Art Deco in the Australian bush

St Alban's Anglican Church, Quirindi

2011-11-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

Quirindi sits at the edge of the Liverpool Plains. This is a rich agricultural area and the town contains many wonderful examples of early 20th century architecture. St Alban's Anglican Church is quite an emphatic modernist building.

Modernism meets Norman architecture

2011-11-29T02:56:00.000-08:00

There is something quite wonderful about St Bede's Anglican Church in Werris Creek. I love the way the Norman style of the traditional English church has been re-interpreted in this building. The stained glass windows lighting the sanctuary were removed from a Medieval English church destroyed during the blitz in the Second World War.

The Monterey Cafe, Coonamble

2011-11-16T23:23:00.000-08:00

This Art Deco gem was a popular meeting and dining place in Coonamble. It no longer functions but the original cafe fittings are a sheer delight.

Edwardian Bungalow west of west

2011-05-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

I've been recording some pastoral complexes located in the hilly country west of Cobar. The outback landscape here is spectacular with little oases suddenly appearing as one travels through the scrub. The Mumboanna run was developed in this country from the 1880s. The spectacular Edwardian bungalow was constructed on the property in the 1920s. It is timber-framed with a very high pyramid-shaped roof and wide verandahs designed to keep the interior as cool as possible. The exterior features generous use of those Australian icons fibro and Cooper louvres.

Put a light in every country window

2011-04-26T23:09:00.000-07:00

This post tells its own story. It is part of the generator shed erected to serve a rural homestead in northern New South Wales during the 1920s. The post and adjoining wall are stained with fumes from the old generator. The light switches tell a story of isolation and connection. From the 1920s many pastoral properties had their own stand-alone generators capable of supplying electricity at 32volts. This was enough to light a house and banks of batteries provided power after the generator had been switched off. This was enough to undertake some late evening chores or read a book in bed.

After the Second World War the cry "put a light in every country window" went up all over the land. Isolated town and council electricity generation and supply systems were connected by newly-formed county councils and throughout the 1950s new feeders were sent out across the vast rural lands of the interior. Rural dwellers were able to access the marvels of agitator washing machines, refrigerators, electric sewing machines, mixmasters and vacuum cleaners. And there was a light in every country window.

The wooden disc on the post was a mounting plate for the 32volt light switch supplied by the building's own generator and the square bakelite switch served the new 240volt system powered by the fires of Wangi, Wallerawang or Lake Macquarie Power Stations.

Former Rural Bank, West Wyalong

2011-04-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

The 1930s was a golden era for the many banks jostling each other to demonstrate their progressiveness, solidity and health to the rural population. This former bank is a spectacular element of the West Wyalong business district.

Civic Theatre, Lake Cargelligo

2011-04-15T00:37:00.000-07:00

I was travelling through the Lachlan district the other week and noticed the Art Deco facade of the Civic Theatre in Lake Cargelligo. It is forlorn and needs a coat of paint but retains its simple elegance.

Naylor's Hardware, Peak Hill

2011-02-12T21:24:00.000-08:00

This building was constructed in the late 1930s. The left hand side hosted Naylor's Hardware Store. The store's magnificent vitrolite sign is still in place. The second-hand shop that now operates in the building has retained many of the hardware store's original fittings. It is well worth a visit.

Union Bank (former), Gilgandra

2011-02-11T03:07:00.000-08:00

The Inter-War Georgian Revival Style Union Bank was constructed in Miller Street, Gilgandra in 1927. It served as a bank for less than fifteen years and by 1944 was being used as Gilgandra's ambulance station.

Rural Bank (former), Young

2011-02-11T02:54:00.000-08:00

This handsome Inter-War Georgian Revival Style building was constructed for the Rural Bank in Young. It now functions as the head office of a credit union.

Werris Creek Community Hospital

2011-01-26T19:41:00.000-08:00

This little hospital was constructed at the height of World War II in the railway town of Werris Creek. It has been extended a number of times but the original section still shows its inter-war design influences as well as the wartime austerity measures applied to the building materials used. The entrance features the classic Californian Bungalow double gable motif. The place was originally clad in fibrolite sheeting and roofed with corrugated asbestos. The asbestos roof is gone but the fibrolite remains. The ends of the building were clad in rusticated weatherboard.

Gilgandra Shire Swimming Pool entrance kiosk

2011-01-24T11:35:00.000-08:00

Built in 1940 the simple Art Deco Gilgandra Shire Swimming Pool entrance kiosk continues to serve its original function.

Coolah Valley Hotel

2011-01-24T11:29:00.001-08:00

The town of Coolah nestles in the beautiful valley of the Coolaburragundy River on the western edge of the Great Dividing Range. It's rich wool industry lead a wave of prosperity in the early and mid 20th century. Built in 1929 the delightful Coolah Valley Hotel is one relic of that era.

Chapman's Store, Werris Creek

2010-11-27T14:26:00.000-08:00

Werris Creek is the archetypal railway town. Established at a major rail junction the town grew to become one of the most important rail towns in Australia. The significance of the place is recognised in the fact that it was chosen as the location of the Australian Railway Monument. This monument remembers all who have been killed in the course of their work on the railways since the 1850s.
The former Chapman's Store is located directly opposite the railway station. It was built by Percy Jeffries in 1927 and served as the town's department store for many years. It reflects the Inter-War Free Classical Style favoured by department stores in this era.

Post Office, Wee Waa Street, Walgett

2010-11-10T20:05:00.000-08:00

Some time in the 1930s or 1940s a new street-front facade was added to the old Victorian era post office at Walgett. This modest Art Deco facade has some Inter-War Free Classical Style characteristics. The current joinery colours leave a bit to be desired.

Binnaway Soldiers' Memorial Hall

2010-07-02T02:13:00.000-07:00

Since its construction by Arthur Henry Manser between 1925 and 1926 the Binnaway Soldiers' Memorial Hall has served as a community hub. After completing construction Manser operated a cinema in the building for some years. The electricity generator in the building was the only one of its kind in Binnaway. A series of lights was strung along the street leading to the hall and after the end of each night Arthur would leave the generator running with enough fuel in the tank to keep it running while his patrons walked home. The building has clear arts and crafts influences.

Kirrawee - a delightful arts and crafts bungalow at Patonga

2010-06-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

We spent the Queen's Birthday weekend in a wonderful little inter-war bungalow name Dicke Busch at Patonga. Between sessions of reading, conversation, eating and having fun we went for walks around the little seaside village. Patonga has been a holiday spot since the late 19th century and is full of little traditional holiday houses. To me one of the greatest finds was Kirrawee. This little arts and crafts gem is tucked in under a cliff in a row of old holiday houses. It is amazing as it appears to have been largely unaltered. I was transported by the brick and stucco walls, the roughcast render on the chimney and the fantastic cast faux logs incorporated into the gable end. I've always been a fan of the 1920s concrete castings that reminded me of Pookie and Milly Molly Mandy and all the great inter-war children's literature. Just had to share it.

Memorial windows, Church of St Ambrose Gilgandra

2010-06-24T23:41:00.000-07:00

The Church of St Ambrose in Gilgandra was designed by Melbourne architect Louis Williams and constructed between 1920 and 1922 . Construction was funded by a gift from the City of Bournemouth in England. At the end of the Great War the people of Bournemouth decided to give a gift of 1,000 Guineas to the town in the British Empire that had contributed most to the war effort. Learning of the Coo-ee March and the critical role played by Gilgandra in the recruiting drives of 1916 and 1917 it was decided to give the money to this town.

The church is an amazing place with lots of architectural details. These wonderful memorial windows are set into the eastern wall of the choir. They were put there in memory of James Higgs and Elizabeth Helen Higgs.

The Public Benefit Bootery

2010-05-28T02:49:00.000-07:00

Again, not a regional building. However this building has caught my eye on each of my recent trips to Melbourne. I snapped it on a recent visit. I remember the first time I saw it sitting opposite the Myer store in Bourke Street. I just stood there stunned, ignoring the pedestrian traffic flowing around me. Melbourne's cbd has so many of these wonderful Art Deco gems. I love the unpainted reinforced concrete and classical order of the columns. I adore the steel-framed windows and the facade detail, including the Tuscan columns in top two floors and the fasces in relief. This is possibly my favourite Melbourne building. I need to look into its history.

Haddon Rig Homestead

2010-04-16T00:23:00.000-07:00

I was recently privileged to visit Haddon RIg on the Marthaguy Creek in western New South Wales. This legendary Merino stud has a magnificent homestead that was constructed in 1937. The homestead, with design features reminiscent of the Inter-War English Cottage and Georgian Revival styles, was built in brick and was clearly designed for the environment. It features large screened verandahs that function as colonnades and big rooms with wide opening steel-framed windows. I was particularly taken by the substantial Art Deco fireplaces.

A lonely memorial

2010-04-10T03:53:00.000-07:00

This Art Deco gateway is almost all that remains of the village of Gilgooma located on the western side of the Pilliga Forest. The monument was dedicated in August 1938 when the village was thriving. When built it served as the gateway to the village recreation ground.

Obelisk at Collie

2010-04-10T03:46:00.001-07:00

Like almost all Australian communities the little hamlet of Collie on the Marthaguy Creek in northwest New South Wales has a war memorial. These memorials were erected all over the nation to commemorate the sacrifice of the many who died in the Great War. All are expressions of an enormous grief that rent the heart of a young country. Many are also expressions of the moderne. In some ways these monuments ask for a better world - a world of beauty free of the complications of ancient rivalries. Smooth granite and clean lines seek to soothe the soul.

My first Art Deco

2010-04-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

I know this is nowhere near the Australian bush but these buildings were the first inter-war structures to gain my attention when I was a child. I grew up in the Sutherland Shire and recall catching the train to South Cronulla with my family to enjoy long days at the beach. The Inter-War Functionalist style Cronulla Surf Club and Art Deco style dressing sheds dominated the south end of the beach and always provided a visual draw for me. I was captivated by the clean lines of these buildings then and still am now. I took this snap while enjoying breakfast at the beach the other week.

These buildings bring back so many memories - hot chips at the beach, the day I was dumped by wave and lost my plastic boat, polio shots in the surf club, soccer training, jogging around the promenade to Oak Park. They were also among the buildings that first sparked my interest in the moderne.

The motor car and the moderne

2009-11-12T13:43:00.000-08:00

Almost all New South Wales country towns have at least one motor garage or motor dealership with a moderne facade. Some are Art Deco, others are Inter-War Functionalist style. Occasionally one discovers such buildings in the Inter-War Mediterranean or Spanish Mission styles.

Most are understated and some almost seem shy. Almost universally they consist of a moderne facade constructed at the front of a vernacular gable-roofed, timber-framed and corrugated iron clad workshop. I photographed this well maintained example in Warren last week. A very pleasing facade.

Webb's Store, Nevertire

2009-11-05T01:14:00.000-08:00

I discovered this Inter-War gem by chance the other day. Located directly opposite the former Nevertire Railway Station and the Nevertire Hotel this general store, sitting in the heart of the NSW Western Plains was the heart of the village. Villages like Nevertire boomed in the early 20th century following the construction of regional railway lines. The place reached its zenith in the Inter-War years. Commercial buildings such as this now sit empty as they do across much of New South Wales.

Former Rural Bank Coonamble

2009-09-25T00:35:00.000-07:00

The former Coonamble branch of the Rural Bank is a particularly fine example of its kind. It dominates the northern end of the town's central business district with its ornate decorative brickwork, monumental entrance and classical proportions. The building has been tastefully interpreted by its present owners.

former Rural Bank Coonabarabran

2009-09-13T14:47:00.000-07:00

Located on the corner of John and Cassilis Streets this lovely building reflects a style applied in many regional centres by the NSW Rural Bank. Built in 1939 this former bank makes a powerful statement through its emphatic portal defined by tall columns. The detail of the brickwork on the facade is impressive. There is an almost identical building in the town of Trangie.

Shops, Wellington Street, Baradine

2009-09-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

This group of shops represents the Inter-War period prosperity of Baradine, The Heart of the Pilliga. Baradine was the centre of the large forest industry that developed in the Pilliga after the coming of the railway in the early 1920s. Although the town had existed since the 1860s much of its commercial infrastructure dates from the Inter-War period. Pilliga was the source of much of the cypress used as flooring in Sydney during this era.

Bank of NSW, Binnaway

2009-09-06T00:38:00.000-07:00

During the 1920s and 1930s the Bank of New South Wales (now Westpac) built wonderful bank branches across New South Wales. The grand nature of the structures reflected the bank's prosperity and stability and these buildings always included commodious accommodation for the bank manager. In most places the bank built in variations of the Inter-War Georgian Revival style. I guess this was to reflect the colonial heritage of the bank.

The branch in Binnaway, designed by Newcastle-based architect Gordon W. Lee and constructed between 1937 and 1938 is clearly an Art Deco structure. Binnaway was established in the late 19th century on the Castlereagh River but grew rapidly from 1917 when it became a railway junction with its own locomotive depot. This railway town prospered during the Inter-War years and much of its commercial architecture reflects the design styles of the period.

Union Bank, Coonabarabran (former)

2009-09-03T02:42:00.000-07:00

Many new banks were constructed in the late 1930s as the economy began to bounce back from the Great Depression. a branch of the Union Bank was constructed in Coonabarabran in 1940. This building, designed by Sydney architects Joseland and Gilling is a nice convergence of the Art Deco and Inter-War Free Classical styles. It is quite geometric in form and also displays expressions of the classical order of architecture.

The building was constructed with a cornucopia over the main entrance. This has been painted in a rather gaudy manner but is otherwise intact. The former banking chamber is now a cafe.

Savoy Theatre, Coonabarabran

2009-09-02T03:57:00.000-07:00

Designed by the very successful team of cinema architects, Guy Crick and Bruce Furse the Savoy theatre in Coonabarabran is a wonderful Art Deco structure. It's stepped skyline, emphatic vertical piers and horizontal banding are all classic Art Deco motifs. Despite being adapted to new uses the former cinema retains a powerful presence in Dalgarno Street, Coonabarabran.

Coonabarabran Power Station

2009-09-02T03:20:00.000-07:00

I was gobsmacked when I came across this building a few years ago. It is quietly tucked away in a back street leading towards the former Coonabarabran Railway Station. In 1926 the Coonabarabran Shire Council constructed a power station with generators powered by diesel engines. The Inter-War Functionalist Style southern facade of the building dates from 1943. It is a rare example of this style in the NSW northwest.

Castlereagh Street, Coonamble - from the ashes

2009-09-01T03:59:00.000-07:00

On a hot February day in 1929 a fire started beside the timber-framed School of Arts building in Coonamble's main street. Fanned by strong winds the fire spread quickly along the eastern side of street, consuming all of the buildings in its path. It jumped to the western side and wiped out many other structures. Rebuilding was rapid and much of it was done in the Moderne style, leaving Coonamble with a wonderful legacy of Art Deco buildings.

Photographs include Easons' Building, the former Bank of New South Wales, Plaza Theatre and the School of Arts.

Unloved but essential

2009-08-31T15:10:00.000-07:00

In many western New South Wales towns the water supply is obtained from bores drilled deep into the Great Artesian Basin, the massive reservoir of subterranean water that lies below the rocks. Warren has been supplied with bore water since 1897. In 1939 a new bore was sunk and this water tower constructed to provide a head of pressure for the town. Elegant utilitarian structures such as this are often unregarded when style is being discussed.

Oh the joy of a hidden wonder!

2009-08-31T00:32:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine my delight when I chanced upon these gems the other day in Warren. The former Monterey Cafe now functions as a gift and clothing shop. The facade and its ziggurat parapet are still wonderfully intact and inside the lovely pressed metal ceiling is still in place - set high to cope with the Australian heat. Most wonderful of all a set of high windows at the back of the building retain their original art deco leadlighting announcing the name of the cafe.

Inter-War Spanish Mission Style in Coonamble

2009-08-10T20:28:00.001-07:00

In 1938 the Roman Catholic Church erected two delightful Spanish Mission Style buildings in Coonamble. These white stuccoed beauties have a clear connection to that whimsical California-inspired style that seems to sit so comfortably in the Australian environment.

Enjoy ...

Freeman's Shaft headframe & crusher building

2009-07-08T16:31:00.000-07:00

Located at the top of Freeman's Shaft on the Zinc Corporation Leases in Broken Hill this iconic structure was built in 1939. I just drool gazing on this magnificent symphony of steel and concrete curves. Does it get any better than this?

Zinc Corporation Offices, Broken Hill

2009-07-08T16:21:00.001-07:00

Currently vacant, this magnificent office building was built in 1939 to house the general offices of the Zinc Corporation - ancestor of one of the world's largest mining companies. It is part of a magnificent group of art deco buildings that sits near the southern end of the fabulously rich Broken Hill Line of Lode.

The Ziggurats

2009-02-24T03:34:00.000-08:00

Various buildings in Coonamble and Gilgandra have these amazing ziggurat facades. What says "art deco" more eloquently than the ziggurat?

Sons of the Soil Hotel, Coonamble

2009-02-23T12:27:00.001-08:00

In 1929 a fire swept through the main street of Coonamble in north western New South Wales. Many commercial buildings were destroyed. As a result much of the architecture of Castlereagh Street is Art Deco. The grand Tattersalls Hotel was destroyed in the blaze. It was rebuilt fairly promptly using fire resistant materials such as reinforced concrete and steel. It's a massive building with quite a grand verandah. The thing I love most about this building is the fact that the verandah is supported by steel latticework. It is a joy to see the beautiful steel lattice posts supporting the first floor of the verandah and the railings set out in glorious steel. The sight of this material in the hotel almost makes me glad that the fire occurred.

St Marys War Memorial School, Young

2008-10-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

This building is part of the body of work of Young architect Neville L. Lipman. The foundation stone of the building was laid in March 1954. It was opened in March 1955 and was described as a 'fantasy of colour and design years ahead of its time'.

Service stations in the moderne

2008-10-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

The business district of Young has two former corner service stations that were built in the 1930s. One was definitely designed by local architect Neville Lipman and the second appears to be part of his body of work. Both are handsome buildings with a forecourt on the street corner and residence above the shop area.

Embassy Theatre Baradine

2008-10-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

The Embassy Theatre was built by Roy and Bruce Pincham in 1930 to screen the new 'talkies'. It was also designed to be a social centre for the Pilliga Forest timber milling town of Baradine. The building hosted many balls, dances and social events. It functioned as a cinema until the 1960s.

The Embassy was constructed in face brick and the Art Deco facade was rendered. The front of the building contained offices, a ticket office and projection room. The ceiling of the main hall was lined with Caneite sheets secured by timber battens. Caneite, a popular lining and insulating material was made from sugar cane trash by Colonial Sugar Refineries in Pyrmont (Sydney). The old old Caneite factory stood on the waterfront at Pyrmont until destroyed by high rise apartment mania in the 1990s.

War Memorial Church of St James, Hampstead

2008-10-03T03:50:00.000-07:00

For years as I drove through the countryside between Young and Temora I was fascinated by a wonderful modern church building located near the road. I discovered in recent years that this building is the War Memorial Church of St James, which was built in 1958. This delightful Post-War Ecclesiastical Style building was designed by architect Neville Lipman. It is as charming inside as it is out.

Young Poultry Chilling Works

2008-10-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

Built in 1949 to process and freeze chickens and rabbits, this industrial plant is a very nice example of Inter-War Functionalist Style. It was designed by local architect Neville Lipman who designed some quite striking buildings around Young in the years after World War II.

The building had separate loading bays for live chickens and dead rabbits. Each was treated in a different area then sent to the chilling rooms. Rabbit processing plants were a feature of almost every regional town in New South Wales after the great rabbit plagues that swept the countryside from the 1890s onwards. The building is now a fitness centre.

Abstract vernacular - Yeo Airport, Tooraweenah

2008-10-01T03:57:00.001-07:00

Tooraweenah, where modernism meets Australian vernacular. At one time Tooraweenah was the only village in the world with a population of less than 200 to have a privately operated airport. From 1938 Arthur Butler of Butler Airlines developed a 5,000 foot gravel airstrip at Tooraweenah. This was the central point of the airline's operations in country New South Wales and western Queensland until it was taken over by Ansett Transport Industries in 1957.

The little terminal building and single dunny saw up to 300 passengers per week। Flights came from places such as Charleville Cunnamulla, Bourke and Narromine and service cars brought passengers from Gilgandra (44 kilometres away) and Coonabarabran (60 kilometres away). The terminal was constructed soon after World War II in what is known as 'Abstract' or 'Austerity' style. The post-war shortage of building materials created a need to economise on structural components, hence the lightweight construction and skillion roof. This style was also regarded at the time as rather futuristic.

Koorawatha Road House - Art Deco meets Australian Vernacular

2008-09-29T18:37:00.001-07:00

Built in 1935 by Greek cafe proprietor James Mechalopoulos this cafe/roadhouse operated until the 1980s. It features the cliches of the mid 20th century Australian idiom, verandah, fibro and corrugated iron roof, with nice Art Deco inspired stepped parapets. the parapets, of course, are executed in fibro!

Armatree Hotel

2008-06-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

A restrained convergence of the Australian country pub and the moderne style that swept the world in the 1920s. This 1929 hotel is currently being rejuvinated by young and energetic owners. It is known locally as 'the parting of the ways' in recognition of the number of marriages that have broken up here. No doubt, like most of these small village pubs located near a wheat silo the publicans are hoping for a big harvest this year to enhance their trade.

Western Monarch Theatre, Gilgandra

2008-06-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

Another nice bit of Art Deco on the Castlereagh River. Beautiful facade, well presented. Originally built as a cinema in 1934 this building now functions as a church. The matching theatre milk bar next door is now a fruit shop.

Like many Inter-War Australian cinemas the Western Monarch was built with a projection box that allowed the projectors to be swung towards either the indoor screen or the screen of a large outdoor cinema. Outdoor cinemas resplendent with folding canvas deck chairs were quite popular in the 1920s and 1930s.

Bell's Cafe, South Broken Hill

2008-01-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

This is a post-modern cafe. Although it is not strictly Art Deco I thought this little gem was worth including here. It's an amazing 1950s cafe that has been lovingly restored and operates as a milk bar and ice cream soda cafe. There is so much laminex here that I went all gooey inside! Worth a visit if you are ever in Broken Hill!

Inter-War Stripped Classical Style - Coolah Shire Hall

2007-07-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

This is a lovely building constructed in 1935. The front of the hall, constructed in textured brick, displays many elements of the inter-war stripped classical style, including a symmetrical facade, un-ornamented columns, an entablature (above the columns) and a portico.

The facade also features some lovely concrete detailing, including the wave design at each end of the entablature. The body of the hall is constructed in timber with fibro cladding. Interior detailing includes lovely Art Deco motifs.

The hall has recently been converted into a library and community technology centre. This has included some modernisation, including the construction of access ramps. The transformation has been acheived while respecting the fabric and style of the building.

Inter-War Mediterranean style

2007-06-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

Since childhood I have been in love with the Inter-War Mediterranean style. To me it was always so exotic, so evocative of distant lands and other cultures. This style combined the glitz of Hollywood, the passion of Spain and the mystery of North Africa and expressed it in everyday houses, shops, pubs and cinemas on Australian town and suburban streets. Long may it live!

This pub in Young is a magnificent example. It eschews the rendering so often seen in these buildings and expresses itself in the classic Aussie medium of face brick. The building has more than enough detail to make it romatic.

Commonwealth Bank, Young

2007-06-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

Another Art Deco Commonwealth Bank. What a treat! Freshly painted in the bank's corporate colours the detailing is quite apparent.

Imperial Hotel, Coonabarabran

2007-06-03T02:23:00.000-07:00

I find this building breathtaking. It strongly represents the marriage between the Aussie pub and the moderne movement. At least three buildings have operated on this corner site in the middle of Coonabarabran since the late 19th century. During the 1930s there was a big move to modernise pubs and many saw makeovers that changed their appearance forever.

The Imperial is such a pub. It was given a strong Art Deco infuenced facade, wonderful signage and the amazing, long verandahs that present such a strong statement. I just love the clean, inernational lines of this building married to the vernacular form of the typical Australian verandah. It's a poetic essay in adaptation of international styles into a regional environment.

Commonwealth Bank, Coonabarabran

2007-06-03T02:02:00.000-07:00

Established by the Australian Government as a people's bank in the Great Depression, the Commonwealth Bank grew to be one of Australia's largest banks. During the 1930s the bank built many branches across the country. These were designed by the Department of Interior and are characterised by sleek and modern Art Deco lines, rendered walls and wonderful wrought iron grille work. Many still survive in country towns and the suburbs of the big cities.

The Commonwealth Bank in Coonabarabran occupies a commanding position on the high side of an intersection at the top of the main street. When I first visited the town it was painted in a typical mid 20th century colour scheme of ochres and burnt orange. During 1995 it was repainted in the bank's corporate colours of black, yellow and white. While not as attractive as the original the new colour scheme still highlights the drama of the building.

Mendooran Mechanics Institute

2007-05-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

This wonderful building is located in the main street of Mendooran. Mendooran was once a transport hub on the banks of the Castlereagh River. With its wonderful Inter-war Mediterranean Style facade this hall, built in 1935, is one of the most striking buildings in the town. It has served as a dance hall, cinema and community hall. The proscineum around the stage retains its original Art Deco decoration. It is absolutely stunning!

Coonabarabran Soldiers Memorial Clock Tower

2007-05-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

World War I scarred the Australian psyche. Australia lost more soldiers killed per head of population than any other country in the world. All over the country monuments were erected to honour the men who served and died so far away from our shores in that war.

In 1926 the people of Coonabarabran erected what I regard as a beautiful and stiking Art Deco monument executed in sandstone. There was a lot of debate in the 1920s as to whether war memorials should be symbolic or utilitarian. In Coonabarabran they struck a balance by making the memorial a clock tower. It was erected at a crossroads in the main street and has become a symbol of the town.

McDonagh's Merchant Store, Coonabarabran

2007-05-30T15:19:00.000-07:00

The McDonagh family conducted a chain of 'warehouse' or 'merchant' stores across the northwest of New South Wales. This wonderful building is in Coonabarabran. Coonabarabran is on the banks of the Castlereagh River near the amazing Warrumbungle Mountains. Never a big town Coonabarabran has been sustained by cattle, wool, wheat, timber-getting and tourism. Much of the town's Inter-War architectural heritage survives.

McDonagh's is a classic case of a modernising retro-fit. The two storey store was originally built in 1911 and is clearly visible in a photograph of the main street of Coonabarabran taken some time around 1914. The store appears to have been extended in the 1920s, at which time the parapet was given an Art Deco treatment. I love the fact that the original store has a two-storey verandah and the extension a 'modern' awning. The underside of the awning has the most beautiful Art Deco pressed metal lining.

More wonderful still is the fact that the Vitrolite glass signage remains across the front of the store, even though the original business no longer trades. It's marvellous!

Definitions

2007-05-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

Since childhood I have been fascinated with the styles of Inter-War architecture. I've long wanted to start a website dealing with this fascinating subject. This site won't be too academic, it will just try to present buildings I have found in my travels. It will be a bit of a travel log.

I have titled it 'Art Deco' but the buildings presented will not be confined to strictly Art Deco styles. I'll present other styles from the 1920s to the 1940s. I will even take licence to drift into the 1950s when I feel like it!

The visitor will see Art Deco, Functionalist, Inter-War Mediterranean, Inter-War Classical and a whole host of others. Australian country towns (and cities) are chock-a-block full of Inter-War buildings. Despite the Great Depression there was a lot of building acitivity going on out there and it appears that people wanted to be 'Moderne'. They wanted Hollywood, New York and Chicago style amongst the gum trees.

Let's see what we find!