Original post 1 August 2014
Surprisingly a very early house survives in the CBD, the John Smith house in Queen Street, a rare Colonial Georgian style house. First built as two storeys, started in 1849, designed by #CharlesLaing, but not finished till 1852, because all the workers rushed off to find gold. Smith was a publican and later Lord Mayor 7 times. The next owner added a third floor in 1858. There’s a few other houses in Victoria that look much the same, eg the Manor in Bacchus Marsh, pic 3, and lots in Tasmania, pic 4, though I couldn’t find an exact one. It survived because from 1859 it served as the Treasury and Gold Office, and remained a government building right up until recent years, now occupied by Victoria University. Pic 2 1973, @nationaltrustvic.
Storey of Melbourne 