Lorne

23 Albert Street

Either named for one of two local ‘Albert’ notaries of the period (1) Albert Jarratt or (2) Albert Armistead. Though another possibility is (3) Prince Albert, Consort to Queen Victoria. There is no providence that allows certainty.

Wendt Family House

This is the story of the modest house at 23 Albert Street, leading to the creation of many happy family memories.

In 1974 Cyclone Tracey destroyed most of the houses in Darwin. Construction company  A. V. Jennings built a prefabricated house out of steel panels inside and out. They wanted to transport it to Darwin to rebuild. But it became too expensive. The house was sold to Arthur Wendt, a Jennings executive, who then transported it for construction at 23 Albert Street Lorne.

All the panels for the house were transported on semi-trailers to Lorne. The site was very steep, making it difficult to unload, so the panels were thrown off the trucks. The challenge was then to re-assemble the panels without any plans.

Source:

• The One and Only Lorne Community Notice Board Facebook, posting by Colleen Wendt, 23 January 2025