Warwick - Places to See

The Post Office

The Post Office (1891) in Palmerin Street is a huge two storey building with Saracenic arches on the first floor, a large cupola and Tuscan columns on the ground floor. It was built from locally quarried sandstone.

The Town Hall
The Town Hall (1888) in Palmerin Street was also constructed from local sandstone. It can lay claim to being one of the oldest local authority buildings in Queensland and is distinguished by a large and elegant clock tower. When it was completed the local newspaper, the Warwick Argus, wrote 'The comely edifice has been completed and a monument to the shrewdness and foresight of those aldermen who saw further that the 'morrow now stands where once a humpy reared its unpretentious head.'

Over the years the building has played host to a variety of unusual and interesting entertainments. In 1900 the Mayor stood on the balcony and called for cheers for Colonel Baden Powell to celebrate the news of the relief of Mafeking. In 1908 a Biograph company showed simple movies in the hall. Peter Dawson performed in the hall in 1914 and in 1952 Sister Kenny was the celebrated guest at the Anzac Day celebrations.

Other Prominent Buildings
Other buildings of importance in Palmerin Street include St Marys Church (1864) a sandstone Gothic Revival building distinguished by its lancet windows and large rose window on the eastern side and the Criterion Hotel (1917) which retains much of its early charm.

Nearby in Fitzroy Street are the old Court House (1885), the Police Station (1890) and the Warwick East State School (1862) which is one of the oldest schools in the state and one of the few school buildings in Australia which dates back to the 1860s.

Among the city's other impressive and interesting buildings are St Marks Church in Albion Street which was completed in 1868 although the belfry is more recent and 'Pringle Cottage' (1869) at 81 Dragon Street which was built by John McCulloch, a Scottish builder, in the style of Scottish cottages of the time. It was a school for many years and has recently become part of the Warwick and District Historical Society Museum. The Pringle Cottage complex also includes an old General Store and a shepherd's hut. The museum has an interesting collection of memorabilia from the local area.

Also of interest are the National Hotel (1890) in Grafton Street. Of particular note is the superb verandah with its cast iron columns and balustrades. The Masonic Hall (1886) in Guy Street is a remarkably ostentatious hall with a Classic facade and Doric columns.

The famous John Robert Howe, better known as Jackie Howe, was born on Canning Downs on 26 July 1861. Howe went on to become the country's most famous shearer and is remembered by a statue in the main street of Blackall.

Jackie Howe Memorial
In 1983 Warwick remembered this famous son by establishing a Jackie Howe Memorial at the Jackie Howe Rest Area on the corner of Glengallan Road and the Cunningham Highway. It is notable for the large shears at the top.