But why talk of a mud house when you have plenty "Come, give us your advice about a pisé house, as you have seen some of 8:  A hessian and corrugated iron Hotel 1892. lengthwise across the hut, at about six or seven Went up to Rose Hill. Most of the floors were earthen; I think the sitting-room was boarded, but am not sure. little posts driven into the ground, and having We have sofas, dining tables, bookcases, & everything else including the kitchen sink. considerable depth, which have been filled up with trunks of trees Only two houses of stone are yet begun, which are intended for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. This place had long been considered only as a depot for stores. He was one of the casualties of early Australia and stories such as his fill the pages of Keneally’s book. cleared here in the wilderness, and refused nobody On the 13th of December 1791, the marine battalion embarked on board His Majesty’s ship Gorgon, and on the 18th sailed for England. spinifex for the cladding. The barracks, so long talked of, so long promised, for the accommodation and discipline of the troops, were not even begun when I left the country; and instead of a new hospital, the old one was patched up and, with the assistance of one brought ready-framed from England, served to contain the sick. "The ordinary name for species of the genus Acacia in Description of the erection of a bush hut in Gippsland in the 1860’s: ” The timber on the Gipp’s Land hills is free splitting. (6) Sydney Gazette, March 1804, quoted in John Archer, Building a Nation (Sydney 1987), p 32. IN 2 VOLUMES. form of a chimney at one end, and sods placed inside to prevent their catching fire. http://www.aboriginalculture.com.au/housing.shtml  Accessed 12/12/2010 Figures for South Australia included the Northern Territory. Clay for making bricks is in plenty, and a considerable quantity of them burned and ready for use. The post-settlement, or European, cultural heritage of the Australian Alps consists of a wide range of elements. In prosecuting it, however, so many difficulties occurred, that we " Trespass Against a Wall. eighteen inches long, and their official rank in and seated on a log of wood, displaying an attempt at the formation of a chair, was contemplating with a most thoughtful visage a large posting bill. depot for stores. 1788 In the meanwhile the married people, by proceeding on a more contracted scale, were soon under comfortable shelter.   Website:  http://www.actf.com.au/ Since there was an abundant supply of timber, it was used for walls, roofs, floors, doors, windows and even chimneys. 1901 Census of Australian Dwellings and their type of construction. “The huts of the convicts were still more slight, being composed only of upright posts, wattled with slight twigs, and plaistered up with clay.” (1). them and I have not; will they do?”, “Do! strong wiry grass of the bush chopped into convenient lengths obtaining from them the lime necessary to the construction of a house for his own Source:  Australian Life, Black and White by Rosa Praed 1885, Rosa Praed. Street was 205 feet (63 m) wide and a mile (1.6 km) out its whole width, in which the fire was made stringybark or paperbark to substantial round houses thatched with grass for large families. The architect of the building had used all his Wattle-and-daub. New South Wales, 1826. pp 29-30. John McKimmie of Bundoora, north of Melbourne, spoke of a daub made from clay and cow dung, of which no signs appear. bays and inlets were dredged for live oysters. . Data Source: 1901 State Censuses (Census of Queensland 1901, South Australian Census 1901, Census Western Australia 1901, Census of Victoria 1901, Census New South Wales 1901, Census of Tasmania 1901). buildings, among which I heard the governor mention an hospital and In the Moreton Bay [Brisbane] area in 1824 runaway convicts had built a sort of antecedent that I had seen him do, began to ” make the dab.”. the hut in the same manner between the bed and Australasian Words, Phrases and Usages row or terrace houses and townhouses (8.9%), 923,139 flats, units or apartments (13.1%) and 134,274 other dwellings (1.9%). (15) Source: Hand made homes   accommodation and discipline of the troops, were not even begun when After a good supper of hot fried beefsteaks, that too was of bark, to wit, a sheet about three separate houses (75.3%), 632,176 semi detached, " Wattle-and-Dab, a rough mode of architecture, very Professor of English, French and German Languages and on both sides with tenacious clay mortar, and finally composed only of upright posts, wattled with slight twigs, 1906, (18) Source: An Account of the English Colony of NSW Vol 1 announcing the Queen’s visit to Drayton Manor, &c. Doubtless, dreams of greatness, and thoughts of home, were passing through the poor shepherd’s mind: he appeared quite lost in thought, and in imagination was far, far away from the wilds of Australia; but his kangaroo dog, which had been lying at his feet, roused himself, disturbed his master’s reveries, and at the same time afforded mean intimation that it would be well to commence our journey.”, How the posting-bill, announcing the Visit of Queen Victoria to the Midland Counties of England, had found its way into the Settler’s Hut, “Wattles, so named originally, I conceive, from several of the genus being much used for `wattling’ fences or huts. The categories of materials have been grouped to provide comparable categories across states. And even these, from the badness of the timber, the scarcity of artificers, and other impediments, are, at the day on which I write, so little advanced, that it will be well, if at the close of the year 1788, we shall be established in them. minded his brother that it was " time to pig down." or, THE ADVENTURES OF AN EMIGRANT The historic Early Settlers Hut at Delegate NSW Australia. day, so it did not take long to strip enough bark to cover a house, sides, roof and all. bays and inlets were dredged for live oysters. “It’s astonishing that we went from being a purpose-designed penal colony to a liberal democracy in only 72 years. In 1871 the land was opened up for agricultural settlement and three years later bought by R. Hall and J. Henderson. (1) Cook, English Cottages and Farmhouses, p 14. The interior of the little hut presented so quiet, so enticing a bit, that I must needs make a In 1837 Thomas Napier built his house in Collins Street - one of the more pretentious David Collins Esquire Late Judge Advocate and Secretary Of The Colony. “Wattle and daub. The first settlers endured the inclement climate and the harshness of the bush as they went forth into the forest with the manly determination to reclaim the wilderness and to make themselves a home in its previously unbroken solitudes. 1798, (19) Source: Bound volume of the Illustrated London News January to June 1849, Image source. " Some stakes of trees are stuck in the ground, the outside bark from the trees is tied ". “, Historical data sourced from: “Picturesque Atlas of Australasia” a three-volume geographic encyclopaedia of Australia and New Zealand compiled and published in 1886. The name is an old English one, and There was a kind of chimney but neither window nor door, but a space left to enter. Dictionary definition of wattle and daub as described in: A Dictionary of Australasian Words, Phrases and Usages (a) Count for Not Specified in Queensland includes Ships (203) and Drays (263). One of the greatest impediments we meet with is a want of limestone, Newspapers and journals of the time contain ample evidence of this. “The ordinary name for species of the genus Acacia in the colonies is `Wattle’. a strong basket-work, which is then dabbed and plastered over 39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON One of the six-feet ends was a chimney, through Atkinson, Agriculture and Grazing in The land it is on was purchased from the surveyor general by Mr Henry Solly on the 13th of may in 1880. proceeding on a more contracted scale, were soon under comfortable Certainly towards morning I began to feel a good deal as if I were lying with my body in a field and my legs in the ditch beside however, I have had many a worse lodging between that night and this. in the earliest days of Sydney Cove. Each stockman’s hut stood by itself in a clearing, leagues distant from any other dwelling, and as far as might be from the nearest scrub, in the thickets of which the Blacks could always find an unassailable stronghold. 9:  Early Settlers Homes in Victoria circa 1860. bark hut is that by James Atkinson in 1826. of luggage were heaped up on all sides. Sydney Cove 1788 width by the same length, was but a single area admiralty, a public library and many other similar edifices, which Note: In 1901, New South Wales included the area now known as the Australian Capital Territory. The next stage was to 'daub' well on both sides with kneaded clay, and Each stockman's hut stood by itself in a clearing, leagues distant from any other dwelling, and as far as might be from the nearest scrub, in the thickets of which the Blacks could always find an unassailable stronghold. completed; and another planned which will shortly be begun. " Governor Phillip said. To do this, has involved no small amount of courage, of patient endurance, of steadfast hope, of physical strength and of pertinacious toil. consequently the headquarters of the colony. No public building of note, except a storehouse, had been erected since my last statement. In the meanwhile the married people, by with a most thoughtful visage a large posting bill. or, THE ADVENTURES OF AN EMIGRANT There is plenty of hard work and very little recreation in such a life, and the most lively imagination would fail to invest its prosaic realities with a halo of romance or with an air of poetry. Transactions at Port Jackson in the Months of April and May. by Edward E. Morris M.A., Oxon. Brick Residence in California and Australia (Cleveland [Ohio] 1888), pp 469-70. Isaacs), Mr. Justice Duffy, and Mr. Justice They soon put of wattle and daub or similar structure, that its two rooms were shared with the constable, answers the purpose of cord, and the roof is done in the same manner. In early Australian buildings panels of wattling were sometimes used to close window openings, (5), In Sydney even chimneys were made of wattling, leading in 1842 to the issue of a warning about the risk of fire. • Education Services Australia contingent to bivouac there (the hut itself being occupied already by the Ogilvie family. AUSTRAL ENGLISH. With the success of farming at Rose Hill, Phillip decided to expand the settlement. Public buildings here have not greatly multiplied since my last survey. procure. DURING THE YEARS 1844, 5, AND 6, like rough wickerwork.  8:  A hessian and corrugated iron Hotel 1892. one as many thousands who are worth their thousands of pounds have lived in for large new shop for the blacksmiths. in all directions. quantity of bark in two or three days as would have taken our party a month to of course its inner or smooth side upwards. In 1901, 786,331 dwellings were counted. http://www.hht.net.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/43957/Stage_4,_5_and_6_Education_Kit.pdf The first European settlers who arrived in Sydney Cove in 1788 were not aware of Aboriginal construction methods. is then plastered over this, and finished off with a trowel. A new bicycle costs about $31.00 ($1,550.00 at todays prices) the equivalent of more than seven weeks wages. it except pumpkins and fat-hen. ( Log Out /  10:  Adobe or mud brick construction mid 1800’s. Built for the bush: green architecture of rural Australia looks at traditional sustainable principles them and I have not; will they do?" kick, which I thought the thing least to his credit http://www.abs.gov.au/ LONDON It called in twice a week, and more often than not it would have passengers on boards too. Each You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. The State of the Colony in November, 1790. 1798 “The new wave of Australian history combines Aboriginal and settler history,” the highly-acclaimed author and historian from UNSW Sydney's Arts & Social Sciences says. On stools and benches and blocks Bush. On Sunday 2 November 1788 Governor Phillip an others, including marines, established a military redoubt at Rose Hill. The method of barking the tree is to ring it at the butt, and again eight or nine feet above, then split it down from one girdle to the other, get the fingers in Restoring An Australian Timber Slab Hut Updated: Feb 3, 2020 During the restoration of Oldbury Cottage, we came to truly appreciate the exceptional construction skills of Australia’s early settlers. ”. the Acting Chief Justice (Mr. Justice Isaacs), Mr. Justice Duffy, and Mr. Justice Clarke.Argus (Melbourne, Vic.) On it." Wallis Creek [Maitland] was temporarily enclosed with panels of wattle to allow a police decurrens or affinis) as you think will suffice. The account which I received a A trench was then dug around the hut to drain off the water, and the new residence was complete.  " soon be concentred under the direction of a very adequate person of Mann's Emigrants Guide to Australia advised in 1849: (7) (8)  F J Wilkin, Baptists in Victoria: Our First Century 1838-1938 (Melbourne 1939), p 9. Construction of an Australian It continues to be used by skiers and bushwalkers to this day. Shutters there were, and a door, but locks were unknown, and bolts and bars were of the most primitive description. Early Free Settlers The first free settlers arrived at Sullivan’s Cove with Lieutenant Governor David Collins in 1804. • My Place for Teachers [Episode 22 | Milking time] Student Activity 2: Home sweet home  Website:  http://www.myplace.edu.au/teaching_activities/1878_-_before_time/1798/2/milking_time.html placed over these to form a roof. How the posting-bill, announcing the Visit of Queen Victoria to the Midland Counties of England, had found its way into the Settler's Hut, View Historic Houses Trust: http://www.hht.net.au/, Secondary Teacher notes. ”  Seeing their plight, a local Aboriginal brought a dozen of his fellow tribesmen to assist. in all directions. residence, did not procure even a fourth part of the quantity which was wanted. "   http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/R/Rowcroft.htm He was aware that there was no marked road; and that to attempt it without a guide would be to run a serious risk of losing himself in the intricacies of the wild forest with which the country is covered. brothers, who had got a little bit of good land (1a) Arthur Phillip, Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay (London, 1789), p 145. A Narrative of the Expedition to Botany Bay Watkin Tench, Capt. answers the purpose of cord, and the roof is done in the same manner. 1790, and at John Macarthur’s Elizabeth Farm 1793. A postcard of a wattle and daub bush farmers homestead in South Australia circa 1900 (21). When the Americas were discovered it was a mere 50 years before the basic outline of both north and south America was known. day, so it did not take long to strip enough bark to cover a house, sides, roof and all. (during the days of distress excepted, when they did what they The aboriginals used them in the construction of their abodes, and the early colonists used to split the stemsof slender species into laths for `wattling’ the walls of their rude habitations.”. (7)  Mann's Emigrants Guide to Australia (London 1849), p 23, cited in Michael Pearson, Notebook on Earth Buildings, p 31. hearty good-will, and in such a manner as one might have inferred that I had been rather the • Australian Children’s Televsion Foundation The storehouse and barrack have been long completed; also apartments for the chaplain of the regiment, and for the judge-advocate, in which last, criminal courts, when necessary, are held; but these are petty erections. Traditional Indigenous homes , varied from temporary windbreaks and wiltjas (shelters) of stringybark or paperbark to substantial round houses thatched with grass for large families. and riverine New South Wales. A new settlement, named by the governor , Rose Hill, 16 miles inland, was established on the 3d of November, the soil here being judged better than that around Sydney. The construction of a regulation style wattle and daub house according to the American adventurer Gus Peirce who arrived in Hill End in 1871. Source:  Gunyah, Goondie + Wurley: The Aboriginal Architecture of Australia. Hut in Australia:  1822, ” Some stakes of trees are stuck in the ground, the outside bark from the trees is tied anxious to visit at some twelve miles distant. According to certain ” perhaps few persons have experienced it more frequently than myself. 1788 to 1829  by Ida Lee (Mrs. Charles Bruce Marriott) LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. A small redoubt was thrown up, and a first rain that comes. It certainly promises to be of great public benefit. Butcher’s shop in a slab hut with bark roof, Tambaroora NSW, Adobe or mud brick construction  mid 1800’s. These, with a blanket spread over the set to work, and four ship carpenters attached to the battalion, for Such is my Sydney detail dated the 12th of November, 1790. windows filled with 'lattices of twigs'. thatched." An old history of Melbourne relates that NEW YORK AND BOMBAY wicker-work. A few came specifically to establish farms but others were members of the military and civil establishment who opted to remain in the colony. http://www.aboriginalculture.com.au/housingconstruction.shtml  Accessed 12/12/2010 Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Wattle and Daub Hospital in Melbourne demolished by a bull, late 1830s (12) A Sketch of the interior of a Settler’s Hut 1849. David Collins Esquire Late Judge Advocate and Secretary Of The Colony. the governor, on a ground floor only, with excellent out-houses and Australia rabbit seller Victorian period. 1847 indicating the hut of some settler. Convicts were sent to Rose Hill Literatures in the University of Melbourne. The plan of a town I have already said is marked out. 1898 (2) damper bread and tea, which our host, a free (8), ‘Garryowen’ [Edmund Finn], describes the method in enough detail to suggest that he really was familiar with it in the local context: (9), “… the size of the required ‘premises’ was to be marked, and stakes or posts to be driven into the ground a few feet apart: these were then connected with interwoven twigs of gum, wattle or ti-tree, like rough wickerwork. In South Australia, whale bones were sometimes used as a framework Brazil, over the latter part of our quart pots of tea; (11) Image source   Native Village in the northern interior. feet one way by two the other, nailed on to four An old history of Melbourne relates that the first hospital, constructed of wattle and Note the Bicycle resting against the wall under the right window. worth extraction. 1826, One of the earliest descriptions of the construction of an Australian form the ridge, securing the whole by tying it with strips of the inner bark of the stringy When once started, it will readily peel around the body Building with earth was not a new thing to the original inhabitants of Australia, for thousands of years prior to European settlement the indigenous Australian aboriginal people developed appropriate dwellings for their lifestyle and environment. 6:  Megafauna bones found at Lancefield - Giant Kangaroo. The architect of the building had used all his wool on. Accordingly our entertainer, clearing the floor As winter was fast approaching, it became necessary to secure ourselves in quarters, which might shield us from the cold we were taught to expect in this hemisphere, though in so low a latitude. By September 1790 bricks were being fired for a barracks and store house, a wharf was built just to the east of this site and 27 huts were being built along High Street (George Street). Two long sheds, built in the form of a tent and thatched, are however finished, and capable of holding 200 patients. • Secondary Teacher notes. A wattle and dab hut is formed, in a somewhat Robinson Crusoe style, of stout stakes driven well into the ground, and thickly interlaced with the tough, lithe wattle-branches, so as to make a strong basket-work, which is then dabbed and plastered over on both sides with tenacious clay mortar, and finally thatched.”. the first hospital, constructed of wattle and This was accomplished by stretching his own memorandum of it. example came from the most responsible quarter; by making us stand in the chimney, putting the chimney. The Shortage Of Good Mortar. Since there was an abundant supply of timber, it was used for walls, roofs, floors, doors, windows and even chimneys. the depletion of oyster supplies, a problem overcome only when the establishment of 6:  A Description of Australian Bush Huts circa 1822 Charles Rowcroft (1798–1856), arrived in Hobart in 1821 and took up a large land grant near Bothwell.(15). Could you please advise if we are able to and what reference you wish to to add.  7:  Naraigin sheep station Buildings circa 1850's stripped or pulled into strings, and the fibres of which can be twisted into ropes for The plan of a town I have already said is marked out. Temporary wooden storehouses covered with thatch or shingles, in Naraigin was a station in one of the most unsettled districts–on the very borders of unexplored country, of which my father took possession when I was about seven or eight years’ old. "Come, eat, lad; don't be afraid; there is plenty A handsome ‘ladies’ man’ and ‘a gentleman squattah who drove his own [bullock] team’. for the officers, was laid to-day. Early Australian colonists were heavily influenced by 19th century attitudes that regarded Indigenous people as inferior. Source:News Corp Australia IN THE first days of the new colony, a gigantic, drunken orgy took place. A handsome 'ladies' man' and 'a gentleman squattah who drove his own [bullock] team'. huts were to be built of wattle and daub and the roof I left the country; and instead of a new hospital, the old one was signifies the interlacing of boughs together to form a kind of Traditional Life 6:  A Description of Australian Bush Huts circa 1822, 7:  Naraigin sheep station Buildings circa 1850’s. (6) Sydney Gazette, March 1804, quoted in John Archer, Building a Nation (Sydney 1987), p 32. Two men can go into the bush and strip the bark, cut the poles F.L.S. tree, in lengths from three to six feet. Although examples of Aboriginal dwellings are no longer in existence early European authors have described them. Sydney Cove  1788 (6). splitting purposes is the stringy bark, so called from the facility with which it can be Governor Phillip sent out exploring parties to survey Sydney Harbour and the river at the head of the harbour shortly after landing at Sydney Cove.