The architecture of East Australia

In 1840 Sir Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General of the British Crown, chose a rocky promontory on Sydney harbour for his home. He built a cottage in the style of the Gothic Revival, popularized in England by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin & documented in popular copy books shipped with his baggage from his home country. The house perfectly expresses the imaginative dislocation of European culture into the romantic wilderness. Whether they came out of duty, like Mitchell, or in the hope of opportunity, the European immigrants viewed Australia as a terra nullius, as an empty land, a vacant space waiting to receive a model of Christian civilization. It took a century to realize that the dream did not comfortably fit the continent. The story of Australian architecture might be said to parallel the endeavours of Australians to adapt & reconcile themselves with their home & neighbours. It is the story of 200 years of coming to terms with the land: of adaptation, insight & making do. Early settlers were poorly provisioned, profoundly ignorant of the land & richly prejudiced towards its peoples. They pursued many paths over many terrains. From the moist temperate region of Tasmania with heavy Palladian villas to the monsoonal north with open, lightweight stilt houses, the continent has induced most different regional building styles. The buildings included within this guide extend from the first examples of Australian architecture by convict architect Francis Greenway to the works by today's rising generation. It will cover not only buildings by such famous architects as Walter Burley Griffin, Harry Seidler, Jorn Utzon, John Andrews, Philip Cox & Glenn Murcutt, but also many high-quality works by less known exponents of the profession. Photographs by the renowned Max Dupain & the present proprietor of his firm, Eric Sierins, including many especially commissioned for this book, support the text. Contributing authors have supplied material where vital local knowledge is essential.