[1] The former Maryborough Customs House and associated residence was constructed in 1899 to the design of Queensland Department of Public Work's architect, John Smith Murdoch.

In 1850 Surveyor, Hugh Roland Labatt arrived in Maryborough with instructions to "examine the River Mary...to suggest ...the best site or sites for the laying out of the town, having regard to the convenience of shipping on one hand and internal communication on the other...also...point out the spots desirable as reserves for public building, church, quay and for places for public recreation."

Taxation on goods entering and leaving the colony was an important source of revenue for the newly established Queensland Government and, accordingly, customs services were highly regarded and respected.

[1] In January 1899, Alfred Barton Brady the colonial architect called for tenders for the construction of a customs house and residence in Maryborough.

The final cost of the two buildings was £5956 and they were constructed of locally made brick on concrete foundations with Marseilles roof tiles.

Murdoch emigrated to Melbourne in 1884 and by July 1885 took a positions with the Queensland Works Department under one of Brady's predecessors, John James Clark, but was retrenched within two years.

In July 1904 Murdoch transferred permanently to the Commonwealth Department of Homes Affairs, where he enjoyed a successful career becoming Director General of Works in 1927.

[1] Murdoch, throughout his career, displayed a remarkable talent, designing innovative and well planned buildings of considerable architectural merit.

"[1] The Maryborough Customs House is a good example of Murdoch's architecture, integrating the familiarity and aesthetic comfort of the form of Arts and Crafts with the authority and tradition associated with Classical details and motifs.

In 1995 the Customs Service was removed from Maryborough and, although the buildings remain in Commonwealth ownership, they were used as the office of the Electoral Commission and the local Federal Member of Parliament, Warren Truss.

[1] Since construction both the customs house and the residence have remained substantially intact with recent internal alterations allowing the buildings to be adaptively reused.

The residence, adjacent to the south eastern side of the former Customs House is more inwardly focussed with principal entrance on the southern corner.

[1] The former Customs House is symmetrically arranged, and has a rectangular plan with a Dutch gabled, terracotta clad roof, punctuated centrally by a square planned projection with a separate Dutch gabled roof, giving external expression to the former long room over which it sits.

Flanking this tower element, to the south east and to the north west are rectangular planned chimney stacks, rendered with rough cast stucco.

[1] The principal facade, addressing Richmond Street, is dominated by a central entrance projection which integrates the brick fence with the building.

The projection features three round arched window openings, which rest on an integrating sill and signage panel, with Art Nouveau lettering "H.M. CUSTOMS".

The verandah at the lower level is formed by a brick arcade of large round arched openings, and a timber battened balustrade.

The terracotta clad awning of the porch is supported on small concrete Doric columns which rest on a brick plinth.

The buildings are characteristic examples of the high quality of design produced by the Public Works Department of Queensland in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The Customs House and Residence are of considerable aesthetic and architectural merit as innovative and well composed public buildings on a prominent Maryborough site.

The buildings demonstrate considerable creative innovation as very good Queensland examples of the late nineteenth Australian architectural influence of the English Arts and Craft movement.