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It’s one of a handful of areas that I literally crane my neck to stare at every time I drive past.At the far end of Canberra Avenue, at the axis of Empire Circuit, is the most gorgeous cluster of 1930s-designed buildings known as the Forrest Fire Station precinct.<img alt="33-canberra-avenue-forrest-act-2603-108284-image-0-20240917033237996150-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/33-canberra-avenue-forrest-act-2603-108284-ima.width-800.jpg" width="800">Built in 1939, the fire station and the seven double-brick buildings surrounding it are a stunning example of interwar functionalist architecture. Their narrow windows, small cantilevered balconies and interlocking horizontal and vertical elements were the design of then government architects E H Henderson and Cuthbert Whitley.Forrest Fire Station was built to support the main ACT Fire Station and serviced the inner south until 1983. It is now home to the Canberra Fire Museum.<img alt="Forrest Fire Station" class="richtext-image full-width" height="543" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Forrest_Fire_Station.width-800.jpg" width="800">The other precinct buildings, originally built as government residences, have been home to an assortment of professional services, creative agencies, and health and wellness businesses over the past 85 years.And now <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/33-canberra-avenue-forrest-act-2603-108284/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">one of the buildings within the fire station precinct</a> is seeking a new owner.Number 33 Canberra Avenue – formerly known as Block 3, Section 35 Canberra Avenue – hit the market this week with a price tag of $1.7 million. The two-storey property is 132sqm and is zoned for commercial or residential use, or both.<img alt="old 33 canberra avenue" class="richtext-image full-width" height="323" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/old_33_canberra_avenue.width-800.jpg" width="800">From a commercial point of view, it’s a solid investment, says sales agent Richard Luton. The building is tenanted for five years from 2024 at a rate of $6500/month. The property comes with 10 off-road car spaces and has beautiful frontage to Canberra Avene for exposure.From a residential point of view, the floorplan would best suit a kitchen, laundry, and dining and living rooms on the ground floor, with three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs.<img alt="33-canberra-avenue-forrest-act-2603-108284-image-0-20240918051823467474-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/33-canberra-avenue-forrest-act-2603-108284-ima.width-800_zu8a6K3.jpg" width="800">“It really is an exceptional property,” Richard says.“If you wanted to make it your home, you’re located right in the heart of it all – close to Telopea Park School, Parliament House and, of course, the shopping and dining in Manuka or Old Kingston.”Renovations undertaken to 33 Canberra Avenue would need to comply with heritage standards. The property is listed on the ACT Heritage Register and the ACT Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects Register of Significant Twentieth Century Architecture.<img alt="Forrest Fire Station 2" class="richtext-image full-width" height="323" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Forrest_Fire_Station_2.width-800.jpg" width="800">According to architectural website <a href="https://www.canberrahouse.com.au/houses/forrest-fire-station.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Canberra House</a>, the buildings in the Forrest Fire Station precinct are substantially original and, with the demise of the Whitley Houses in Griffith and Braddon, “are the last remaining examples of Government sponsored functionalist residential architecture in Canberra”.“The Fire Station and houses are built in panels of red and cream face bricks with a regular arrangement of windows and flat roofs concealed by parapets and, on the houses, small cantilevered balconies,” the website says.<img alt="Screen Shot 2024-09-19 at 10.58.42 am" class="richtext-image full-width" height="490" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Screen_Shot_2024-09-19_at_10.58.42_am.width-800.png" width="800">“They represent the few remaining intact examples of the work of Cuthbert Whitley, one of the key originators of functionalist architecture in Canberra and Australia. Whitley, with Chief Government Architect Edwin Henderson, was responsible for the design of a number of Government buildings in 1930s Canberra.“The interlocking horizontal and vertical elements of the residences relate to Willem Dudok’s European modernist architecture in Holland.”Number 33 Canberra Avenue is available to view by private appointment.<a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/33-canberra-avenue-forrest-act-2603-108284/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the full listing.</a>

One of those gorgeous art deco buildings on Canberra Ave is for sale, and just imagine living there

From the front, it’s incredibly unassuming.This <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/11-blundell-street-queanbeyan-nsw-2620-107612/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">six-bedroom worker’s cottage</a> in Queanbeyan’s east was once only a four-room construction; a lounge, two bedrooms and a kitchen. The bricks used to build it were handmade, and it features a gabled roof and skillion verandah, indicative of the Victorian era.At the time it was built in 1860 you could hear the Queanbeyan River flowing at the rear of the property (you still can), and only four other cottages dotted the area known as Ford Estate.<img alt="11-blundell-street-queanbeyan-nsw-2620-107612-image-0-20240910064649111440-crop-c0-5__0-5-1600x750-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="375" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/11-blundell-street-queanbeyan-nsw-2620-107612-.width-800_uN1uSJ6.jpg" width="800">Number 11 Blundell Street is pretty special.It’s a home that contributes to the town&#x27;s historic character, and has a strong association with Queanbeyan historical figures. The cottage was first owned by Thomas Mail and in 1887 John Bull (who became Queanbeyan’s Mayor in 1888) purchased it, though it was occupied by John Mayo. It has been the home of many distinguished pioneer families as well as Sir Murray Tyrrell, secretary to six Governor-Generals of Australia.<img alt="Murray-tyrrell-and-Ellen-Greig-wedding-1939" class="richtext-image full-width" height="250" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Murray-tyrrell-and-Ellen-Greig-wedding-1939.width-800.jpg" width="203">Over its 164-year history it’s been renovated and extended but also so lovingly cared for there’s no need for any major restoration work according to a Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council’s Heritage Advisory Service.The four front rooms of the original worker’s cottage are now two bedrooms, and formal living and dining rooms, while the back of the house now opens up into a beautiful extension, built in the 1990s, that’s “a little bit like a tardis” according to sales agent Darren Bennett.<img alt="11-blundell-street-queanbeyan-nsw-2620-107612-image-0-20240910064650801203-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/11-blundell-street-queanbeyan-nsw-2620-107612-.width-800.jpg" width="800">The extension includes two huge family and meals rooms, four additional bedrooms (including the master), a sitting room, a study nook and a craft room.The 1018sqm block backs onto Blundell Park playing fields.“You can literally open your back gate and there are two full-size soccer and hockey fields to hit or kick a ball around,” says sales agent Darren Bennett of Ian McNamee and Partners.<img alt="11-blundell-street-queanbeyan-nsw-2620-107612-image-0-20240910064650309878-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/11-blundell-street-queanbeyan-nsw-2620-107612-.width-800_VtSua2B.jpg" width="800">Beyond the fields is the Queanbeyan River, so close that the current owner carries his solo canoe across the fields and launches off the bank to paddle along the river.“It’s honestly a really unique area of Queanbeyan and a really different way to experience the city,” Darren says.“No-one moves from Blundell Street because it’s such a coveted spot, it’s quiet, it ends in a cul-de-sac, and people in the street have lived there for generations.”<img alt="11-blundell-street-queanbeyan-nsw-2620-107612-image-0-20240905011716304817-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/11-blundell-street-queanbeyan-nsw-2620-107612-.width-800_aF7T47u.jpg" width="800">Buying number 11 Blundell Street is a rare chance to own a piece of Queanbeyan history – which is both special and comes with responsibility.The cottage pre-dates some of Queanbeyan’s first iconic buildings, including Byrne’s Mill (1863) and the Mill House (1883). The year it was built was the same year The Queanbeyan Age began publishing, with the population of the town standing at around 520 residents.<img alt="11-blundell-street-queanbeyan-nsw-2620-107612-image-0-20240905011722652773-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/11-blundell-street-queanbeyan-nsw-2620-107612-.width-800_Wp9Ptr4.jpg" width="800">Original owner Thomas Mail and would have crossed the brand new Queanbeyan bridge on horseback and taken the steep ride home to Blundell Street.“Heritage grants are available if you want to make changes to the home but there are, of course, a number of caveats around what you can and can’t do,” Darren says.“It’s the oldest house I’ve listed and the interest so far has been significant.”11 Blundell Street, Queanbeyan, goes to auction at 10am on Saturday 28 September 2024.<a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/11-blundell-street-queanbeyan-nsw-2620-107612/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the full listing.</a>

2 news articles with tag historic-home

One of those gorgeous art deco buildings on Canberra Ave is for sale, and just imagine living there

The stunning transformation of this 1860s worker's cottage could be yours