Customs House and Residence (former)

The attractive Customs House and residence on the corner of Richmond and Wharf Streets are now part of the Maryborough’s Portside Heritage Gateway. The Portside Passport will give you access to these buildings and the nearby Bond Store and military museum. Customs House and residence, which now houses a café, were built in 1899. Designed by the Queensland Department of Public Works architect, John Smith Murdoch, they replaced structures built in the 1860s. Murdoch’s innovative design reflects a fusion of Australian Federation architecture, with English Queen Anne style and Edwardian Baroque. The Royal Arms feature above the central opening to Richmond Street, conveying authority, tradition and a link to the empire. Fretwork panels in the ceilings feature the entwined letters ‘VR’ for Victoria Regina, Queen at the time of construction. Local builders Henry Neale and Son completed the buildings of locally made bricks within twelve months at a cost of almost 6000 pounds. The inclusion of a residence for the sub-collector of customs into the overall design was unusual for Queensland. The buildings were transferred to the Commonwealth after Federation in 1901 and operated in this capacity through to 1994. They were later purchased by the Fraser Coast Regional Council.