gardens.^[1]

The Customs House was erected near the Geelong foreshore to serve the needs of the colonial administration during the peak of the gold rushes.^[2] The building was designed by John James Clark^[3] and constructed by William Crocker Cornish in April 1855. The Geelong Customs House is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register,^[4] and City of Greater Geelong Heritage Overlay.^[5] The building is no longer used for its original purpose, but was restored in 2012, winning a National Trust Award.^[6] It previously housed offices and the 'Custom House Restaurant and Wine Bar'.^[7] As of September 2024, the City of Greater Geelong announced it would refurbish the interior of the building to house a new Design and Creative Hub.^[8]

Notes and References

Web site: First Customs House Including Interior Botanical Gardens, Onmydoorstep . 18 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051145/http://www.onmydoorstep.com.au/heritage-listing/19236/first-customs-house-including-interior--botanical-gardens . 4 March 2016 . dead .
Stekelenburg, I.J., 'H.M. Customs House, Geelong'. History Research Essay, Department of Architecture, University of Melbourne
Dodd, Andrew, John James Clark: Public Architect in Australia, unpublished PhD thesis, University of Melbourne 2009.
http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/?nosession=1#detail_places;18398 Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H1892
Geelong Heritage Overlay Numbers HO130, HO1638
Web site: 2013 National Trust Heritage Awards . 18 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130617080038/http://www.nationaltrust.org.au/vic/HeritageAwards2013 . 17 June 2013 . dead .
http://www.customshouse.biz/ Welcome to Customs House Restaurant & Wine Bar
Web site: Grant breathes life into Customs House . 21 October 2024 .