Five Governor Railway Carriages were built at the Eveleigh Carriage Workshops in Sydney between 1891 and 1920 “for the exclusive use of royalty, governors-general, governors, premiers and railway commissioners”(Powerhouse Teacher Notes, 2013, p. 13). The carriage pictured was built in1901, specifically for the newly appointed Governor-General of Australia, the Earl of Hopetoun, John Adrian Louis Hope Hopetoun. It also represents the importance of the railway network at the time of Federation; and the skilled work of artisans in the design and construction of the carriage, which features local timbers and late Victorian decorative arts.