It is one of a group of Customs Houses built in Queensland at the turn of the century to the design of innovative and skilful architects of the Public Works Department.

The architect responsible for the design of the Rockhampton Customs House is thought to be Thomas Pye with the assistance of George Payne.

[1] The Archer brothers made a private expedition to the Rockhampton district in 1853, and were the first Europeans to record and chart the Fitzroy River.

West of the place chosen as the wharf a large bar of rocks prevented further movement upstream for sailing vessels, thereby dictating the siting of the eventual Port of Rockhampton.

The short lived Canoona gold rush of 1858 and its massive influx of over eight thousand diggers provided "the landing place" with its first major activity of loading and unloading of vessels.

The collection of Customs duties and the storage of bonded goods was carried out in a prefabricated timber building which was despatched from the Government of New South Wales.

The 1863 Customs House was a single storeyed, masonry building with a slate roof, a storage basement and a colonnaded porch facing Quay St.

[1] By the 1880s, the differential settlement of the soil around the foundations of the buildings on the Customs House site led to major structural problems.

[1] At the time that funding was being sought for the construction of a new Customs House in Rockhampton the economic situation in Queensland was worsening with the depression of the 1890s.

The Queensland Colonial Architect, Alfred Barton Brady, estimated some £6000 was required to finance a massive repair program to reconstruct the Rockhampton Customs House, money that was unavailable.

At this time other Customs Houses were being constructed by the colonial government in other ports along the Queensland coast, in locations such as Townsville and Maryborough.

Chief Draughtsman Thomas Pye has been attributed with the design and George Payne is thought to have been responsible for many of the innovative and interesting details of the building.

J W Esdale was the stonemason, J Innis the foreman of works and the Corinthian order capitals were carved by employees of the London firm, Farmer and Binnelly.

As well a stone boundary wall along Quay Street, fencing, gates, driveways, stables and lavatories were to be constructed at a cost of £1615.00.

[1] Faced with local freestone from Stanwell Quarries, the other portion being of brick set in cement, except the base course, which is of Brisbane tuff.

In 1986 all employees of the Federal Government departments resident in the Customs House vacated the building and transferred to newly constructed offices.

The Long Room, restored to its original layout, has been used for social and cultural functions including book launches, and art exhibitions.

The Discovery Centre, which incorporates static and multimedia displays, introduces visitors to the city's history, Customs House, Quay, river and people of Rockhampton today.

[1] The Rockhampton Customs House is a well composed and substantial sandstone and rendered brick building prominently sited on Quay Street overlooking the Fitzroy River.

[1] The Customs House is a two storeyed rectangular planned building with a semi-circular porch projecting centrally from the north eastern facade to Quay Street and flanked by end bays.

The porch comprises a row of Corinthian columns following the curve of this facade of the building, which support a semi-circular entablature over which a skillion roof sits.

These pilasters seem to support a string moulding which aligns with the entablature of the porch, forming a cornice along the entire length of the facade, above which a short parapet conceals the roof.

[1] Projecting from the hipped, corrugated iron roof, centrally over the principal room of the building is a large dome clad with a copper and zinc alloy, known as Muntz metal sheeting.

The dome rests on a substantial sandstone drum which is pierced with twelve regularly spaced oculi or round windows, every second and third ones of which are blind openings.

[1] The north west and south east elevations of the building, continue the classical detailing of the principal facade of the end bays, with a series of round arched openings separated by pairs of Corinthian pilasters.

The doorways housing the double half glazed doors are surmounted with relief lettering "H.M. CUSTOMS" above which sits a corniced shelf.

Generally these rooms retain much of their original fittings, including joinery, plaster ceiling roses, ventilation shaft covers.

Centrally located downstairs is a room formerly known as the Queens Warehouse, a large semi-circular space defined by a curved brick wall, forming the foundations of the porch the internal line of which it is directly above.

A lightweight grid is suspended from the ceiling toward the northern end of the area, indicating Rockhampton street signs and for possible use in later exhibition design.

The rooms on the lower level have many early features; joinery and ceiling panelling, though most have been painted and covered with surface mounted conduits.