[3] The Roma Courthouse is a rendered masonry building located on a triangular block facing McDowall Street.

[3] Roma was the principal town of the Mount Abundance district, which was established as a pastoral and agricultural region after exploration by Thomas Mitchell, New South Wales Surveyor General in 1846.

There was considerable variation in the types and size of structures, ranging from the slab construction in Cunnamulla in 1869 to the masonry of the Supreme Court in Rockhampton in 1887.

Between 1875 and 1890 the growth in Queensland's economy and population continued and the corresponding construction of courthouses proceeded in newly formed townships.

The first courthouse faced Albert Street, and was a small timber building, extended in 1884 to accommodate sittings of the Supreme Court in circuit.

A simple concrete monument mounted with a granite tablet and plaque, commemorating this event, is located at the front of the Police Station in McDowall Street.

The Great Artesian Basin was tapped in Queensland in the late 1880s and early 1890s, securing an alternate water supply for cattle and sheep.

Redford was accused of stealing 1,000 head of cattle from Bowen Downs Station near Longreach in Queensland and driving them to South Australia.

However, the township of Roma demanded a courthouse that reflected the Western Districts' growth in population, economic importance and political power.

The laying of the foundation stone was performed in a ceremony by the Mayor of Roma, Alderman John McEwan Hunter on 4 September 1900.

[3] The major consideration in the design and planning of the 1900-1901 courthouse was the allowance for the correct movement of people in the building and the separation of the different groups involved in the judicial process.

The separate female and male witness rooms, were located at the front of the courthouse to avoid hearing previous evidence before making their testimony.

[3] With consideration for the harsh western climate a detailed and technical ventilation system was constructed in the Roma Courthouse.

Conventional cast iron wall ventilators were combined with Tobin's Tubes to carry cool air from beneath the building into the court room.

The new ceiling effectively blocked the clerestory windows and covered the domed roof, altering the patterns of light and ventilation.

In 1868, a gaol servicing the wider region, was located on a separate reserve at the corner of Souter and McDowall Streets, adjacent to the courthouse and lock up.

Prior to the completion of the station, police were accommodated in timber huts, private lodgings or a choice of Roma's many public establishments.

New concrete stumps and weatherboards were installed and a new store was added to the western back corner of the McDowall Street building.

[3] Roma Courthouse is located on a triangular block bounded by McDowall and Queen Streets and the Police Reserve.

[3] The H-shaped plan incorporates the entrance facade, the court room which dominates the form of the building and rear wings.

The vestibule is flanked on the east and west sides by rooms featuring double hung windows, with semi-circular fanlights, facing McDowall street.

The west side wing comprises a lobby area, and the offices of the court of petty sessions and the police magistrate.

The separate flat arcade roofing at the half elevation maintains access for light and ventilation through the clerestory windows.

The police station is a combination of two separate single-storeyed timber buildings with corrugated iron roofing, connected by a covered way.

Four south-western and 6 north-western facing hopper windows indicate the internal office space at the south western end of the building.

Six small high set windows, with iron bars, are located on the eastern face of the building indicating the former cells.

[3] Located at the former gate entrance of the Police buildings, is a simple concrete monument mounted with a granite tablet and plaque.

[3] Roma Courthouse and Police Buildings was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 7 August 1998 having satisfied the following criteria.

The Roma Courthouse and Police Buildings are of considerable aesthetic significance due to their landmark qualities and for their high degree of design and workmanship.

Roma Courthouse has a strong association with important architect John Smith Murdoch, as an example of the development of his work.