[4] The terminal's waiting shed is an open timber-framed structure clad in weatherboard and has a gabled roof with terracotta tiles.

At the intersection of the roof gables is a short octagonal tower with four clock faces, topped by a metal cupola.

People who needed to commute to work and to access shopping and entertainment facilities used cross-river ferries on a daily basis.

Ferries were the only major transport service provided by metropolitan local authorities as responsibility for care and management had been placed in their hands by an 1858 Act.

Balmoral Shire was created in 1901 and was responsible for Apollo Road, Bulimba, Norman Park and Hawthorne ferries.

The quality of the building and the choice of a noted firm of architects for the design attest to the importance of the ferry service in the life of the community.

Addison won prizes for both architectural design and fine arts and served on a number of important committees and advisory panels connected with both.

It was also put to an unexpected community use as illustrated by the comment of the Sunday Mail of 3 March 1929 that the ferry house was being used informally as a dressing shed for local youths who were swimming in the river.

In October 1925 the contract for the new waiting shed at Hawthorne was let for the original design, though other Brisbane City Council terminal buildings were less ornamental.

[4] In 1985 extensive repairs and renovations were carried out to the Bulimba ferry house, which included replacing the clocks in the tower.

It is approached from the riverside by a pontoon and from the landward side by a pathway and entrance leading into a covered waiting area.

At the crossing of the roof gables is a low octagonal tower with four clock faces topped by a metal cupola.

The Bulimba ferry wharf not only illustrates the architectural details of the Federation Queen Anne style as applied to a small scale building, but also those features typical of ferry wharves comprising a pontoon for river access, a landing area and covered waiting area for passengers.

The clock faces placed in the tower helped people to be on time for ferries that ran to an accurate timetable.

[4] The Bulimba ferry wharf is significant as a creative example of the later work of the prominent Queensland architectural firm of GMH Addison & Son who are generally known for larger buildings.

The Bulimba ferry house has considerable aesthetic significance as a small public building that exhibits a high standard of design.