Lytton Quarantine Station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lytton Quarantine Station
Lytton Quarantine Station
Location	160 South Street, Lytton, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Design period	1900 - 1914 (early 20th century)
Built	1913 - c. 1914
Queensland Heritage Register
Official name: Lytton Quarantine Station (former), Customs Reserve, Fort Lytton National Park, Lytton Quarantine Complex and Animal Detention Centre
Type	state heritage (built, archaeological)
Designated	22 September 2000
Reference no.	601347
Significant period	1913-1914 (fabric) 1859, 1889, 1914-1982, 1919 (historical)
Significant components	shed/s, sewage farm/treatment site, machinery/plant/equipment - health/care services, jetty/pier, residential accommodation - staff housing, bathroom/bathhouse, objects (movable) - law/order, immigration, customs, quarantine, tramway, workshop, trees/plantings, yard, drainage, reception area/house, residential accommodation - doctor's house/quarters, chimney/chimney stack, disinfecting room, laundry / wash house, boiler room/boiler house, slab/s - concrete
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The Lytton Quarantine Station is a special historical site in Lytton, Queensland. It was once a place where people and animals arriving in Australia had to stay to make sure they weren't bringing any diseases into the country. It was built between 1913 and 1914.

This station is also known as the Customs Reserve and the Lytton Quarantine Complex and Animal Detention Centre. Today, it is part of the Fort Lytton National Park. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2000 because of its important history.

A Place to Stop Sickness: The History of Lytton Quarantine Station

The Lytton Quarantine Station was built from 1913 to 1914. Its main job was to house new arrivals and anyone who might be carrying a disease. This was to protect the general population.

Early Quarantine in Moreton Bay

Before Lytton, other places in Moreton Bay were used for quarantine.

• In 1844, a station was set up at Dunwich on Stradbroke Island.
• Later, from 1874 to 1915, Peel Island was Brisbane's main human quarantine station.

The Lytton area itself had a long history of different uses. It was a customs reserve (where goods coming into the country were checked) and an animal quarantine facility before the human station was built.

Lytton's Role as a Customs Hub

The Lytton area became important for checking ships and goods in the 1840s and 1850s. In 1857, the government decided to build a customs station there. A "Tide Surveyor" was stationed at Lytton from 1859. Their job was to board ships and make sure no one was trying to avoid paying taxes on goods.

After Queensland became a separate colony in 1859, Lytton continued to be the main customs entry point for the Port of Moreton Bay. Police officers who also worked for customs were based there. They even acted as health officers, checking all ships for sickness.

Many buildings were built for the customs station, including:

• A customs station (1858-59)
• An electric telegraph station (1861)
• Houses for pilots and boatmen (1862-1872)
• A health officer's house (1865)
• The Lytton Wharf (1866)

In 1868, Sir George Bowen, the Governor, officially named Lytton as Brisbane's port. Later, in 1877, Fort Lytton was built nearby to protect the Brisbane River.

Animal Quarantine and Federal Control

In 1889, a small area at Lytton was set aside for quarantining animals. This was to stop diseases from imported animals. By 1890, there was a cottage, stables, and a feed room. Dog kennels were added in 1893.

When Australia became a country in 1901, quarantine became the responsibility of the new federal government. Dr. John Simeon Colebrook Elkington was a key figure in setting up Queensland's public health system. He later joined the federal health service and helped establish the Lytton Quarantine Station.

Building the Human Quarantine Station

The Lytton site was chosen for a human quarantine station because the river channel had been made wider and deeper in 1911. This meant large ocean ships could now reach Brisbane.

Construction of the Lytton Quarantine Station began in 1913. It included:

• An administration building
• An isolation hospital
• An observation block
• Quarters for staff and domestic workers
• Stores

In 1914, a laundry, meat store, and incinerator shed were added. A tram line was also built from the jetty to the reception house. This helped move sick passengers and luggage.

The buildings were made of timber with corrugated iron roofs. They were raised on concrete stumps. The station had separate areas for first, second, and third-class passengers, just like on ships. Some areas were even protected from mosquitoes.

The Spanish Flu and Beyond

The Spanish Influenza outbreak in 1919, after World War I, was delayed in Brisbane. This was because strict quarantine measures were put in place at Lytton for returning soldiers.

By 1928, the Lytton Quarantine Station had grown. Health authorities would meet ships at the river mouth. People and goods suspected of carrying disease were brought to Lytton for cleaning and isolation.

The station had a permanent staff. They disinfected luggage and materials using steam and special gases. There was also a bathing block and separate accommodation for different groups of people, sometimes in tents. A cemetery was located within the grounds.

The Lytton facility served as a human quarantine station until the early 1980s. After that, it became an animal quarantine station again, called the Lytton Quarantine Complex and Animal Detention Centre.

The Station Today

The Lytton facility closed completely by the late 1980s. In 1988, parts of the site, including the jetty, were taken over by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. This was linked to the nearby Fort Lytton, which became an Historic National Park in 1990.

The building now used as the administration centre for Fort Lytton was once the doctor's quarters at the quarantine station. It was moved to its current spot around 1982. In 1999, this part of the former Lytton Quarantine Station became part of Fort Lytton National Park.

What You Can See at Lytton Quarantine Station Today

The Lytton Quarantine Station is on flat land next to Fort Lytton, at the mouth of the Brisbane River. Many original structures and elements can still be seen today.

Jetty

The jetty is made of timber planks and supported by wooden poles. It was built during the earliest phase of the quarantine station in the 1910s. This is where ships would dock and passengers would disembark.

Tram/Trolley Bridge Foundations

You can see concrete footings that were once part of a tram or trolley bridge. These led from the Reception House towards the jetty. This tram line was used to move sick passengers, luggage, and supplies.

Bath House

The bath house is a large timber building with a corrugated iron roof. It sits on a concrete slab. While the shower fittings are gone, you can still see the original layout inside. There's even an observation post at one end. This building was used for bathing passengers after they arrived.

Boiler House

The boiler house is a tall brick building with a large chimney. It still has its original boilers and fittings inside. This building provided steam for disinfecting and other operations at the station.

Fuel Shed

Next to the boiler house is a small, timber fuel shed. It has a low-pitched corrugated iron roof.

Disinfecting Block

The disinfecting block is a large timber building with a corrugated iron roof. It rests on a concrete slab. Inside, you can still see the original autoclave (a machine for steam disinfection) and trolleys. Tram lines run out of the building towards the jetty. This is where luggage and materials were cleaned to kill germs.

Laundry Block

The laundry block is a timber building with a gabled corrugated iron roof. It sits on a concrete slab. It has a verandah and some original doors and windows. This building was used for washing clothes and linens from the station.

Enclosed Laundry Yard

Next to the laundry block is an enclosed yard. It has concrete walls and metal posts. You can see wooden posts that likely held clotheslines. There's also an old inspection hatch with "Harvey & Son" written on it. This yard was part of the laundry area.

Two Launchmen's Cottages

There are two timber cottages that were once home to the launchmen. These were the people who operated the boats that met incoming ships. They are located along the eastern side of the park area.

Doctor's Quarters

The doctor's quarters is now a two-storey building. It serves as the administration centre for Fort Lytton National Park. This building was originally a single-storey timber house. It was moved from another spot on the site and raised to create a ground floor.

Workshop

The workshop is a small brick building with a corrugated iron roof. It's now used for machinery storage. It likely dates back to 1918.

Sewerage Treatment Plant

At the far southwest of the site, there's a small, old concrete sewerage treatment facility. It has a central wire mesh cage filled with rocks, which was probably used for filtering waste.

Grounds and Surrounds

Most of the area is grassed. There are some mature trees at the southern end that were part of the original quarantine station. While some buildings have been removed, the remaining ones and their locations still show how the station was laid out.

Why Lytton Quarantine Station is Important

The Lytton Quarantine Station was added to the Queensland Heritage Register because it is very important to Queensland's history.

• Shows how Queensland's history changed: It shows how the Lytton area developed, from a customs post to an animal and then human quarantine station. It also shows how people's ideas about controlling diseases changed over time.
• A rare and special place: Even though some buildings are gone, the site still has rare evidence of early 20th-century Australian quarantine stations.
• Helps us learn about the past: The site has the potential to reveal more historical information, especially about the burial ground for those who died at the station.
• A great example of a quarantine station: The remaining buildings are mostly intact. They show what a marine quarantine station from the early 1900s looked like. Lytton was the first and largest of three such stations built in Queensland by the federal government.
• It looks interesting: The buildings and structures help us imagine what it was like to go through the quarantine process as an immigrant.
• Important to many people: The station has a strong connection to the many immigrants who arrived in Queensland over nearly 70 years. Being quarantined at Lytton was often their first experience in Australia.
• Connected to an important person: The station is linked to Dr. JSC Elkington. He was very important in setting up Queensland's public health system and became an expert on quarantine in Australia.

See also

• List of tramways in Queensland

Images for kids

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  Tents erected at the Lytton Quarantine Camp, 1919

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  Bath House at Lytton Quarantine Station

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  Laundry Block at Lytton Quarantine Station

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  Launchmen's cottages at Lytton Quarantine Station

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  Doctor's Quarters Block at Lytton Quarantine Station