'Icon of our history': Canberra bus shelters added to heritage register

More than five decades since they were installed, Canberra's bus shelters have been added to the ACT Heritage Register. The concrete structures were designed in 1974 by architect Clem Cummings, with about 480 erected across the city. The Cummings family nominated the shelters to recognise their historical, design and community significance. Canberra's concrete bus shelters have been added to the ACT Heritage Register. The distinctive cream and orange structures were designed by architect Clem Cummings in 1974, and installed in 1975. About 480 were eventually erected across the city as part of the rapid expansion of Canberra's public transport network. ACT Heritage Council chair Catherine Skippington said more than 400 shelters remained in use. "I'm not sure if everyone loved them in the late 70s, but they've certainly become a really important icon and loved part of Canberra now," Ms Skippington said. When they were first introduced, letters to the Canberra Times described the new shelters as "concrete monstrosities" and likened them to "orange-spotted fungi". The modest, modular bus stops have since been noted for their brutalist architectural style and functionality. "They're relocatable, so Transport Canberra shifts them around to new suburbs and new areas where demand requires," Ms Skippington said. "That makes everyone in Canberra and the ACT feel included in this significant icon of our history." The heritage nomination was made by the Cummings family, who sought formal recognition of the shelters' historical, design, and community significance. Clem Cummings's grandson, Nicholas Eccles, said his family felt a "great sense of pride" for the architect's enduring legacy. "It's an extraordinary work and shaped Canberra," Mr Eccles said. The shelters have become synonymous with the city, and are emblazoned across Canberra merchandise and artworks. "The notoriety of them is far beyond anything I think any of us might have expected, but it is just so lovely," Mr Eccles said. "One of my very favourite things to do is to share it with my son, and he understands who his great-grandfather was and his contribution to bus shelters." Ms Skippington said the addition of the neighbourhood landmarks on the heritage register did not change their use, management or maintenance arrangements. "We expect that collection to be continued to be maintained [by Transport Canberra] and used as it is, shifted as need be, repaired as need be," she said. "They've been here for the long haul, and hopefully for a much further future."