BLYTH STREET WEST MELBOURNE
The Queen's Warehouse was designed by architect AJ Macdonald of the Victorian Public Works Department. Macdonald became assistant to Walter Burley Griffin in 1913-1914 when the American was made Director of Federal Capital Works.
The Queens Warehouse was erected between 1889-92 as a Customs bonded store for seized goods. When the Commonwealth assumed control of colonial customs houses at federation, the warehouse was transferred to the federal government. The design utilised new fireproof construction techniques, which combined deep profile, corrugated iron, segmental vaulting and concrete in the flooring system. This characteristic made the building a suitable choice for the Commonwealth's new stamp and bank note printing works in 1908.
In 1912-13, the first Australian bank notes and first series of the Commonwealth "Kangaroo and Map" stamp series were printed in this building.
Queen's warehouse also played a part in Australia's Defence history. It was the goods distribution point for wharf and rail during the Second World War and from 1946- 1951 served as the canteen store for the British Commonwealth Occupational Force in Japan.
The building was returned to the State Government in 1995.
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| (Image: Catherine Andrews) |