The Queenslander's Form

A domestic postcard, Queensland 1910s (Queensland Museum)

The materials used to construct the Queensland house also affected its form.

Timber may have been a light inexpensive material, but it was vulnerable to attack from termites. This invasion stimulated ingenious solutions. The stumps, which raised the house off the ground to allow easier surveillance, were capped with plates to prevent white ants from getting to the wooden superstructures.

Raising houses also provided valuable additional room, a feature which meant living space could be extended easily in the vertical plane. Space under the house came to be used for purposes as varied as drying the washing on wet days, accommodating animals in wet weather and later housing the family.

The limited suitability of timber and iron in hot climates was also reflected in the verandah, which created additional living space. The retreat from hot internal rooms to the verandah might demonstrate a democratisation of Queensland domestic lifestyle. A comfortable verandah allowed residents to spurn the more formal living rooms where upholstered chairs might envelope their hot bodies. In the postwar years, the verandah was enclosed to create more room.