[1] The former Australian Estates building at 184 Quay Street, Rockhampton was originally constructed in 1861 as premises for the store and office of Percival Douglas Mansfield.

The building is one of the oldest surviving in Quay Street and it contributes to the 19th century commercial streetscape which bears testament to the once thriving wharves of the Fitzroy River precinct.

During the early 1860s Mansfield advertised as "General Storekeeper and Commission Agent" in Quay Street but by 1867 he leased the building to numerous professionals who included three architects, a solicitor, a conveyancer and a surveyor.

His work contributed significantly to the consistency of the Rockhampton townscape with six of the Quay Street buildings erected before 1901 being Wilson's design.

The Canoona gold rush of 1858 helped establish Rockhampton as the major port in the region which later handled the mineral and pastoral products that came increasingly from the western settlements.

Quay Street was one of the earliest parts of Rockhampton to be settled and it developed in a commercial capacity to serve the passing trade at the wharves which once stood across the road from the buildings.

Quay Street developed rapidly from 1858 to 1882, with the construction in 1867 of the Central Western railway westward from Rockhampton increasing the flow of goods passing through the port.

[1] The 1884 alterations reflect a boom time for the Quay Street precinct initiated by the Mount Morgan gold rush beginning in 1882.

The wealth from Mount Morgan allowed Rockhampton, and Quay Street in particular, to undergo considerable rebuilding, a trend reflected by the construction of the facade of the former Australian Estates building in 1884.

In 1903 the Brisbane to Gladstone railway was opened and from this time the diminishing importance of the port caused the wharves to fall into disrepair and the development of the area to become more closely tied to the city centre.

Its cement rendered facade is painted, and is asymmetrically arranged allowing for separate access to both levels of the building from the street frontage.

The ground level shop fronts are aluminium framed single-paned glass windows, which are enframed by pilasters that have stylised leaf design capitals.

The river wharves fostered the substantial commercial development along Quay Street, enabling it to become the principal business district of the city.

The Australian Estates building possesses important aesthetic value because it contributes to the streetscape, continuity and character the late nineteenth century quayside.