Rusten House

Rusten House began its life in 1862 as Queanbeyan’s second hospital, the original being a small building on the eastern side of the Queanbeyan River. The new 1860s building was designed by W.H.Downey, Government Architect and built by local tradesmen Daniel Jordon & Gibson, with stone from Simms’ quarry in the Huneysuckle¹, the location of which is currently unknown.

The Hospital and its services were funded by benevolent citizens who formed the Queanbeyan and District Hospital Society in 1846. The society was comprised of many prominent citizens from the region, the Gales, Campbells, Rutledges, Colletts, and Wrights; who had long associations with the hospital and establishment of the region. The Society employed Matron Rusten and her husband to house and care for those poverty stricken inhabitants of the district who fell victims of disease.³

The Hospital Society did not receive any government subsidies until 1865 and this often fluctuated, necessitating fees and charges to be levied on patients and other sources of income from pound fees and Police Court fines⁵. This set in place a century of local fundraising initiatives that the Queanbeyan and district citizens supported through carnivals and balls, to raise much needed funds, even during the depression era. This was also the time in which a new hospital was constructed and Rusten House was converted into nurses’ quarters.

The continued growth of the population in Queanbeyan’s region saw many additions and alterations to the Hospital’s facilities and grounds. In the early 1870s the large pines, oaks and elms were planted on the southern slopes of the site and in 1885 the ‘Fever Ward’ was constructed to the east of the original building as a separate entity to protect patients from highly infectious diseases, which was very helpful during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1919.

The local and regional Aboriginal groups often sought medical assistance from the Rusten House Hospital facility, some traveling long distances on foot and making camp nearby. The building is strongly associated with one of the region’s most respected elders Queen Nellie Hamilton, who passed away in care at the Queanbeyan Hospital on January 1, 1897.  

Rusten House was used as the region’s main hospital up until 1914 when a small eight bed facility was opened in Canberra. However Queanbeyan’s medical services and its newer well-equipped 1933 hospital were still in high demand by the capital’s growing population until a much larger hospital was built to service the ACT in the 1940s.

When Rusten House ceased to be used as a nurses’ quarters, it went on to house a variety of allied health services and at one time Rusty’s Café. Whilst the building had started to decline and had many alterations and additions, it was clearly an important part of Queanbeyan’s history.
In 1988 a permanent conservation order was placed on Rusten House and the original hospital building and its landscape setting was included on the NSW State Heritage Register in 1999.⁶  Many other buildings on the site have come and gone but Rusten House has survived on into the 21^st century to write a new chapter in its history.

Sources

Johnson, A.K. 1946 Queanbeyan District Hospital Centenary Booklet. ^{1,2, 3, 4, 5,}
NSW Dept.of Planning, Industry & Environment – Rusten House Heritage Listing. ⁶
Overall, N. 2019. ‘Coming Back from the Dead’ –  https://anoverallview.wixsite.com/blog
House, M. 2020. Oral history of Aboriginal use of Queanbeyan District Hospital
Image - Queanbeyan Hospital Carte-Devista c.1876 (courtesy of QBN and District Museum Collection)

Gallery opening hours are Wednesday - Saturday, 10am-4pm. Rusten House is staffed during these times, but may briefly close at lunch time if required.

From Sunday - Tuesday, Rusten House is closed, but workshop space is available for hire.

There is limited car parking on site, which includes one accessible parking bay, which is approximately 12 metres from the main door and 11.5 metres from the workshop door. There is ample street parking available on Collett Street during weekends.

For visitors with mobility requirements, ramps are provided for entering the gallery at both the main entrance and our workshop space, and an accessible toilet is available inside the building. We have resting chairs in our Reading Room Gallery, free public Wi-Fi and drinking water available for visitors.

If you have any other specific access requirements, please contact our team on 6285 6356.

28 September – 20 October 2024
Landscape and Memory by Michelle Hiscock – watercolour & gouache

Queanbeyan born artist Michelle Hiscock returns to her roots, for Landscape and Memory  exhibition at Rusten House. Since graduating from the Canberra School of Art, ANU, in 1991, Hiscock has established herself as a prominent Australian artist, best known for her evocative landscapes. Now based in Sydney, Hiscock has lived and exhibited widely in Australia and abroad. She has been a finalist in several prestigious prizes such as the Archibald Prize, Portia Geach Memorial Award, NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize and Gallipoli Art Prize. Hiscock’s exhibition at Rusten House displays ethereal landscapes rendered in watercolour and gouache, evoking mood and light through a range of sepia tones in her compositions.

Opening Event - Saturday 28 September 2-4pm

Michelle Hiscock - The Minim Gate - watercolour on paper, 2017

28 September – 20 October 2024
LOOKS  by Patrick Morison  – portraits on canvas

Morison’s solo exhibition LOOKS reflects his fondness of human forms and faces and bold but limited use of colour. His process involves sketching and layering paint, using a minimal colour palette and abstracted forms to reflect the emotions of his chosen subjects. Morison trained at the Canberra Institute of Art, ANU, graduating in 1989 with a Bachelor of Visual Painting. He has exhibited as part of numerous group and solo exhibitions, showcasing work at Bitumen River Gallery, Solandar Gallery, Graphix Brasserie and Gorman House in Canberra, as well as Queanbean’s Design Plus Gallery. He is also a regular exhibitor in the annual QPRC & Bendigo Bank Art Awards and was the recipient of The Hive Exhibition Award in the 2019 QPRC Regional Arts Awards.

Opening Event - Saturday 28 September 2-4pm

Patrick Morison - Seated nude in homage to Hugh Ramsay, acrylic on canvas, 2024

October 19 & 20 only
Adorable Salvage by  Ralph and Leisa Fox – sculpture

Exclusively, as part of the Arts Trail weekend October 19 – 20, Ralph and Leisa Fox will host a pop-up exhibition under the creative collective Adorable Salvage. The exhibition gives visitors the chance to explore and purchase a range of quirky animal and character sculptures made from repurposed materials such as stainless-steel kitchen elements and other bric-a-brac. Developed during the Covid Lockdowns, the duo has been collecting and recycling items that would otherwise have gone to landfill. Finding shape and beauty in each piece, they have utilised these materials to create original, one-of-a-kind sculptures with bold personalities. Don’t miss the chance to snap up one of these wonderful creations!

Ralph Fox sculpture

31 August – 21 September 2024
Reflections in Blue
Melanie Lenaghan

Melanie Lenaghan is an emerging contemporary artist known for her vibrant landscapes and expressive brushwork. Influenced by Impressionism, her canvases are distinguished by vivid palettes and energetic strokes, bringing natural scenes to life with movement and emotion. Lenaghan’s first solo exhibition Reflections in Blue explores the theme of water through her bold painting style — from the serene stillness of morning dew and puddles after the rain, to the turbulent energy of a stormy sea. Her work brings a fresh, evocative take on the Impressionist tradition, offering powerful, colour-rich interpretations of the world around us.

Image (above): Melanie Lenaghan, Morning Dew, Oil on hardwood ply, 2022.

31 August – 20 October 2024
Postcards from Queanbeyan
Queanbeyan Quilters

Celebrating their 40^th anniversary, the Queanbeyan Quilters are represented by around 50 members who meet regularly to stitch, share ideas and skills, and enjoy an environment of mutual support and encouragement. The exhibition Postcards from Queanbeyan presents a collection of miniature quilts stitched and crafted by their members who were prompted to reflect what Queanbeyan means to them. These postcard quilts showcase a diverse range of quilting styles and techniques from traditional to contemporary, whilst offering a personal and artistic exploration of community and place through the lens of each artist.  

Images: Chris O’Donnell, Quilted postcard front (top) and back (bottom, textile mixed, 2024.

The gallery spaces and workshop are both available for hire.

Exhibitions

Exhibitions run for three week blocks with a week for installation and deinstallation and the hire period is from Wednesday to Saturday.

Cost

• Gallery 1 - Fever Ward Gallery (8.8m x 4.2m) (G1) - $260/week - minimum three week exhibition hire total = $780
• Gallery 2 - Petite Gallery (4.44m x 5.4m) - $130/week - minimum three week exhibition hire total = $390
• Gallery 3 - Reading Room Gallery - by invitation from Manager
• Gallery 4 - The Workshop Gallery - by negotiation with Manager

Workshops

The workshop space is available for meetings, exhibitions, art demonstrations, book launches and more. You can email cultural.services@qprc.nsw.gov.au to find out if we have suitable equipment available and to find out if the space will work for your event.

Cost

• Half day (3 hours) - $52
• Full day (6 hours) - $83
• Weekend - $156

Terms and conditions

• Download the terms and conditions for exhibiting(PDF, 127KB)

Exhibitor Information Kit

• Download the exhibitor exhibitor information kit(PDF, 2MB)

Lodge an exhibition proposal online using the form below