Dunach & Rowsley, Warragul

An interesting pair of Spanish Mission style houses in Warragul.

Dunach, on the left, is exceedingly plain with the exception of the leadlight windows and the stepped supports under the window sills.

Even the entrance, which is tucked down the side on the house looks to have little or no decoration.

Rowsley, on the other hand, is a confection. Exotic arches at the entrance and along the verandah separated by barley twist columns.

Only the leadlight windows and the nameplates show that these houses are, indeed, a pair.

Convent Notre Dame de Sion, Warragul

The foundation stone of the Convent Notre Dame de Sion in Warragul gives us some good information. It was laid and blessed by Most Rev R Ryan, Bishop of Sale on 16th July 1939.

The convent was designed by architect, P J O'Connor and W A O'Donnell Pty Ltd were the builders.

Warragul Shire Council Saleyards

This deco building is part of what was originally the Warragul Shire Council Saleyards. With a rationalisation of Victoria's local government areas in the mid 1990s, Warragul Shire became part of Baw Baw Shire and at some point the sale yards become the Baw Baw Livestock Exchange Pty Ltd.

It's lovely that they didn't remove the old lettering when the ownership changed.

former Warragul Playgroup Building

I don't know much about this building at all but I pass it very often since it is on the way into Warragul off the second freeway exit. Signage in front of the building indicates that it was once the home of the Warragul Playgroup, a childminding centre I presume, but I am fairly sure that it is no longer used for that purpose.

Lettering on the front edge of the awning reads 'Exhibition Hall' so I guess that is another former use. Sometimes when I've been going past there as been some activity in the building. I can recall a plant seller operating out of it for a few days and a bookseller at another time but theses occupations have been short-lived one-off events. It is 'on the wrong side of the tracks', so cut off by the Gippsland railway line, it is a bit of a hike from Warragul's commercial centre.

Still, it is an attractive building and looks great in the afternoon sun against a blue sky. I suspect the pencil pines are part of the original planting since they are now taller than the building but they have been placed to reinforce the regular spacing of the windows.

Ceiling Details, Warragul

I love these ceiling 'roses' in a house in Warragul.

West Gippsland Vehicle Restorers Club, Warragul

I don't know what it was originally. Some sort of workshop or factory perhaps. The sign on the façade indicates that the most recent use of the building was for the West Gippsland Vehicle Restorers Club.

I have used the past tense because although the building seemed to be in a good state of repair and the club's name was clear and easy to read there was a notice on the door saying that the club's 9th July meeting would be (was) held at the club's new rooms in another part of Warragul. There was no year on the notice so I don't know if this is a recent development or not.

In any case it is a wonderful building with simple decoration. A peaked concrete panel directly below the flagpole and porthole windows divided into an interesting geometric pattern.

And I did like the shadow play on the higher of the two portholes.

In deco style, even the side of the building looks good.

From New York to Fish Creek Exhibition

I received a call from the West Gippsland Arts Centre on Monday afternoon saying that they had had a cancellation and could I hang my From New York to Fish Creek exhibition any earlier ... like this week!

'Of course', I said. What an opportunity!

So after two very busy days (and nights) I now have an exhibition. The captions aren't done yet but they'll be up as soon as I can get them done.

I'm pleased with how it looks so far and I had quite a few interested viewers and favourable comments as the frames went up.

From New York to Fish Creek
West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul

Open Weekdays 9am - 5pm
Web 1 Feb to Fri 24 Feb, 2012

From New York to Fish Creek Exhibition

Plans for my From New York to Fish Creek exhibition are progressing nicely which is just as well because it is less than a month away.

For anyone in the Warragul area, the exhibition is open to the public, free, on weekdays Tue 14th Feb - Fri 24th Feb at the West Gippsland Arts Centre, cnr Smith & Albert Sreets, Warragul. (Visit the WGAC Exhibitions webpage for details)

I've designed a poster which should attract a bit of attention.

Dicksons Mensland, Warragul

Recently I wrote about the former Warragul branch of the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney (CBC) at 5 Smith Street and while scouring the internet for information on the building I came across the CBC Officers Club Inc website that included a letter from Malcolm Dickson with the following paragraph.

My father rented a shop at 5 Smith Street from 1930 to June 1939 when we had to vacate the shop for the CBC Bank.

We moved to 30 Smith Street where the business is still operated by my son and two Grandsons.

And that, I'm afraid, is a long-winded way of getting to Dicksons Mensland at 30 Smith Street, Warragul.

A House in Warragul

A lovely deco house in Warragul. Great gate posts, replicated on the porch. A strip of garden outside the hedge next to the footpath. Inlaid coloured brick for decoration.

There's a lot going on including that old hubcap on the gate. It must have a practical use. I can see the owners smashing into it with their shopping jeep into that hubcap to protect the gate and open it at the same time. At least I hope that is the genius behind the addition.

Best wishes and peace to everyone this Christmas time!

PS: Did I mention that this house is in Peace Avenue.

PPS: If you want to know more about shopping jeeps have a look at Kitty and the Cartwheelers’ Shopping Jeep Bonanza, a short film by Michaela French from 1996.

former CBC Bank, Warragul

This handsome building at 5 Smith St, Warragul in recent times was the offices of M Davine & Co Solicitors. It is currently for sale.

In 1939 the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney (CBC) built it as their Warragul branch. CBC merged with the National Bank of Australia in 1981 undergoing some name chances in the subsequent few years to emerge as the National Australia Bank Ltd (NAB).

The branch closed in 1982.

Reference:
List of CBC Branches, CBC Officers Club Inc website (http://www.cbcbank.com.au)

Shangri-La, Warragul

I am enjoying exploring my new home town of Warragul searching out Art Deco buildings.

This is a lovely Streamline Moderne house in Albert Street. I like the use of contrasting brick colouring to provide a dark foundation for the house and simple detailing across the façade and the windowsills.

Then could there be a more Deco name than Shangri-La?

A House in Warragul

Behind the trees and the brick verandah there is a fairly standard Australian weatherboard single storey house but the verandah, in Art Deco style, makes it something different. The decoration is very simple. A vertical row of spaced bricks on each pier and a horizontal line of exposed bricks in the panels in the balustrade. A nice piece of styling accessed by a set of robust steps and a suitably deco gateway.

Houses, Warragul

I spotted this interesting row of semi-detached houses in Warragul the other day and had to return for a better look and to take some photos.

The end house has an entrance tacked on to the side with a great little open balcony (overlooking the pub car park).

The middle houses seem to share an arched entrance and bear simple rule of three decoration on the façade between the upper floor windows.

The house on the end may be a single dwelling and is the most decorative with small patterns of stepped bricks exposed through the render of the rest of the wall. This photo also shows the mix of timber, brick & render used on the façade of the houses very well.

But I particularly like the decoration around the arched entrance of this end house.