I have been watching this discussion at the sides. Ian and Denis have
provided a lot of information about the prefabs in Australia. Just for
additional information we have a number of the prefabricated cottages
listed in the Victorian Heritage Register (check our web site
www.heritage.vic.gov.au).

Some were imported from Asia and are known as Singapore cottages. The
description of two of them match Denis' description of being constructed of
dedaru and meranti timbers with a variety of Chinese characters painted or
marked on the timber members for assisting in the construction. These tend
to be early 1850s coinciding with the first gold rush

Other cottages are corrugated iron with timber trusses. There is a set of
four paired in Brunswick and also a number in South Melbourne included the
Bell house:
The Bellhouse iron house was erected in c. 1853 at 40 Moor Street, Fitzroy
for Samuel Boswell. It was constructed according to the British patented
system of iron founder Edward Taylor Bellhouse of Manchester. The only
other surviving building on this system, or by this manufacturer, is the
former ballroom at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, originally ordered from
Bellhouse by Prince Albert.

Others have been uncovered in the country often used for stockman's or
shearers houses.

We have recently uncovered a wooden one from Glasgow which was hidden by
being built around in the Edwardian period. It is the only one we are aware
of which has survived.
The pre-fabricated cottage at 18 Douglas Street, Toorak was designed by
Robert
Walker of Glasgow, and is of a type patented in 1852 as a system for the
construction of portable houses of wood and iron 'suitable for emigrants'.
The patented system consists of cast iron pillars with grooves or slots
vertically on four sides, bolted to a base plate into which tongued and
grooved boards are inserted to form walls. Other components of the system
include cast iron door and window frames and the timber doors and windows
themselves. This cottage has probably been on the present site since 1856
and
may have been brought to Australia by Robert Anstruther Balbirnie, the
owner
of the land at that time, when he made a trip to England in 1854. This two
room cottage has been hidden by a brick Edwardian addition at the front,
and
timber additions at the rear and at one side.

Professor Miles Lewis at Melbourne University has written on prefabricated
housing.

In regard to Eucalyptus In addition to railway sleepers, Iron bark (an
extremely hard eucalyptus wood) was used in blocks around tram tracks. Wood
laid nearly 100 years ago is now being replaced with concrete. The timber
blocks were preferred as it was extremely long wearing, able to be repaired
easily and handled the expansion and contraction of the tram tracks very
well. It appears that cement is now being used as it is the current
engineers material of choice and most of the large trees capable of being
used have been logged. Iron bark is also very hard to work and it is likely
that cement is also preferred due to cost issues.

Leah


Dr Leah McKenzie
Manager, Heritage Approvals and Assistance
Heritage Victoria
22/80 Collins Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

www.heritage.vic.gov.au