Portside Story
Our beautiful cafe and restaurant is situated inside the original Customs House Residence of Maryborough, built in 1899. This building offers seating inside, on our spacious verandah and at spots on the green overlooking the Mary River Parklands and Queens Park.
With sweeping views of the Mary River, this grand building is a testimony to the high regard held for and the appreciation shown to customs officers who once served Maryborough’s busy ports.
Built together with the Customs House, these buildings are examples of the high quality of design produced by the Public Works Department of Queensland in that era.
The Residence is constructed of locally made, red-faced brick with stone dressings, a roughcast finish and roofed with Queensland-made tiles. The builder Henry Neale added a final touch, beyond the specifications of the tender, by finishing the brick work in black tuck pointing.
A large variety of openings contribute to its complex form. Many of the windows in the house are glazed with pale glazed leadlight panels.
Centrally placed in many of the internal rooms are decorative timber fretwork panels. Several fine fireplaces survive throughout both buildings.
These twin buildings, along with the adjacent Bond Store, provide a strong contribution to the streetscape of Maryborough’s historic Wharf Street Precinct.