Prefabricated houses
Georges Heights NSW
A series of eight prefabricated houses were constructed at Georges Heights in Sydney shortly after May 1951 as part of the attempt by the Commonwealth Government of Australia to deal with the acute postwar housing crisis. Two houses were photographed for this project
The houses at Georges Heights were built for the Australian Navy and likely to have been manufactured by the Swedish company, Amals Sagverks Aktiebolag. Under the States Grants (Imported Houses) Act of 1950, 14,106 houses were imported by State government authorities and a further 4,176 were imported for the Commonwealth Department of Works and the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority (see: Official Year book of the Commonwealth of Australia, No 43, 1957). Most houses came from England, France, Austria and Sweden.
The two cottages chosen for photography had been least altered of those remaining at Georges Heights. One house had a number of original internal features including the front door, internal doors and handles and most of the kitchen (with built-in and fold-up ironing board), though the cupboards may originally have had a natural timber finish. The external construction and features of another cottage were photographed as they were largely intact.
The houses are on former military land, under management in July 2014 of the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.
Photographer: Brenton McGeachie
Date Photographed: July 2014
Original image format: born digital
Copyright: Courtesy Sydney Harbour Federation Trust. Caroline Simpson Library & Research Collection, Photograph © Brenton McGeachie
Further reading: Scott Robertson, Swedish Prefabricated Houses, Mosman Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, September 2004. Read more.
Documenting NSW homes
Documenting NSW Homes
Recorded for the future: documenting NSW homes
The Caroline Simpson Library has photographically recorded homes since 1989
Published on