History of Australian Architecture

Prior to 1788 and the European settlement the aboriginal indigenous people lived in caves, and timber structures with bark roofs. Timber branches and poles were set into the ground and bent over to create semi circular structures. The aboriginal people lived in circular movement patterns reflecting a nomadic nature. They followed natural cycles of season and food gathering. Housing was robust and often temporary to accommodate the natural hunting and gathering cycles. See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australians

The following are historical periods in Australian Architecture after European settlement. There were various styles within each period and some styles overlapped. (This section will be further developed with text and pictures):

Colonial Period 1788-1840

Victorian Period 1840-1890

Federation Period 1890-1915

Inter War Period 1915-1940

Post War Period 1940-1960

Late Twentieth Century Period 1960-2000

Environmentally Sustainable Period 2000-

References:

1 Richard Apperly, Robert Irving and Peter Reynolds, Identifying Australian Architecture (Australia: Harper Collins Publishers, 1994)

2 Eric Thompson, Colonial Architecture (Sydney, NSW: Clarion Press)

3 Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page