Roofs provided a fundamental form of shelter and, by the mid-1890s, were constructed almost solely of galvanised iron (or, as it is colloquially known, "tin").

Apart from the verandah, the most visible component of a tropical house is its roof, as demonstrated by this Brisbane house.




In the Australian tropical house, the dominant feature is the roof, which is basically a pyramidal core shape surrounded by a perimeter verandah. It is perched like a digger's hat, casting welcome shade on everything below it.

The verandah roof had its own character, often dropped below the main roof, either straight iron or gracefully curved near the edges.




In addition to the pyramid, there are at least three other forms—namely the modified pyramid, the straight gable and the multiple gable. Some buildings went beyond the basic, experimenting freely with highly ornate shapes.

Some of the early, simple roof forms were—with prosperity—replaced by the more elaborate, straight gable and multiple gable roofs.

Text from: Balwant Saini and Ray Joyce, The Australian House: Homes of the Tropical North. Landsdown Publishing, Ltd, (Sydney), 1982.