Queenslanders

The climate in and around Brisbane is sub tropical, the winters, about May through September are dry and cooler with a lot of sunshine. Summer, about December through March, is hot, humid and the wet season, including cyclones. Queenslander architecture started about 1840 in Queensland. Which is one of the states of Australia, this style of house can be found in other parts of Australia, but is very common in and around Brisbane. The house is built on posts. The posts serve several purposes. It is easier to have a level platform on which to build. Houses can be moved easier, it is easier to control pests (like termites), better for the flooding and torrential rains and last but not least air flowing under and around the house keeps it cooler. Some people put slats around the bottom for a decorative effect. Some have built underneath, providing more space for living. Back in the beginning one of the main features was always a large veranda, some of these homes are large and beautiful. Some just have a small porch. They are all built of timber and usually have tin roofs so the rain runs easily off. As we travel Brisbane we have seen many that look like haunted houses, people live in them but the upkeep is so expensive that they can't maintain them and then there are some gorgeous homes, with large verandas, detail work, well maintained, there is an interest in preserving this style. They are unique.

This week we had  a cyclonic storm. It came in fast and furious. We were at the mission office when it struck, the noise was deafening from the hail hitting the roof and windows. In our ward one house had 16 windows broken. The temple also had some windows broken. We were fine, but our car now has dimples all over from the hail stones. There was a lot of damage from uprooted trees falling on houses and cars, a lot of power outages. The storm was short lived but left a lot of damage. Most of the debri is cleaned up and the sun is shinning, the heat and humidity are climbing. Summer is here.