A Real Jewel in the Crown

10 Hectares of Remnant Bushland at Government House

Government House, or Fernberg, was built 150 years ago, one of the first houses in the Paddington area. In the 1860s it was converted into a grand Italianate mansion, by local architect Richard Gailey. Over the years Fernberg has been extended, and outbuildings added, including stables, guard houses, sheds and pavilions...providing a neat little time capsule of architectural styles.

Fernberg’s grounds cover 14 hectares, and many Brisbaneites are familiar with its presence high above Fernberg Road.

Less well known is that two-thirds of the property is preserved remnant bushland.

Like the entire property, the bushland portion sits over a very shallow layer of soil, with rock below. It is steeply sloping, with a number of gullies.

In the 1920s a number of unsealed ‘Woodland Walks’ were constructed through the grounds. The 250 metre long ‘Jubilee Walk’ was constructed during the term of the current Governor.

Several tree families are commonly found, including Ironbarks (Eucalyptus siderophloia), Spotted Gums (Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata), Forest Red Gums (Eucalyptus tereticornis), and Brush Box (Lophostemon confertus).

The Jubilee Walk links a pair of ponds constructed in the 1990s as examples of the ‘bush style’ of Australian gardening. They were intended to reflect an awareness of ecological and environmental issues, and they provide habitat for a variety of native animals.

As the walk takes you closer back to the house more constructed elements appear, including stone retaining walls.

From there it is into the formal gardens, which we will visit in another story soon.

Government House is at 168 Fernberg Road, Paddington. Details of Open House and Garden days are posted on the website, along with more information about the history of Fernberg.

Studio 217: a ‘cabinet of curiosities’ for designing and dreaming

Studio 217 is located in the partly subterranean basement of heritage-listed Craigston, and is a tiny space – barely 32m2 – tucked off the main carpark. 

The studio reconfigured an existing internal space that has undergone change over time, being used first as part of the general carpark, then as enclosed storeroom, caretaker’s accommodation and finally a solicitor’s office, before its present use. 

Looking in the same direction as the first image, this shows the space as it was at the very start of the project.

Dark, cave-like materials and finishes reinforce the basement location. There are eight storeys of building above, and a partly lowered ceiling creates a sense of compression.

Just inside the entry, with the compressed ceiling above.

The underlying geology of Spring Hill, in particular the layered, tilted rock strata, is expressed using strong horizontal lines interrupted by sloping planes.  

To minimise the impact of potential water ingress formply was used extensively, the dark colour enhancing the cave-like atmosphere. 

Research through the Queensland Herbarium uncovered a list of tree species endemic to Spring Hill pre-European settlement.  White Mahogany was on the list, and recycled timber boards of this species appear on the surfaces where people sit or lean, and on the underside of the low ceiling band. 

The project stripped plasterboard wall linings, removed floor tiles and a suspended ceiling to reveal the concrete slabs, columns and brick walls.  These are part of Craigston’s pioneering construction: built in 1927 it was Brisbane’s first ‘high-rise’, and reportedly one of the first uses of reinforced concrete.

The timber studwork supporting the old plasterboard was donated to a friend, who used it on his own construction project. MDF, two-pack and volatile finishes were deliberately avoided. Brick walls were cleaned by soda blasting, which is less aggressive than sand blasting. 

The warmth and texture of the existing brickwork was revealed after soda blasting. Concrete 'drips' running down the face of the brick shows the original method of constructing the concrete framed building.

Low-VOC paint was applied to the ceiling, and the exposed concrete floor finished with tinted penetrating oil. Plywood shelves and recycled timber boards have been left unfinished.

Numerous functional requirements were accommodated, including overnight guest accommodation, a piano, extensive library, a collection of seed pods, lino-printing facilities, and drawing board and design studio for two.  

The Landscapology collections have a new home.

Drawing board and desks occupy the raised platform.

A raised platform enabled a desk at window sill height, taking advantage of morning light for detailed work. The space below houses a slide-out bench seat and bed. 

The studio conceals its surprises...

...and then slides to reveal the concealed seat, bed, piano and more.

Enclosing the piano within the joinery enabled a perched seating platform, and sliding cabinets contain collections and conceal artworks and the building structure behind. 

Apart from task lighting at the desks, lighting levels are deliberately low. Lamps are concealed, with light ‘leaking’ into the space through cracks and crevices. 

Previous occupants enlarged an original window to create a new doorway, and within this the new sliding door is the main evidence of new occupation visible from outside. 

The external courtyard provides the sole access to the studio, as well as pedestrian access to the carpark level of the building for residents. It was previously paved flush with the internal studio floor, and inadequate drainage resulted in frequent inundation.

New infrastructure was installed, and the external level lowered. The pavers were reused to construct new steps, and sandstone steppers reclaimed from previous Craigston use were added. Broken bricks salvaged from an internal renovation in the building were smashed with a sledgehammer over several weekends, and used to create a permeable mulch layer. 

Undoubtedly the most important people involved in making Studio 217 a reality were our builders, Rob and Chris Hogerheyde, from RAM Constructions. From start to finish they were extraordinary, achieving their customary craftsmanship and attention to detail in very cramped quarters. They even made an art installation to welcome us home after an extended holiday!

Q: How many lattes does it take to build a studio? A: A lot. Many more than this...

It goes without saying that without them, our studio wouldn’t be half the place it is today. Thanks, guys.

Studio 217 was a design collaboration by Amalie Wright and Richard Buchanan. It was recently awarded a Small Project Architecture Regional Commendation at the Brisbane Regional Architecture Awards.

Except for 'before' and 'during' construction shots, all photography by Christopher Frederick Jones.

Grounds: Cafe Gardens & Garden Cafes

Wild Canary

There’s something truly magical about seeing a check-trousered chef wander out from his kitchen and come back clutching a few delicate fronds. It’s even better when those same fronds appear only minutes later on the plate that has just been delivered to your table.

Such was my happy fate upon visiting Wild Canary, the brand new café in the grounds of the Brookfield Garden Centre.

The fronds in question were Lemon Verbena, and they made a graceful garnish for the Strawberry Surprise muffin I’d ordered. (I am ever-skeptical of muffins. They can be tricky, don’t you think? A bad one is like a deadweight of unhappy clagginess. So common is this variety though, that the rare appearance of a good ‘un warms the soul and restores faith in the possibility of successful small baked goods).

The delicate pale purple flowers and fine foliage released a zingy lemon aroma when crushed. Mother-of-Landscapology, visiting from out of town, was so impressed she hot-footed into the nursery and bought up the last plant to take home.

The plants the chef had attacked were not in the nursery, but rather in a fantastic kitchen garden, newly established midway between the garden centre and Wild Canary.

Five raised beds have been installed, and planted out with a variety of citrus and fruiting trees, vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers, including olive, lemon, fennel, sage, basil, thyme, mint, rosemary, and of course, lemon verbena.

Little critter enjoying his share of the kitchen garden too...

The varied bed plantings.

Terrace under the bamboo stand.

Brick wall detail at the cafe entry.

Wild Canary is open for breakfast and lunch, and I suspect that, having enjoyed your meal and wandered back past the kitchen garden, you too will find it difficult to leave without picking something up at the nursery.

Resistance is futile.

The nursery has an extensive collection of Australian plants for sale.

Stunning Xanthorrhoea.

Bromeliads in the shade section.

The nursery in its eucalypt setting.

Now it’s over to you.

Have you ever eaten something at a cafe or restaurant and then been inspired to grow it at home? Let us know what it was, and how you went in the comments below.

Of course coffee and food are made to be shared, so if you know someone else who might find this interesting, why not pass it on, and if you liked it ‘heart’ us below.

Note: Wild Canary is at the Brookfield Garden Centre, 2371 Moggill Road, Brookfield. Bookings on 3378 2805 (recommended). The are several dining areas available, including a raised internal room and a covered outdoor deck.