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.

In 1922 they commissioned a ferry house design from the prominent architectural firm of George Henry Male Addison & Son.

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

The original design was rotated and a central gabled entry added on the river side, making the building cruciform in plan and accommodating two small rooms in the arms of the structure.

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.

An area of over an acre was converted from freehold land for this purpose and a stone and metal arch bearing the name of the park was erected at its entrance.

[1] The ferry terminal retains its original function and is generally very intact, although alterations to the tower included removal of clock faces set on the north and west.

It is cruciform in plan and the crossing of the intersecting gables of the terracotta-tiled roof is topped with a low tower and cupola clad in flat sheet metal.

[1] Hawthorne Ferry Terminal & Hardcastle Park was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 24 January 2003 having satisfied the following criteria.

The Hawthorne Ferry terminal 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 terminals comprising a pontoon for river access, a landing area and covered waiting area for passengers.

[1] The Hawthorne Ferry terminal is significant as a creative example of the later work of the prominent Queensland architectural firm of GMH Addison and Son who are generally known for larger buildings.

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

The aesthetic qualities of the ferry house are greatly enhanced by the trees and open green space of Hardcastle Park in which it is set.