A variety of roof forms, porches and chimneys were used for the

brick duplexes, to avoid visual monotony. Roofs are a combination

of gables and hips with wide eaves, balanced by the vertical lines of

broad rectangular brick chimneys. Original porch types include those

with a flat concrete hood supported on metal pipes only or with a

‘hit-and-miss’ brick wall, a recessed porch with a ‘hit-and-miss’ brick

wall, and a front porch beneath the roofline supported by a timber

post. The houses had built-in brick planter boxes below their front

and side windows.

As the war progressed, shortages of materials and labour worsened.

For this reason, the final 50 houses built were of reinforced concrete,

using a patented pre-fabrication method developed by surveyor

T.W. Fowler. The concrete houses have a high hipped roof and a

lower projecting hip on one side of the façade. The houses did not

originally have verandahs, though a brick and timber pergola was

added over the entrance of several of them early on.

These specific guidelines form Part 2 of the

These Guidelines apply to heritage properties

within the Commonwealth Munitions Housing Estate in Sunshine.

These properties are identified as ‘contributory’ on the precinct map

below. The guidelines are intended to encourage and support the

conservation of the historic character of the Estate by providing

additional information that builds upon the General Guidelines

provided in Part 1.

The following information about the significance of this precinct is

drawn from the

2007. Please refer to that study for more information

about the historic development of the Estate.

The Commonwealth Munitions Housing Estate was part of a Federal

Government-initiated housing scheme for munitions workers in

the Maribyrnong-Footscray area. This area contained the largest

concentration of defence production establishments in the whole of

Australia when World War Two began.

The estate, of 1941-2, is one of the first major Commonwealth

housing estates to be built and was one of the few large-scale

housing schemes undertaken in Victoria during World War Two.

It was constructed by the Housing Commission of Victoria,

and overseen by architect Marcus Barlow (who designed the

Manchester Unity Building in Melbourne). The estate demonstrates

the co-ordinated State and Commonwealth wartime effort on the

home front to build up defence production capabilities during a

period of national emergency.

The estate is an unusual example of planned suburban

development which reflects Garden City principles. The design

and layout of the housing can be seen as a continuation of the

historical precedent established in McKay’s Sunshine estates of

the early 20th century. The consistent approach to housing types,

setbacks and fences have produced a harmonious and integrated

residential environment, which is visually distinctive in Sunshine

and Brimbank.

There are two house types in the precinct: brick duplexes and

freestanding concrete houses, all of which are single-storey and

set back behind a front lawn. While similar house types from other

Housing Commission estates were used, the munitions-industry

workers were well paid and could afford higher rents, so the houses

were of a superior type.

The estate’s low front fences created a feeling of spaciousness

and openness in accordance with what is known as ‘Garden City’

planning. Some of the brick duplexes originally did not have a front

fence at all.

The brick duplexes with a fence around the front yard had low

clinker brick walls (6 courses high), with higher piers flanking chain

link pedestrian and vehicle gates. Originally, a pair of duplexes

would have shared a continuous, identical fence. Some of the brick

duplexes may have had pipe and chain link fences, like those in

front of the concrete houses.

All concrete houses originally had low (600 mm) metal pipe and

chain link fences to the front and sides of the front garden. They

were popular at the time thanks to their clean, modern lines. These

fences had matching pedestrian and vehicle gates. When a greater

sense of enclosure was desired, pruned hedges were planted

behind the front fence.

Original fences should be retained and repaired where possible.

New fences for brick houses at the front and side of front yards should

be brick (6 courses with higher piers), or none at all.

Low clinker brick walls and hedges in front of brick duplexes

(Brimbank City Council, 2009)

New fences for concrete houses to the front yard should be low

(600 mm) metal pipe and chain link.

The duplexes in the estate were originally constructed of either

red face brick or clinker (overburnt) brick. They were paired with

multi-toned unglazed Marseilles tiles on the roof. Concrete elements

included window lintels and porch roofs. The single-pane sash

windows and the eaves lining were timber. The solid front doors

were made of vertical boards.

The concrete houses were originally constructed with high hipped

roofs covered in unglazed Marseille tiles, wide eaves lined in fibro

sheeting, and two narrow red-brick chimneys. The concrete walls

were finished in render with a coloured, textured finish. Houses had

a brick planter box beside the front steps. The solid front doors were

made of vertical boards, with a screen door (only the upper part

screened). Windows were sliding with horizontal glazing bars and

an internal sliding screen.

Part of a gable-roofed brick duplex (Brimbank City Council, 2009)

Original face brick and unpainted rendered surfaces should not be

painted over, newly rendered or re-rendered.

External repainting to concrete should be undertaken in pale

colours, using a matt or slightly textured paint.

Original materials should be retained and repaired, where necessary,

instead of replaced. Replacement (if necessitated by poor condition)

or restoration of original joinery elements, such as windows and

doors, should be identical to the original in form and material.

Low pipe and chain link fence

and pedestrian gate to a

concrete house

(Brimbank City Council, 2009)

Sliding timber windows

of a concrete house

(Brimbank City

Council, 2009)

BRIMBANK HERITAGE DESIGN GUIDELINES PART 2

HO19 – Commonwealth Munitions Housing Area, Sunshine

Both types of houses would have had quadrant-profile gutters and

round metal downpipes originally.

Replacement gutters should be quadrant profile, and downpipes

should have a round profile. Both should be metal.

Marseille roofing tiles should be retained, or replaced where

necessary.

For appropriate colours schemes for 1940s houses, see the General

Guidelines.

The houses and duplexes did not

originally have carports or garages.

Original driveways took the form of

two concrete or gravel tracks with a

grass median strip and grass along

the fence line.

Double concrete track driveway and

garden path (Brimbank City Council, 2009

Car parking structures (carports

and garages) should be as

unobtrusive as possible, preferably

situated behind the house.

Double-track concrete driveways

should be retained where they

survive, or reinstated if possible.

Some streets in the estate are curved. A recreation area for

community use was created as an original part of the estate on

Lowe Crescent. Elms and Ash trees were used in the reserve and

along nature strips and now form an important part of the character

of the area. All roadways, kerbs, footpaths, vehicle crossovers,

driveways and garden paths were originally untinted concrete,

providing a unifying aspect to the streetscape.

Conserve or reinstate original concrete roadways, kerbs, footpaths,

and vehicle crossovers and use similar materials for repair or

replacement of these elements.

Undertake regular maintenance of street trees to ensure that they

survive in accordance with their normally expected lifespan.

When trees require replacement, use the same or similar species.

Ensure that any future development or changes in immediate

environmental conditions, adjacent to trees does not have a

detrimental impact upon the integrity and condition of the trees.

Aerial view of the estate, showing the concrete-paved roads and the reserve on

Lowe Crescent (University of Melbourne, 1945)

A concrete single-family home (Brimbank City Council, 2009)