Oceania House

This is a two-story house of approximately 550 square metres (5,900 sq ft) in the older part and approximately 380 square metres (4,100 sq ft) in a recent weatherboard clad addition on the south side. Construction is cavity walls of cream brick imported from Scotland, with a corrugated iron roof. The main two store portion is almost square, with the elevations relieved by projecting corner bays; it is almost surrounded by a bull nose veranda on can feed timber posts (this replaced a former straight pitched veranda on iron pipe columns, presumably as part of the 1980–1981 renovations). Externally the building is generally austere and makes little reference to any orthodox architectural style of the time, perhaps due to the owner's isolation from the Australian mainstream and/or because of later alterations; however there is a modest Federation style influence in the projecting corner bays and the multi-paned windows with small pane toplights. Many of the openings have proportions unusual for the early twentieth century and may be the result of later alteration. The interiors were extensively renovated in 1980–1981. Brick internal walls were panelled in teak and the original bastard teak staircase was replaced with a modern design in West Australian jarrah. At this time a tower was removed. There is a single story brick wing with hipped corrugated iron roof on the east side and a large weatherboard clad two storey wing (apparently about twenty years old) on the south side. In recent years the house has been used as tourist accommodation.[1]

This was built in the early twentieth century as the Clunies-Ross estate office. It was later used as the school house and is now used for storage and tourist accommodation. It is a two-storey building of brick in an unusual decorative bond similar to Flemish bond but apparently using narrow brickbats in place of headers. The gabled roof is of corrugated iron without gutters, with sheet cladding to the gable ends. There is a simple two storey timber verandah on the north side and traces of a former two storey verandah on the south side. On the south side a row of ground floor doors and two pairs of upper French doors, have been partly bricked up to make windows. The ground floor is used for storage and the upper floor has been refurbished for use as tourist units with self-contained bathrooms.[1]

Located next to the Old School House on its west side, this is a long single storey gabled brick building apparently about sixty to eighty years old. It has a concrete floor and a metal roof. It is now disused.[1]

Situated immediately east of the Old School House, this is a simple rectangular building apparently about thirty years old, consisting of concrete stumps, timber frame and floor, asbestos cement sheet cladding and metal roof. It is used for storage.

This is located some distance towards the northern boundary of the fenced and walled Oceania House part of the lot. It is a simple rectangular building apparently about ten to fifteen years old, with timber frame, concrete floor, fibrous sheet cladding and aluminium decramastic on top of the roof.[1]

Much of the grounds has been landscaped and planted with a wide range of tropical and temperate plants and trees:[1]

• There are fresh water wells and rich soil brought from Christmas Island; other parts preserve indigenous vegetation including large ironwood trees;
• There are a number of bores in varying states of repair;
• A rainwater tank of approximately 220 imperial gallons (1,000 L; 260 US gal);
• A large brick bird loft which appears to be less than ten years old;
• A concrete or stone edged drive leading from the north-west corner of the Oceania House part of the property to the house.;
• A Celtic Cross marks the graves of several members of the Clunies-Ross family
• Remains of wall: this was built in about 1870 to protect the family from Javanese labourers It appears to have several different builds, typically of English bond brick 34 centimetres (13.5 in) thick with plain coping; but parts have decorative rendered coping; parts are badly fretted or collapsed while about a quarter of it has completely disappeared or is visible only from ground level traces.

The library of Oceania House contains many valuable books and estate records, including births, deaths and marriages records. The original wooden plaque commemorating the 1857 annexation of the Territory by Great Britain, as well as bronze busts of the first four Clunies-Ross kings of Cocos, are in the house. (1988 information).[1]

The Bungalow part of the property has the following features:[1]

1. The bungalow: this was built as a manager's house and appears to be about twenty-five to thirty years old. It is a simple timber-framed building with fibrous sheet external cladding, hardboard internal linings, concrete floors and corrugated asbestos roof;
2. Powerhouse: the building is ten to fifteen years old and is built of cream brick in stretcher bond with draped brick sills, corrugated iron roof and fibrous sheet gable fascia;
3. Outbuildings: between and near the Bungalow and the powerhouse there are three simple sheds, apparently about fifteen to twenty-five years old, of timber-frame construction with fibrous sheet cladding;
4. Grounds: there are several bores, two rainwater tanks and a small sandbag jetty opposite the bungalow.

Oceania House is in generally good condition, but the records in the library are at risk of damage from dust, dirt, mould and humidity. The brick outbuildings are in fair condition showing rising damp. The Bungalow and other outbuildings are in generally fair to good condition. The boundary wall is in fair to poor condition, with parts collapsed or badly fretted. Some of the moveable heritage has been removed from the house.[1]

• Allom Lovell Marquis-Kyle Pty Ltd (1996). Cocos (Keeling) Islands Heritage Study. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• Valuation report. August 1990. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• Australian Encyclopedia

This Wikipedia article was originally based on Oceania House and Surrounds, entry number 105236 in the Australian Heritage Database published by the Commonwealth of Australia 2019 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 15 May 2019.