Following the outcome of such elections, the governor appoints the premier and ministry and the swearing-in of Members of the Legislative Assembly which also takes place at Government House.

Due to financial difficulties, Heussler was forced to leave the property by 1871 after which it was leased to Arthur Palmer, then the Premier of Queensland.

The roof is covered with slates, the verandahs and balconies being spacious, and presenting a delightful retreat for the enjoyment of pure air, shade, and widespread and charming view.

There is also carriage-house, storeroom, groom's room, harness-room, &c, &c.""The grounds are all enclosed, the timber having been thinned so as to give the place a park-like appearance, and there is a shrubbery and garden round the house.

The view from Fernberg is something out of the common, both for extent, variety, and beauty; and one of the best proofs that can be adduced in favor of this assertion is the fact that, go where you will the house is seen towering aloft above every tenement in the neighborhood.

[1]John Stevenson, a successful pastoralist, stock and station agent and a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, bought Fernberg in the mid-1880s and commissioned architect, Richard Gailey in 1888 to design extensive additions and alterations to the house.

The scheme was a major undertaking which more than doubled the size of the original house, and altered the building from an 1860s villa to an Italianate Mansion.

The 1890s economic depression brought an end to Stevenson's fortune and by 1895 the property was mortgaged to William Pattison and Walter Russell Hall.

Two years later Hall, a well-known philanthropist who had made his fortune from gold at Mount Morgan, took possession of the residence; however, he chose never to live at the property.

[2] Alterations and renovations carried out immediately included painting, new floor coverings, the installation of electric light, metalling, gravelling, and rolling of roadways and fencing.

Several buildings from the former Government House site were moved to Fernberg in 1910–11 to provide accommodation for offices, a billiard room and apartments for the private secretary and aide-de-camp.

In comparison to the formal gardens, the bushland received very little attention except for the successive clearing of the understorey plants and later of sapling and shrub regrowth.

In 1928 "woodland walks" were created by Governor Sir John and Lady Goodwin through the bushland behind Government House.

Despite serious consideration, the Premier and Cabinet rejected the idea and instead proposed substantial additions to Fernberg, thus settling the issue of a permanent Government House.

[1] Minor internal alterations were carried out on Fernberg in the mid-1940s after a change of Governor and in anticipation of visits by various members of the Royal Family (Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester having been appointed as Governor-General of Australia in January 1945).

Pressure for additional accommodation for the Governor's private staff in the late 1940s resulted in the construction of a single storied brick Auxiliary Building.

A new guard house was constructed in 1987 and substantial internal works involving the refurbishment of the reception areas were also carried out in the same year.

[1] Late in 1992 one hectare of Government House grounds was taken over by the Department of Transport as part of the widening of Kaye Street.

The 15 hectares (37 acres) of grounds comprise formal, ornamental gardens around the main house, ancillary administration, staff and maintenance buildings, the whole of which is surrounded by native bushland.

Stylistically the building demonstrates Victorian Italianate characteristics such as asymmetrical massing, a prominent tower employing classical motifs, a balustraded roof parapet, bracketed eaves, segmental arch openings and a stucco wall finish.

[1]The lodge (built before1910, relocated to this site from Old Government House) is a timber building located next to the vice-regal entrance gates.

[1] The administration cottage (built 1948) is a single storied brick building containing several offices, bedrooms and sitting room for the aide-de-camp, the personal assistant to the governor and some guest accommodation.

[1] The creation of an animal "Sanctuary" and the "Woodland Walks" by Sir John and Lady Goodwin contribute to the early appreciation of native flora and fauna in Queensland.

Other buildings built in the grounds following the conversion of the house into a vice regal residence contribute to the understanding of the Governor's role and the complex of necessary auxiliary services.

The house and grounds contain evidence of the contribution of each of the vice regal couples and also records the changes that were made for Royal Tours.

The residence is important for its association with several prominent architects who have contributed to the evolution of Government House; Benjamin Backhouse (1865), Richard Gailey (1880s) and the Department of Public Works (1937).