GSA Guide - Commissariat Retaining Wall Claimed
URPoint Details
This URP is provided and maintained by members of the Geological Society of Australia as a geo-located community knowledge service.
The Commissariat Store, built when Brisbane was a convict settlement, is the second oldest surviving structure in the CBD. Moreton Bay Penal Settlement was established at Redcliffe in 1824 for secondary punishment for New South Wales convicts.
History:
The Commissariat Store, built when Brisbane was a convict settlement, is the second oldest surviving structure in the CBD. Moreton Bay Penal Settlement was established at Redcliffe in 1824 for secondary punishment for New South Wales convicts. Because of a shortage of water, the settlement was transferred in 1825 to Brisbane Town which was founded on the north bank of the Brisbane River.
Excavation of the site commenced quickly, and the wall was completed prior to the construction of the Commissariat. Excavation of the river bank and construction of the retaining wall around the site was undertaken by Convicts.
The wall is constructed of porphyry blocks extracted from Kangaroo Point with a mortar containing shell fragments. On the other hand the Commissariat was built with a mortar containing lime burnt from limestone extracted at Limestone Hill in Ipswich (Formation: Silkstone Formation); this building was commenced in
- Type:
- Landmark