Queenslander

Historically our houses were made of light weight timber, held off the ground on timber stumps with a verandah at the front (in suburbia where space was at a premium) or on all four sides.

This one was a typical plan form, a corridor up the middle, and two rooms on each side of it.  After World War 2 the population boom saw most enclose their verandahs with glass or asbestos cement louvres to create "sleep-outs" or sleeping verandahs.    

Landscaping in most back yards was confined to grass, with a vegetable patch and a "chook" run (where the laying hens resided).

There is a bit of a myth about how cleverly built for climate these places were, but with no cross ventilation or insulation rest assured they didn't provide the respite from the extremes that legend has would have us believe.

Eumundi
© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia