QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

When Fernberg was selected as Government House in 1910, horticulturists began establishing ‘picking’ and ‘kitchen’ gardens on some slopes, and thinning some of the bush cover to open up vegetation and create lawns for social events. Formal garden beds feature roses, camellias and bromeliads. Rainforest lines one slope, and the grounds feature many significant and specially planted trees: a memorial pine, descended from the original Lone Pine of ANZAC Cove, was planted in September 1979. A vice-regal treasure today Left: A pensive study of Heussler in later life, and (below) the 16th Governor of Queensland, Lieutenant-General Sir John Lavarack KCMG KCVO KBE CB DSO and Lady Lavarack take a stroll in 1947, this view contrasting with Backhouse’s ‘vision splendid’ from 80 years before, on the opposite page.

In 1937, a wing was added to the building, which provided a drawing room, an investiture room and a bedroom suite upstairs. Substantially increasing the floor area, the extensions also incorporated steel beams for the first time. New staff quarters were also built. At the end of WWII, a new garage was constructed and the old coach house removed, followed three years later by the building of a new administration block and, in 1953, addition of a small, unroofed balcony on the eastern side of the main building. Little changed until the late 1980s, when a new guard house was completed, security upgraded, the administration block expanded, and some internal refurbishing done. The small east-side balcony was extended, railed and roofed, in a very ‘Queenslander’ style, all in time for Australia’s bicentenary and Expo’88 events. In 1992, Fernberg was externally refurbished and repainted, and fitted with contemporary fire and smoke detection and suppression systems. At the same time, two connected ornamental ponds and an associated gazebo were built and landscaped in to the natural bush vegetation. The last major building work, in 2001, was to add an additional ‘multi-function’ building called The Pavilion to the grounds, adding an alternative venue for vice-regal events. Small adjustments to the size of the land have been made over the years, altering the size of the estate, such as the shaving of about 1ha from the western side for a street-widening project. In fact, the present driveway – from the street gates to the front steps – was formerly Fernberg Road itself, until it was diverted to its present alignment with the resumption of the land. Fernberg ’s gardens have met natural, functional and ornamental needs over the years.

As both a heritage-listed property and the official residence of the Governor, Fernberg continues to play an active role in the civic, political and diplomatic life of Queensland, hosting more than 15,000 visitors each year, ranging from local schoolchildren to visiting overseas dignitaries. Rarely has the term ‘living history’ been more aptly applied, and one feels confident that Johann Christian Heussler would approve. govhouse.qld.gov.au

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