There's a solid reason why West Aussies are set on this classic, durable building material, but double-brick might not be the home of choice as the climate changes.
Short, but nice article on double brick housing in WA. It'll be interesting to see how the home construction industry here changes in the coming decades.
They are yes. There's a current trend where new builds are emulating the older look with weatherboard appearance. But, it's all modern materials now, and inside they're nothing like the beautiful old girls of the past. Much more liveable though, with all the mod cons.
I just went down a rabbit hole looking at modern Queenslanders, i see what you mean all the internal fret work is gone, just regular houses on the inside, apart from the good views.
But look at this one, i can't even believe they're calling it a Queenslander! Super modern!