Iconic bus shelters added to ACT Heritage Register

Canberra’s unmistakable concrete bus shelters have been added to the ACT Heritage Register.

Designed in 1974 by architect Clem Cummings, around 480 of the shelters were installed across Canberra as part of the city’s expanding public transport network.

Not always loved, in recent years the shelters have become a Canberra icon — even making their way onto screens through the recent television program Austin.

The Cummings family nominated the shelters for their historical, architectural and social significance to the ACT.

“The concrete bus shelters are an enduring part of Canberra’s unique designed landscape, representing the rapid urban growth of the city during the NCDC-period, and the genuine commitment to architectural innovation and good design, fitting for a national capital” says GML Principal and Head of our Canberra office, Rachel Jackson.

“They are also symbolic of everyday function of a city, yet distinctive, functional and now, deeply connected to the city’s identity. It is wonderful they have been recognised through the ACT Heritage registration”.