Against the Grain
an exception to the rule. In the 1860s, when land was subdivided for housing, lots were set at seven perches (approx. 177-square-metres) and modest workers’ cottages emerged, cheek-by-jowl. As population escalated, fears for developing slum conditions prompted 1885 legislation increasing lot sizes to 16 perches (approx. 405-square-metres). The ruling precluded the development of terrace housing which is why Brisbane became a city of pavilions – timber and tin cottages – on relatively generous lots. Despite present day densification, Petrie Terrace remains a
