This place is a memorable element of the Laurel Avenue streetscape, presenting as a large, Federation era house with prominent gable and sweeping verandahs, a big pitched metal roof and chimney, set well back behind an established garden and enhanced with mature fig trees in the street, flanking the entrance path.

The entrance path divides around a large circular garden bed before leading to the front stairs beside the prominent verandah gable.
The front section of the house consists of formal rooms, along the lines of former drawing and dining rooms, a sitting room and lounge.
A bay-fronted room is positioned behind the front gable and is of the same width, projecting a metre or so across the front verandah.
The front verandah turns around this room forming the southern edge of the house.
Immediately to the northern side of this front formal room is the entrance hall, and to the north of this again are two rooms back to back around a double-sided fireplace.
The position of this fireplace is conveyed by the chimney in the views of the building from the front.
The verandah turns around this pair of rooms, forming what was the northern side of the original house.
The verandah edge details are still intact along this northern side verandah, indicating that c. 1941 northern addition to the original house was built immediately adjacent to the original house rather than cut into it.

The entrance hall leads to a north-south connecting hall with a formal room at its southern end.
This formal room is identified by its own gable on the southern side of the house and a projecting bay window.
The connecting hall runs past what is now a bar and leads to the stairs connecting the lower and upper floors of the c. 1941 northern addition to the original house.

The next layer of rooms consists of an institutional dining room and kitchen connected via an original rear verandah to a toilet and shower room wing.
Three storerooms/offices in an enclosed verandah exist opposite the toilets/shower rooms.
These rooms appear original.
As this amenities wing has an external chimney on its rear wall it is likely that this was the original kitchen/servants' wing.
The main building is connected via an elevated covered walkway to the dormitory building running along what is now the rear boundary of the property.

The dormitory building consists of front and rear verandahs, in various degrees of enclosure, and internally is planned around a central corridor accessing small, simple bedrooms and shared amenities rooms.
It is highset with a largely open undercroft, and some simply enclosed rooms which could serve as store rooms or workshops.

The c. 1941 addition to the north of the old house is of two storeys.
The upper floor consists of a lecture room to the front, a covered verandah space in the middle and two office rooms to the rear.
The lower floor has two rooms to either side of the central covered space.
A staircase connects both central verandahs and another stair connects the addition to the original building.

Internally, the joinery and fittings in the c. 1900 house are of good quality, consistent with the Federation era styling of the exterior, without being excessively lavish.
Skirtings and architraves in particular are simple but generously proportioned.
It is possible that some of the joinery and moldings currently painted were originally clear finished red cedar, or similar, which if re-instated would increase the visual richness of the interiors considerably.
The walls and ceilings generally are lined with painted, tongue-and-groove, vertically-jointed timber, with either elaborate ceiling roses or coffers, bay windows, or decorative fireplaces used to elevate the character of the formal rooms.
More simply treated rooms such as bedrooms and service rooms have been largely removed or remodelled.
The later additions are altogether more pragmatic and possibly more altered to suit changing needs than the original sections of the building.
The internal linings in the two storeyed c. 1941 addition and the c. 1941 dormitory building are generally a
This place is a memorable element of the Laurel Avenue streetscape, presenting as a large, Federation era house with prominent gable and sweeping verandahs, a big pitched metal roof and chimney, set well back behind an established garden and enhanced with mature fig trees in the street, flanking the entrance path.
The entrance path divides around a large circular garden bed before leading to the front stairs beside the prominent verandah gable. The front section of the house consists of formal rooms, along the lines of former drawing and dining rooms, a sitting room and lounge. A bay-fronted room is positioned behind the front gable and is of the same width, projecting a metre or so across the front verandah. The front verandah turns around this room forming the southern edge of the house. Immediately to the northern side of this front formal room is the entrance hall, and to the north of this again are two rooms back to back around a double-sided fireplace. The position of this fireplace is conveyed by the chimney in the views of the building from the front. The verandah turns around this pair of rooms, forming what was the northern side of the original house. The verandah edge details are still intact along this northern side verandah, indicating that c. 1941 northern addition to the original house was built immediately adjacent to the original house rather than cut into it.
The entrance hall leads to a north-south connecting hall with a formal room at its southern end. This formal room is identified by its own gable on the southern side of the house and a projecting bay window. The connecting hall runs past what is now a bar and leads to the stairs connecting the lower and upper floors of the c. 1941 northern addition to the original house.
The next layer of rooms consists of an institutional dining room and kitchen connected via an original rear verandah to a toilet and shower room wing. Three storerooms/offices in an enclosed verandah exist opposite the toilets/shower rooms. These rooms appear original. As this amenities wing has an external chimney on its rear wall it is likely that this was the original kitchen/servants' wing. The main building is connected via an elevated covered walkway to the dormitory building running along what is now the rear boundary of the property.
The dormitory building consists of front and rear verandahs, in various degrees of enclosure, and internally is planned around a central corridor accessing small, simple bedrooms and shared amenities rooms. It is highset with a largely open undercroft, and some simply enclosed rooms which could serve as store rooms or workshops.
The c. 1941 addition to the north of the old house is of two storeys. The upper floor consists of a lecture room to the front, a covered verandah space in the middle and two office rooms to the rear. The lower floor has two rooms to either side of the central covered space. A staircase connects both central verandahs and another stair connects the addition to the original building.
Internally, the joinery and fittings in the c. 1900 house are of good quality, consistent with the Federation era styling of the exterior, without being excessively lavish. Skirtings and architraves in particular are simple but generously proportioned. It is possible that some of the joinery and moldings currently painted were originally clear finished red cedar, or similar, which if re-instated would increase the visual richness of the interiors considerably. The walls and ceilings generally are lined with painted, tongue-and-groove, vertically-jointed timber, with either elaborate ceiling roses or coffers, bay windows, or decorative fireplaces used to elevate the character of the formal rooms. More simply treated rooms such as bedrooms and service rooms have been largely removed or remodelled. The later additions are altogether more pragmatic and possibly more altered to suit changing needs than the original sections of the building. The internal linings in the two storeyed c. 1941 addition and the c. 1941 dormitory building are generally a
Chelmer Police College