Wharf Area - Shower Block

Aboriginal
Heritage

History
Immigration

Buildings
in 1999

Carvings
on site

Residents
in the past

Natural
Environment

Conservation
Plan

Wharf area

Hospital area

Asiatic

3rd Class area

2nd Class area

1st Class area

Staff  buildings

Facilities

Luggage Store

Fumigation rooms

Steam Cleaning

Shower Block

Power and Laundry

Passengers from a quarantined ship all had to have a shower in water containing Phenol - which is an antiseptic. Phenol is carbolic acid and it burned the skin and made it itch.

There is a peep hole in the wall of each shower so that the officials could look in and make sure the person was showering properly.

There are 3 sections to each shower. The passenger would go into the first part, take off all their clothes then go into the middle section to shower. Then they would step into the third section and find their steam-cleaned clothes.

Unfortunately, steamcleaning made natural fibres shrink so very often, the clothes were too small.

Inside the showers
Photo by J.Bennett

Luggage Store

Fumigation rooms

Steam Cleaning

Shower Block

Power and Laundry