By Juliano Oliveira
Visiting heritage places in Brisbane will become easier as an online system has been set up to facilitate the explorers’ lives. The new database will comprise physical details, historical information, builder, architect, architectural period and style, as well as photographs for heritage places within the city’s area.
Developed by the Brisbane City Council, the platform will permit users to nominate a local heritage place. There are more than 2000 places on the catalogue including buildings, precincts, parks, gardens and trees, war memorials, statues and monuments, bridges, shelters and retaining walls, and sewer vents and fire hydrants.
Users can search by a place’s name, address, lot plan, the name of its architect, builder or people associated with the site, and type of place. By period, the files are classified from Pre-convict settlement to 1824, for example, to 21st Century 2000 onwards.
When the subject is style, the online system offers a search for Academic Classical, California Bungalow and Old English, for instance. Brisbane City Councils says that a heritage place or precinct is identified as of ‘cultural heritage significance’ when it fulfils specific criteria.
“The robust and powerful form of the New Farm Powerhouse is testament to the once-vast extent of the Tramways operations in Brisbane. The significance of the structure has been maintained in its conversion to a performing arts complex…,” explain the text destinated to the New Farm Powerhouse. The history comes along with a description of the building, a statement of significance, references and a map.
In Pre-convict settlement to 1824 period, explorers can check out Sandgate Third Lagoon, a reeded freshwater lagoon which forms part of a complex ecosystem of wetland parks in Brisbane’s east. Both places reflect aspects of Brisbane local history and culture. It is up to you to find the rest.