RANGER BARRACKS

1-61 CURTIS STREET BALLARAT CENTRAL, BALLARAT CITY

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Victorian Heritage Register

RANGER BARRACKS SOHE 2008

Statement of Significance

• Additional Place Information

  • History

    RANGER BARRACKS - History

    Extracted from Allom Lovell & Associates "Ballarat Rangers Barracks Curtis Street Ballarat Conservation Management Plan" January 2001
    
    Early Military Presence in Ballarat: The Ballarat Volunteer Rifle Regiment
    When news of the Crimean War reached Australia in the mid-1850s, considerable interest was generated in the formation of volunteer corps to support the Imperial troops which were stationed locally (G R Vazenry. ‘Military Forces in Victoria, 1854 - 1967’. p 3-2.). The Volunteer Act was passed by the Victorian government in November 1854, and the Melbourne Volunteer Rifle Regiment was established under the command of Lieutenant Colonel W A D Anderson. The regiment initially comprised seven corps, stationed in Melbourne, Carlton, Pentridge (Coburg), Collingwood, East Collingwood, Richmond and Prahran. Over the next few years, many other new units emerged in regional outposts, such as Port Fairy, Geelong and Warrnambool, and throughout the metropolitan area.
    
    The Ballarat volunteer corps was founded in 1858 (W B Withers. History of Ballarat, p. 298). On 23 October 1857 a meeting was convened by Mr Ocock at Bath’s Hotel, Ballarat West, to consider the establishment of a local rifle corps. A committee was appointed, and on 21 July 1858, Victorian Government consent to the enrolment of a corps was received (W B Withers. History of Ballarat, p. 298). The unit was officially named the ‘Ballarat Volunteer Rifle Regiment’ and was to consist of four divisions of infantry and two of cavalry, the latter a troop of the colony’s Prince of Wales Light Horse cavalry force. The first meeting of the 65 enrolled members was held on 9 August at the Shakspeare [sic] Hotel, and the various positions of Lieutenant-Colonel, Adjutant and First and Second Lieutenants assigned. It was decided to change the name of the unit to ‘Ballarat Rangers’ (W B Withers. History of Ballarat, p. 299). The regiment adopted the motto Celere et audax (speed and boldness) and chose the bottle green uniform worn by the Kings Royal Rifle Corps (Vazenry. Military Forces of Victoria 1854-1967, p. 3-19). Nos. 1 and 3 infantry companies were stationed in Ballarat West and East, and No. 2 in Clunes and Creswick. A rifle club was subsequently established in 1873, attached to the cavalry corps, both of which disbanded in 1883 (W B Withers. History of Ballarat, p. 300).
    
    Until the construction of a purpose-built orderly room, the battalion used temporary facilities thought to have been located within the Government Camp (M Broemmer. ‘Ranger Barracks’, The Ranger: Annual Journal of the 8th/7th Battalion, 2000, p. 28. Drill was regularly reported in the local press (Ballarat Courier, February 23, 1885, unpaginated).
    
    A New Orderly Room
    The organisation of the colony’s defence was restructured following a decision in 1880 by the Victorian Government to pay officers and men for their work. In 1883 the Minister for Defence, Sir Frederick Sargood disbanded the Volunteer Forces and established the Militia, a paid group of volunteer troops operating on military principles established by English officers (Vazenry. op. cit. pp. 2/1-2/3). As a consequence of the 1883 Militia Bill, the Rangers disbanded and the first militia battalion for Ballarat commenced in November 1883. The first recruits of the 3rd Battalion Victorian Regiment, as it became known (Plaque affixed to wall in the Drill Hall), were sworn in on 21 January 1884 (W B Withers. History of Ballarat, p. 300). During this phase of Victoria’s defence, considerable upgrading of orderly room facilities occurred across the colony. Existing orderly rooms previously occupied by the militia were refurbished, such as those at Richmond (1891) and East Melbourne (1885), and numerous new drill halls, usually of weatherboard construction, were constructed for the re-organised forces elsewhere, such as Castlemaine (1889), St Kilda (1890) and Geelong (1900).
    
    Plans for the much-needed new building at Ballarat were prepared in 1885 by Public Works Department Architect, Samuel Bindley. Bindley was employed by the Department by 1885 as the Assistant Architect in the State Schools Division, his duties being to prepare 'designs, plans and specifications for school buildings' (Trethowan. The Public Works Department: Volume One. pp. 91-92). Bindley became the Grade II Architect in sub-control of the North-Western District when the Architects Division merged with the State Schools Division in 1885 to form the Buildings Division (Tretwhowan). During this period he prepared plans for many of the Orderly Room (Drill Hall) buildings constructed between 1885 and 1901 under the guidance of the PWD Chief Architect, Henry Robert Bastow (see Chapter 4). It was common for the buildings completed by a section to take on a particular style, as occurred in the preparation of designs for orderly rooms, and Bruce Trethowan notes (p.103) that the 'smaller buildings in Bindley's section take on a Queen Anne character with decorative wood gables and verandahs and brick walls with decorative bands'. The majority of Bindley's orderly rooms incorporated decorative timber gable ends and highlight bands on the external weatherboard elevations, in addition to moulded verandah posts on the orderly room residences.
    
    The Ranger Barracks, the largest of the pre-Federation orderly rooms, is illustrative of Bindley’s style. Of weatherboard construction, the principal feature of the design was the broad, longitudinal gabled roof with king post trussed finials and deep bargeboards at each end. Particularly characteristic elements were the windows, which had pointed heads, multi-paned sashes and moulded architraves.
    
    The drill room was a large rectangular-plan volume extending the full length of the building accessed by pairs of entrance doors at each end. Lighting was provided by highlight windows in the gable ends and a glazed clerestory along the ridge. Internally the ten steel roof trusses were exposed, and walls lined with timber lining boards.
    
    Incorporated into the building were two residences for offices, attached to the west side. These each comprised four rooms accessed off a central corridor providing accommodation for a parlour, two bedrooms and a living room. Attached to the rear of each residence was a scullery and shed. A third wing, situated between the residences, contained two lavatories flanking a corridor which provided side access to the drill room.
    
    The building was constructed on the Eastern Market Reserve situated between Market Street South (now Curtis Street) and Market Street North (now Shepperd Street), close to the commercial centre of the township. The Eastern Market continued to occupy the western part of the site . The land immediately to the south of the orderly room was also a part of the market reserve and was occupied by a single-storey hipped roof building. In the vicinity was the Alfred Hall, a large barrel-vaulted building constructed for reception of the Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh in 1867 and used for public meetings and exhibitions. Immediately to the east, along Peel Street, and to the north, along Market Street North, were numerous small structures which appear, in an early bird’s eye view, to be dwellings.
    
    The orderly room was constructed by James Taylor and cost £5,000 (S M Broemmer. ‘Ranger Barracks’, The Ranger: Annual Journal of the 8th/7th Battalion, 2000, p. 28). The building was officially opened on 2 July 1886 at a ceremony attended by 4,000 people including members from other units from Melbourne and regional Victoria. During the day there was a display of drill, bayonet practice and sword drill, and the first battalion ball was held in the evening. In addition to the regular Thursday drills, the building soon became a venue for regular social functions such as dances, singing and band recitals (W Bate, Lucky City, p. 260).
    
    By the 1890s, the Ballarat 3rd Battalion had earned a reputation for its fine shooting ability, having won a competition against British regiments five times in six years, and for its marching and drill, which was praised in 1898 as being "as good as any done by line regiments"(W Bate, Lucky City, p. 260). Further praise was bestowed by Colonel E T Hutton, the first Commonwealth Commandant, who in 1902 declared that he could go anywhere with such a battalion (W Bate, Lucky City, p. 260).
    
    First Alterations
    Alterations to the building had commenced soon after its completion. In July1886, Captain Williams submitted an urgent request to the Secretary of Defence for an additional store room and stabling at an estimated cost of £120, which appears to have been constructed to the west of the orderly room (Letter, R Ernest Williams to The Secretary of Defence, dated 13 July 1886. National Archives Series B3756 Item 1893/2457. Memo, W Dobbie re Storeroom, Orderly Room, Ballarat, 11 April 1892, and site plan dated 30 November 1891, National Archives Series B 3756, Item 1893/2457). Following Federation in 1901, the property was transferred to Commonwealth ownership and further alterations were made prior to the First World War. In 1913 additions were constructed to the west side of the building: the central west wing was extended to provide to additional store rooms. In 1917 the adjacent property to the west of the drill hall was acquired by the Commonwealth to provide space for a parade ground, and additional land further west occupied by the Ballarat Juvenile Exhibition Building, with a frontage to Grenville Street, was leased by the Commonwealth for £150 per annum (Letter, J Trumble (?) to The Secretary of Department of Home & Territories, 3 May 1921). Following destruction of the Juvenile Exhibition Building by fire in 1921, a request to purchase the property was made to the Department of Home Territories, in order to extend the parade ground, but the proposal appears not to have been approved (Letter, J Trumble (?) to The Secretary of Department of Home & Territories, 3 May 1921).
    
    Between the Wars
    Like many drill halls and other military sites across the country, the Ballarat Rangers Barracks underwent extensive alterations during the inter-War period, particularly in the years just prior to the outbreak of Second World War. As early as 1916 concerns had been raised over the apparently unsanitary conditions of the residential quarters (Letter, Major (unreadable), S O E, 3rd Military District, 2 August 1916, National Archives Series MP 367/1, Item 517/1/820). In 1924 the yard to the north of the Curtis Street residence was built over to accommodate a new store. Sundry sheds and a wash house were demolished, and the broad gabled roof of the residence extended with a new steel trussed roof structure (Drawing ‘Ballarat Drill Hall Proposed Alterations to Form New Store and Roof to Offices’, 3 August 1924, National Archives ).
    
    In 1933, a report on the state of the buildings recommended that the facilities be upgraded: it was argued that the 8th Battalion had experienced difficulty in recruiting new members owing to the absence of suitable facilities for social activities. It was recommended that the Daylesford Drill Hall, which was then disused, be relocated to the Ballarat site for use by the 8th Battalion for recreation purposes and also by the 6th Co. Engineers for training purposes. The cost of the transfer was estimated at £550, and took place in 1934 (Plan ‘Transfer of Daylesford Drill Hall for Re-Erection at Ballarat Drill Hall Reserve’ 11 June 1934, National Archives). The building was a standard World War I ‘Type 2’ drill hall, comprising a 50’ x 100’ (15.2 x 30.4 m) hall of timber construction with corrugated galvanised steel wall and roof cladding. An ancillary skillion-roofed wing to the south contained a series of offices, some of which were converted to a lecture room (Plan ‘Transfer of Daylesford Drill Hall for Re-Erection at Ballarat Drill Hall Reserve’ 11 June 1934, National Archives).
    
    In 1935 a request was made to replace the asphalt floor surface of the main drill hall with timber, however this was rejected by the Minister of Defence owing to lack of funds (Letter, Minister for Defence to the R G Casey, Commonwealth Treasurer, 20 January 1936, National Archives Series MP 1142/1, Item 55/114/153). Replacement of the floor was delayed for two years, when a comprehensive upgrade of the building was undertaken. Plans of the proposed alterations were prepared in 1935 and ’37 by the administration of the Commonwealth Works Director for Victoria, H J Mackennal. Apart from the new drill hall flooring, which comprised Jarrah boards laid on a reinforced concrete floor, two new officers’ messes were created, new fireplaces installed in many rooms, a new canteen and numerous store rooms provided. One of the officer’s messes was formed by demolishing the internal walls of the old Curtis Street residence, thereby creating one large room. Varnished timber panelling and a strapped fibrous plaster ceiling with timber beams were added, and the adjacent rooms converted to a cloak room and servery. The new non-Commissioned Officers Mess was similarly formed by connecting two of the offices in the east wing, and was likewise furnished with new timber panelling and strapped fibrous plaster ceiling. New fireplaces were of cream brick with varnished timber mantels. Additional minor works took place in 1939, comprising provision of new cupboards, fireplaces, fencing and repairs to asphalt flooring (Drawing ‘Ballarat Drill Hall Renovations and Painting’, 6 September 1939, National Archives).
    
    The Crown land to south of the building reserved for the Eastern Market had long been a source of angst for the occupants of the drill hall. By the early twentieth century the single-storey building in front of the drill hall had been demolished, and in its place was a weigh bridge and small brick store room. As far back as 1912, complaints had been made regarding the behaviour of "youths and women of immoral character" who could be "found in the grounds misconducting themselves" in the reserve (Letter, S S M T J Ryan to C.O. 1/7th A I Regiment, 19 January 1912, National Archives Series B1535, Item 869/4/29). S S M Kirkwood complained of the nuisance committed by men and boys against the weigh bridge and of the drunk and sober men frequenting the nearby urinal who "instead of adjusting their clothes under cover come on the streets adjusting them" Letter, S S M Kirkwood, 18th Brigade, to C.O. 1st / 7th A I Regiment, 10 February 1912, National Archives, Series B 1535, Item 869/4/29. Despite objections from the town clerk and local residents a fence and gates were erected at this time (Letter, Town Clerk to Secretary Defence Department, April 5 1912, National Archives Series B1535, Item 869/4/29, and letter from). The complaints continued into the 1930s, however, and the area was described in 1938 by the Secretary of the Military Board thus:
    
    "This area by long established custom has become a general parking area for all manner of vehicles, and in winter time or during wet weather becomes a veritable quagmire which is rendered more unpleasant by the frequent stallings of innumerable horses. Apart from its use as a vehicle parking area it is frequently used for dumping material for road construction purposes with a constant stream of heavy traffic right across the main entrance to the Hall. The market weigh bridge is an old ramshackle of a place that serves both as living quarters and a boot repair shop. .. It is both an eyesore and quite unsanitary in its relation to the Hall ...The whole aspect in front of the main entrance to the Hall has therefore an mistakeable slum appearance that reflects a great deal to the disadvantage of the training of the militia unit." (Letter, Secretary Military Board, 8 June 1938, National Archives Series MP 1142/1, Item A324/114/1)
    
    Negotiations took place between the Ballarat Council and the military in 1938 in an effort to improve the appearance of the area. It was agreed that the Council would demolish the small brick building in front of the drill hall, repaint the weigh bridge and renew its roofing, lay kerbing along Curtis and Lowe Streets, provide new paths and landscaping and provide ongoing maintenance (Letter, Colonel Administering Command, 3rd District Base to Secretary Military Board, 23 May 1938, National Archives Series MP 1142/1, Item A324/114/1).
    
    In 1940 additional property was acquired by the Commonwealth. In exchange for a strip of land at the west end of the site measuring 1 rood, 17.2 perches (approx 1,400 sq m), the Council granted the Commonwealth an area of land to the south-west measuring 32.2 perches (approx 800 sq m). The transfer of land was officially recorded in the Commonwealth Gazette on 6 February 1941 (Copy of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No. 20, 6 Feburary 1941, National Archives Series B 3757, Item 1893/2457). Also at this time an easement 50 links wide (about 10 metres)was created along the length of Curtis Street, which allowed for its subsequent widening.
    
    After the Second World War
    Immediately after the Second World War it appears that the Ballarat Drill Hall was not actively used by the military. In 1946 the Ballarat City Council submitted a request to temporarily lease the building for industrial purposes. A silk milling company called Peerless Silk Mills Pty Ltd had sought to establish itself in Ballarat, but, owing to a shortage of available accommodation, had not been able to find a suitable building (Letter, G F Morton (?) to the Hon R T Pollard, MP, 28 March 1946, and undated attached memo, c. 1946, National Archives Series MP 1142/1, Item A324/114/1). Anxious to secure the industry for Ballarat, the city council applied, on the company’s behalf, to the Minister of State Development and Decentralisation for permission to use of the drill hall. The request was refused, however, owing to the substantial degree of structural alteration which would have been required to make the building fit for manufacturing purposes (Letter, G F Morton (?) to the Hon R T Pollard, MP, 28 March 1946, and undated attached memo, c. 1946, National Archives Series MP 1142/1, Item A324/114/1). In the following year, a request by the Minister for Commerce and Agriculture was made to the Minister for the Army to temporarily use the building to relieve an urgent housing shortage in Ballarat:
    
    "The housing situation in Ballarat is indeed a desperate one. People are living with their children under circumstances, which, to say the least of it, are deplorable. One woman is living with five children in a one-roomed hut. Another married couple is living in what was once a cow shed." (Letter, R T Pollard, MP to Hon C Chambers, Minster for the Army, 14 July 1947, National Archives Series MP 1142/1, Item A324/114/1)
    
    It was estimated that a dozen families could be housed in the building, however it was decided instead to upgrade the building for army use. The drill hall was classified category ‘A’ and was to serve as the depot for a proposed Commonwealth Military Force (CMF) in Ballarat numbering 577 (Letter, Lieutenant General GOC, Southern Command, 1 August 1947, National Archives Series MP 1142/1, Item A324/114/1). Upgrading of the facility consequently became a priority, and repairs and maintenance costs to the building were estimated at £275 (Letter, Lieutenant General GOC, Southern Command, 1 August 1947, National Archives Series MP 1142/1, Item A324/114/1).
    
    Numerous utilitarian additions and alterations to the property continued during the following decades. In 1950, £3,453 was allocated for the construction of a new 3-vehicle garage, situated to the west of the drill hall and on sundry maintenance works including interior and exterior re-painting, repairs to rainwater goods and removal of a large tree (Letter, Lieutenant General (unreadable) GOC Southern Command to Army Headquarters, 15 May 1950, National Archives Series MP 1142/1, Item A324 /114/). A more extensive proposal for refurbishment involving the upgrading of the Sergeants’ and Officers’ Messes and provision of new lavatories, showers and kitchens also took place at about this time (Letter, Lieutenant General (unreadable) GOC Southern Command to Army Headquarters, 1 August 1950, and drawing ‘Ballarat Training Depot Proposed Alterations’ dated 23 March 1950, National Archives Series MP 1142/1, Item A324 /114/3. It is unclear from the correspondence and drawing as to when the improvements took place, however the alterations are shown on an existing conditions drawing of the building dated 1965).
    
    A variety of maintenance and refurbishment works was undertaken in the late 1970s and early ‘80s. These included roof repairs involving replacement of most of the corrugated galvanised steel roofing (1979 and 1982) (Plan ‘Repairs and Maintenance Building Works’, No. V 791 216-2 1, July 1979, and plan ‘Reroof and Repairs and Maintenance’, No. V 82/458-1 1, October 1982, National Archives), the addition of a small store to the south side of the former Shepperd Street residence (1979), (Plan ‘Repairs and Maintenance Building Works’, No. V 791 216-1 1, July 1979, National Archives) and the upgrading of the shower block in the centre west wing (1980) (Plan ‘Proposed Upgrading of Shower Block’, No. 9824 345-35, 25 July 1980, National Archives)
    
    A number of sundry structures were constructed elsewhere on the site at various times. A standard World War II ‘P1 hut’, a small two-roomed, timber-framed corrugated steel building situated near the southern boundary, had been erected or relocated to the site c.1940s or ‘50s. On the land acquired by the Commonwealth in 1940, a three-storey reinforced concrete and brick office building was constructed c.1970s, originally housing the Department of Social Security and presently disused. More recently, several steel tray deck workshops and store rooms have been added along the west boundary, and a vehicle wash bay constructed to the south.
    
    Ballarat Ranger Barracks is presently occupied by the 8th/7th Battalion, the Royal Victoria Regiment. The site is currently proposed to be disposed by the Commonwealth Department of Defence.

    Permit Exemptions

    RANGER BARRACKS - Permit Exemptions

    General Exemptions:

    General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.

    Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.

    Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.

    Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions.

    Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.

    Specific Exemptions:

    General Conditions:
    1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object.
    2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of alterations that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or object, then the exemption covering such alteration shall cease and the Executive Director shall be notified as soon as possible.
    3. If there is a conservation policy and plan approved by the Executive Director, all works shall be in accordance with it.
    4. Nothing in this declaration prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions.
    5. Nothing in this declaration exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authority where applicable.
    
    Exterior
    * Repairs and maintenance which replace like with like.
    * Demolition or removal of outbuildings and sheds.
    * Repair, removal or replacement of fences and gates.
    * Laying, repair or removal of concrete or bitumen paving.
    * Removal of extraneous items such as air conditioners, pipe work, ducting, wiring, antennae, aerials etc, and making good.
    * Painting of previously painted surfaces provided that preparation or painting does not remove evidence of the original paint or other decorative scheme.
    * Removal or relocation of the HMVS Nelson 32 pounder smooth bore naval guns.
    
    Interior
    * Repairs and maintenance which replace like with like.
    * Painting of previously painted surfaces provided that preparation or painting does not remove evidence of the original paint or other decorative scheme.
    * Installation, removal or replacement of carpets and or flexible floor coverings.
    * Installation, removal or replacement of curtain track, rods, blinds and other window dressings.
    * Installation, removal or replacement of hooks, nails and other devices for the hanging of mirrors, paintings and other wall mounted artworks.
    * Refurbishment of bathrooms and toilets including removal, installation or replacement of sanitary fixtures and associated piping, mirrors, wall and floor coverings.
    * Installation, removal or replacement of kitchen benches and fixtures including sinks, stoves, ovens, refrigerators, dishwashers etc and associated plumbing and wiring.
    * Installation, removal or replacement of ducted, hydronic or concealed radiant type heating provided that the installation does not damage existing skirtings and architraves and provided that the location of the heating unit is concealed from view.
    * Installation, removal or replacement of electrical and telecommunications wiring provided that all new wiring is fully concealed
    * Installation, removal or replacement of bulk insulation in roof spaces.
    * Installation, removal or replacement of smoke detectors.

    Permit Exemption Policy

    RANGER BARRACKS - Permit Exemption Policy

    The main significance of the place lies in its relative intactness as a large timber drill hall. The large internal volume should be retained as should the flanking office spaces although they could be refurbished. In any changes to the two former residences opportunities should be taken to interpret their fomer use.
    
    The two 32 pounder smooth bore guns located near the entrance were originally from the HMVS Nelson and were given to Ballarat by the Victorian Government in 1898. They may have been relocated from the Botanic Gardens where there are another six examples. While they are significant objects in their own right, as naval guns which have never been Commonwealth owned and as relatively recent arrivals, they do not relate in any meaningful way to Ranger Barracks and they could be relocated without affecting the significance of the place.
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