Chapter 2 of 24
First Australian/European House
And I suppose that, out of that, arose what is commonly called the first Australian European architecture which was the verandahed large-hat form, although, if you analyse it, it is really a derivation of the Indian bungalow. It certainly became the prototype of an inspiration for a Whole heap of architects rather than say the late period between 1815 and say 1900; and then Victorian architecture took hold. Really it was the Georgian that had the trappings put onto it, so that the cast-iron verandahs, the way in which the verandahed model got adapted was really a superficial viewpoint rather than a radical determination. An incredible breakaway and confusion occurred in the 1920s and 1930s, I believe, in Australia When there was a reassessment and a re-evaluation of what was an Australian architecture. There was a confusion in terms of putting style rather than climate or geographical influences at that point of time. Really it took until the 1950s, the post-war reconstruction time, before the true seeking of an Australian identity took place again. And it is in flat sort of environment that I grew up as an architectural student, and the natural thing to do was to turn back to the earlier period rather than the Victorian or turn-of-the-century period where Australian identity could be very, very faintly traced.