The earliest timber buildings were relatively plain. The Council Chamber, where the councillors regularly met, was at the heart of the building as well as being the most impressive. You can still admire its arched ceiling of native timber and the galleries for the press and public at either end. Something to look out for particularly is the fine tracery on the bay window on the south side.
In 1859, work began on the second group of buildings. The province was better off financially and could afford something more elaborate and spacious. The result was a building of strong Victorian Gothic Revival style.
These first two timber buildings were connected by a long, low-ceilinged corridor, paved with flagstones and still has an atmosphere suggestive of the hushed cloisters of Medieval monks.
