Page 24 - 1977 NAB CalendarMaritime Life in early Australia Part One
P. 24
THE WHARF, MELBOURNE, FROM THE CUSTOMS HOUSE
NOVEMBER
This watercolour shows the Queen’s Wharf and Melbourne’s second In 1839 the area called the ‘‘Queen’s Wharf” was merely the natural
Customs House. The first Customs House was built during 1839 and 1841 bank of the river. It had no woodwork and vessels coming up the river
under the supervision of Robert Russell, Clerk of Works with architectural had io be tied to stumps of trees or posts which were sunk about a
responsibilities. It was located in Flinders Street on the same site as the dozen yards back from the water’s edge. Although some money was
second Customs House which was designed by the Architects, Knight, spent on improvements to the Wharf in 1840, conditions were not
Kemp & Kerr, and built in 1858. Some walls of the first Customs House satisfactory even by 1863.
may have been used in this second building. J. G. Boyd: The La Trobe Collection includes four works by this artist,
but no biographical information has been noted.
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