Street scene out the front of Customs House, Brisbane, Queensland

Customs House is a heritage-listed customs house at 427 Queen Street, Brisbane CBD, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Charles H McLay and built from 1886 to 1889 at a cost of ₤38,346 by John Petrie & Son. It was originally used for the collection of customs duty and was opened in 1889, when Queensland was a British colony, replacing the original Customs House located at Petrie Bight. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 7 February 2005. (Wikipedia)

Brisbane's first Customs House was built in 1850 at a cost of £1000. It served until 1888 when it was demolished to make way for a larger building.

Soon after the Moreton Bay District was officially opened to free settlement in 1842, the development of wharf facilities for maritime trade commenced. In 1846 Brisbane was declared a port of entry and clearance, and a branch of the Customs Department was established.

While the controversy raged over the relative merits of Cleveland and Brisbane as sites for the State's capital, the Customs House operated from the Commissariat Store, now the State Archives building in William Street.

In 1848 the present site in Petrie Bight was selected by Captain Owen Stanley, not without many protests from the ship's owners, who complained that to report and clear their vessels, they had to walk a mile through the bush from their South Brisbane berths.

By 1884 the original Customs House and rented bond premises had become quite inadequate for the rapidly growing port, and the Colonial Architect was instructed to design a new building "which would have a beautiful appearance from both Queen Street and the River."

Mr Charles McLay ably designed the building and supervised construction by John Petrie and Son. It is still regarded as one of the most handsome and best situated Customs Houses in the world. It is built of local freestone, and is 150 feet long and 75 feet wide; the design features a colonnaded entrance between twin pedimented wings on front and rear façades, surmounted by a copper sheathed dome. No expense was spared in the fitting out of the elegant cruciform-shaped Long Room and the interior appointments generally.

The massive staircase and joinery were of polished red cedar, contrasting with imported Italian marbles and English ornamental ironwork.

The building remained vacant from 1988 until leased by the University of Queensland. The university refurbished the building from 1991 to 1994 at a cost of A$7.5 million. It is now a restaurant and function centre.