FORMER BANK OF AUSTRALASIA
28 CONNESS STREET CHILTERN, INDIGO SHIRE

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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The former Bank of Australasia, Chiltern, was built in c.1877 to a design by Anketell Henderson, of the Melbourne firm of Reed and Barnes. Anketell had commenced practice as an architect in 1873, and served articles with Reed and Barnes, with whom he completed a number of commissions for the Bank of Australasia. The Bank of Australasia was established in 1835 and the Head Office was constructed in Collins Street, Melbourne, in 1876 to designs by Reed and Barnes. From this date all branches of this bank were designed by this firm or its derivative, A. & K. Henderson, until after 1939. Anketell Henderson had founded the firm of A. & K. Henderson with his son Kingsley in 1906. The Bank of Australasia and the Union Bank amalgamated in 1951 and the Australian and New Zealand Bank was formed.
Chiltern developed as an important mining town after the discovery of gold in 1858. A branch of the Bank of Australasia opened in Chiltern in 1858. This permanent building was finally constructed in Conness Street, on land sold by the Crown in 1861. Chiltern became a municipality in 1862, developing as a commercial centre due to extensive mining activity, which continued into the early-twentieth century in the form of deep-lead mining. By the mid-1860s, there were three banks operating in Chiltern.
The former Bank of Australasia comprises a banking chamber and an attached residence. The single-storey brick building is designed in a conservative classical style with a three-bay facade articulated by a trabeated system of Tuscan pilasters and entablature. The latter contains the original Bank of Australasia sign. Three round-headed openings with prominent keystones are contained within the bays, with the entrance located at one end. A colonnaded parapet with decorative urns originally sat at the top of the facade.
The Chiltern branch of the Bank of Australasia ceased operating in 1943 and the building was sold. It was probably sometime after this that the parapet balustrade and decorative urns were removed from the building. The former bank is currently used as tearooms and for bed-and-breakfast accommodation.
How is it significant?
The former Bank of Australasia, Chiltern, is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant
The former Bank of Australasia, Chiltern, is of architectural significance as an important work of noted Victorian bank architect Anketell Henderson and the from the office of the prolific Melbourne architects, Reed and Barnes, whose work includes many large public, ecclesiastical and institutional buildings. This firm received commissions from a number of banks, and designed all of the Bank of Australasia branches from 1876 to 1939. The branch at Chiltern is a simple example of their conservative classical style.
The former Bank of Australasia is of historical significance due to its links with the history of gold-mining in Victoria and its associated wealth. It also has historical associations with the development of Chiltern as a gold rush town in the nineteenth century. It is one of a small number of commercial buildings remaining from this period of the city’s development and the building is an important element of the streetscape of Conness Street; other buildings include The Star Theatre [H278], the Grapevine Hotel (1866), and the Chiltern Athenaeum and Museum (1866) [H1326]. This street has been used in several feature films, most significantly in Walt Disney’s Ride a Wild Pony (1974).
[Online Data Upgrade Project 2004]
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FORMER BANK OF AUSTRALASIA - History
The former Bank of Australasia was constructed in Chiltern in 1877 to designs by Anketell Henderson of Reed and Barnes. This bank was present in the town from as early as 1858, however this permanent building was finally constructed in Conness Street, on land sold by the Crown in 1861. The branch operated until 1943 when it was closed and became a private residence.
Gold was discovered in the Chiltern area in the early 1850s and the first land sales took place in 1854. Chiltern became a municipality in 1862, developing as a commercial centre due to extensive mining activity which continued into the early twentieth century in the form of deep lead mining. A small number of buildings survive from the 1860s.
The Bank of Australasia was established in 1835 and the Head Office was constructed in Collins Street, Melbourne in 1876 to designs by Reed and Barnes. From this date all branches of this bank were designed by this firm or its derivative, A. & K. Henderson, until after 1939. The Bank of Australasia and the Union Bank amalgamated in 1951 and the Australian and New Zealand Bank was formed.
The draft statement of significance and the above history were produced as part of an Online Data Upgrade Project 2004. Sources were as follows:
H. Sutherland and E. Vines. Chiltern Conservation Study. 1981
B. Trethowan. Banks in Victoria 1851-1939. Melbourne 1976FORMER BANK OF AUSTRALASIA - 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. General Conditions: 2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of works 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 works shall cease and Heritage Victoria shall be notified as soon as possible. Note: All archaeological places have the potential to contain significant sub-surface artefacts and other remains. In most cases it will be necessary to obtain approval from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria before the undertaking any works that have a significant sub-surface component.General Conditions: 3. If there is a conservation policy and planall works shall be in accordance with it. Note:A Conservation Management Plan or a Heritage Action Plan provides guidance for the management of the heritage values associated with the site. It may not be necessary to obtain a heritage permit for certain works specified in the management plan.
General Conditions: 4. Nothing in this determination prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions. General Conditions: 5. Nothing in this determination exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authorities where applicable. Minor Works : Note: Any Minor Works that in the opinion of the Executive Director will not adversely affect the heritage significance of the place may be exempt from the permit requirements of the Heritage Act. A person proposing to undertake minor works must submit a proposal to the Executive Director. If the Executive Director is satisfied that the proposed works will not adversely affect the heritage values of the site, the applicant may be exempted from the requirement to obtain a heritage permit. If an applicant is uncertain whether a heritage permit is required, it is recommended that the permits co-ordinator be contacted.
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STAR THEATREVictorian Heritage Register H0278
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CHILTERN RAILWAY STATION AND GOODS SHEDVictorian Heritage Register H1603
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LAKE VIEWVictorian Heritage Register H0280
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"AMF Officers" ShedMoorabool Shire
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"AQUA PROFONDA" SIGN, FITZROY POOLVictorian Heritage Register H1687
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177 Fenwick StreetYarra City
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19 Cambridge StreetYarra City
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2 Derby StreetYarra City
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