The changing shape of homes in Wagga, from the Victorian era to today, is a story of a people adapting how they lived to cope with a harsh climate, solve health issues, and changes in technology.

It’s a story that involves some towering personalities and striking homes.

In 1910, Wagga Wagga became the first city in NSW outside of Sydney to institute a building code.

The new regulations aimed to address persistent typhoid outbreaks that had plagued the city, calling for better internal ventilation, space between houses, and better sanitation.

The regulations resulted in the spacious suburban layouts and generously-proportioned homes we enjoy today.

In the early years of the 20th century, the Federation style was emerging as the first truly Australian architectural style.

Simultaneously, a proliferation of locally-produced red bricks fueled the popularity of the California Bungalow style, which still dominates Wagga’s older suburbs.

The exhibition surveys some of the key local architects who set the tone for the post-war boom, filling suburbs such as Turvey Park and Lake Albert with diverse and aesthetically-pleasing home designs.

Steve O’Halloran modified architectural styles from the warmer parts of Europe, creating appealing homes that could handle hot local summers, hence the popularity of Spanish mission-style and Romanesque architecture during these years.

Gordon Trafford-Walker channeled the clean modernist lines imported into the country by Harry Seidler, creating striking homes and municipal buildings.

Meanwhile, Jim Tyler adapted the famous “Sydney School” to create split-level homes on hillier land, and pioneering the northern alignments of contemporary eco-houses.

Wagga House: Wagga Home accompanies the Iconic Australian Houses exhibition.

Join us at 7pm on Thursday, September 1 for the opening of both of these exhibitions, with special guest Lindsay Johnson, the founder and convenor of Architecture Foundation Australia.

Attendance is free but RSVP is essential – see museumriverina.com.au.

Historic Council Chambers Site

Botanic Gardens Site