Moree Lands Office Historical Building

The Department of Lands - Moree office is of State, Regional and Local cultural significance. The major cultural heritage significance of the Department of Lands - Moree Office lies in its unusual architectural design and detail and in the quality of the surviving fabric. It is a rare example of a Federation Filigree style building constructed in timber and corrugated iron. The design demonstrates in its fabric the ingenuity of the Government Architects Office under the direction of Walter Liberty Vernon, and the effects of the economic depression of the 1890s. it is an early example of the use of scientific principles of air movement and insulation to modify the harsh climate of inland NSW.

The establishment of a Land Board in Moree in 1885 and the subsequent importance of the office to the region led to the construction of a permanent building in 1893-4 to house the growing compliment of staff involved in land administration. The presence of the building confirms the importance of Moree as a centre for the region, and the relatively prominent size and style of the land office indicates the importance given by Government to the Land Board functions and the development of Public architecture in regional NSW.

The building is one of three surviving of similar construction erected in Western NSW. The building is a well known landmark in Moree, and the building together with its setting form part of an important historic townscape within the town. The Department of Lands - Moree has social significance for its association during its early days with Edward Dickens, son of the English novelist Charles Dickens, who worked in the Moree Land Board Office and was buried in the graveyard of the Methodist Church.

The oldest public building left in Moree and the site of the proposed Museum that is being organised by the Historical Society