Heritage Overlay review - towards implementation

Why is this so important? In a Heritage Overlay area, a permit is required to demolish a dwelling. Without this protection, Council has no ability to refuse the demolition - unless the dwelling is significant in its own right. Council has written to affected property owners to let them know of the preparation of  Amendment C89 to the Port Phillip Planning Scheme. The amendment is about implementating the Review of Heritage Overlay 1 Port Melbourne - Outcomes and Recommendations (Lovell Chen, 2011). If you, or anyone you know, has received this letter and don't understand it or want further clarification, please don't hesitate to ring or email the contacts provided on the bottom of the letter. The Review's purpose was 'to ensure the continued relevance and comprehensiveness of the Heritage Overlay controls in Port Melbourne'. [p1] A tiny snippet from the Review: 'HO1 is ... important for its ability to demonstrate the layout and subdivision patterns of the suburb as a whole, including referencing the specific topographical and other constraints which shaped its development. Development was for many years confined to the area between the Lagoon in the east and the railway line in the west. In summary, it is the diversity of the area which is also one of its key attributes and strengths.'[p24] The amendment also proposes tree controls for the Railway Reserves and Edwards Park.

New heritage website

You can now access hugely more of the City of Port Phillip's heritage collection from the fantastic new heritage website. Just by way of example - previous exhibitions such as Beginnings of the Borough are now available on the website as an e-book. [I've found the e-books take a little getting used to but well worth it.] More material and resources will be added. I'll put the heritage website in the links section of Port Focus and bring you snippets from time to time. Enjoy your exploration!

Amazing Stories: Inventions and Innovation at Port Melbourne Football Club next Sunday

There will be amazing stories displayed in the social rooms of the PMFC for the National Trust Heritage Festival. You may be surprised to learn that numbered guernseys were an innovation of the PMFC. Club historian Terry Keenan explains: "Although it might be imagined that numbered guernseys were introduced by the club to assist spectators to identify players, in fact, they were introduced to prevent thieves stealing the guernseys of Port Melbourne players. In March 1905 ... it was announced that 'an unknown donor had presented the club with 18 new guernseys ... numbered 1 to 18 on the breast.' The innovation was described as 'distinctly novel'. It would, said the Standard, 'allow each player to have his own uniform and each Saturday 'play in a clean and presentable condition." Kicking into the Wind: A history of the formative years of the Port Melbourne Football Club 1874 - 1917, p94 Enter the PMFC on Williamstown Road [opposite Raglan St] 10.30 to 3.30 on Sunday 22nd

Remembering Captain Albert Jacka VC who died on 17 January 1932

Albert Jacka was the first Australian to be awarded the Victoria Cross in World War 1. Descendants of Albert Jacka [pictured here] and of the 14th Battalion, as well as people interested in his life, gathered today at St Kilda Cemetery to commemorate his life and service. Jacka returned to Australia at Port Melbourne on board the SS Euripides on 20 October 1919. The Advertiser reported that 'the people pelted Captain Jacka with flowers, swarmed over his motor car, breaking the hood and rendering the springs so flat that the wheels jammed against the mudguards and the car could not be moved.* Such was the public admiration for the man. Jacka later became a councillor of St Kilda and was mayor in 1930. Ponder photographs of Jacka online here. *The Advertiser, Tuesday 21 October, 1919

'A difficult and poor place'

This is how former Supreme Court Judge Frank Vincent described Port Melbourne in the early thirties when he was growing up here. He learnt 'what it is, and what it means to have to struggle'. In commemorating the life of Alan Whittaker, waterside worker shot by police in 1928, he pointed to the contemporary relevance of his story. Whenever a group of people is de-personalised and de-humanised as the waterside workers were at that time be alert to the abuse of power. 'This place, these people and this history' have deeply influenced his personal and professional life. I had to shut my eyes to imagine that past described as a luxury boat made its way into Waterfront Place.

Protecting more of Port's heritage

Monday's Council meeting, to be held in the Port Council chamber from 6pm, is important for Port Melbourne. Over the past few months, Council has been reviewing Heritage Overlay 1 - the heritage overlay that covers a large part of Port Melbourne. It is now proposed that the review be implemented by means of a planning scheme amendment. All affected property owners have been notified of the review and 29 submissions have been received. The review recommends extending the heritage overlay to a further 244 properties and the Turner Reserve, and introducing two new individual heritage overlays for the Port Melbourne Football/Cricket Ground and Edwards Park. It also recommends applying tree controls to the Port Melbourne Light Rail Reserve. A heritage overlay does not mean that properties cannot be altered. It means that a planning permit is required to make changes to properties covered by the overlay, and significant tests are applied to the demolition of dwellings. The full council report, review documents and maps are available from here. If you would like to view a hard copy of any of these documents or to ask any questions about all this, please contact me or attend the Council meeting where your questions are welcome.

image courtesy of Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society, used with permission www.vicnet.au/~pmhps

Earlier this week, I wrote that we are planning to improve the area under the Graham St overpass. Here is Graham Station before the overpass was built. You can still see remnants of the rail infrastructure in this photo under the overpass. Before the overpass was built, car traffic would back up on either side of the gates as the busy passenger and freight trains made their way through the intersection. The overpass was built around the time of the Westgate Bridge with Graham St providing direct access to the Westgate Freeway. Traffic patterns changed overnight when that access was removed with Citylink, and Williamstown Road rather than Graham St took the brunt of the increased traffic.

Another trace of the Royal Australian Navy in Port

image courtesy of Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society, used with permission www.vicnet.au/~pmhps

On May 14th, I wrote about the Naval Drill Hall at 40 Bay St, built a year after the formation of the Royal Australian Navy in 1911. In 1942 an Australian Navy Reserve Drill Hall was built on the former Sandridge lagoon. Anyone who joined the RAN in Victoria during World War 11 would have passed through HMAS Lonsdale and carried the prefix PM in front of their official number which signified where they had joined the navy. http://ahoy.tk-jk.net Decommissioned in 1992, and following a period of intense planning controversy, hm@s was built on the site.

Naval Drill Hall - Circus Oz at 40 Bay St

Following the recent announcement in the state budget of funding for Circus Oz's move to Collingwood, people have been inquiring about the planning controls for this site.

• The building is on the Victorian Heritage Register [Ref No H1378] - which means that a planning permit would be required for any demolition and/or development from Heritage Victoria.




• The site is located in the Mixed Use Zone [MUZ] of Port Melbourne and is covered by a heritage overlay and a range of other development controls




• With the exception of the north east corner, the site is covered by DDO1-2B which permits an absolute maximum height of 4 storeys on this site. The remaining small section to the north east has a height limit of 6 storeys although this would be virtually impossible to achieve on the site given the heritage constraints




• All this suggests that any new development would have to work pretty much within the existing building - though some new openings may be appropriate




• There are no current planning permit applications for the site

Bleak day - and tenuous link to the Beluga

Former Starch Factory, now Sandridge Bay Towers in the early eighties: image courtesy of PMHPS, used with permission www.vicnet.au/~pmhps

The area between Princes St and Pickles St is full of interest for its civic, naval and industrial heritage buildings. The former Starch Factory, now Sandridge Bay Towers is one such example. Another building, similar in scale and massing was the Victorian Sugar Works, which was extensively damaged following a spectacular fire on June 8, 1875. After the fire, the Victorian Sugar Works transferred its operations to Yarraville. This is where the Beluga had discharged its load of sugar before coming to Station Pier. Here is a a small extract of how the fire was reported at the time: 'The whole building was apparently blazing like a colossal beacon, shed a lurid glare over the whole of Sandridge and the shipping, turning the water of the bay, and the lagoon a blood red colour, while overhead streamed a vast broad banner of flying sparks and flakes of flame, now shining bright and clear, and anon obscured into the semblance of a gigantic floating wreath of smoke, bespangled with blazing stars.' [Argus June 8, 1875] To see a spectacular image which absolutely illustrates this word picture, click here and enter 1068 in the search box. 'Following the fire, Poolman was sent to Britiain to discover anything new about sugar refining with a view to re-building the works, but while he was still on the voyage the Sugar Works directors decided to buy Joshua Bros works at Yarraville for 500,000 pounds. By December 1875, the machinery and plant not totally burnt was taken to Yarraville.' [taken from Fire in the Borough by Shirley A Videion available from the Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society or from the Port Town Hall at 333 Bay St]

Bicyclists on the bench

This group of riders from Brighton wait for the rest of their gang to catch up before heading up the Railway Reserves path. I am always pleased seeing people using this bench, one of several created to celebrate the Centenary of Federation:

'Bill Henshall made these benches. He built them on his muddy work site by the Yarra River under Westgate Bridge in the winter and spring of 2000. They range from ten to fifteen feet in length and are made from massive Australian timbers such as grey box, yellow box and rgum. Much of the timber was in the form of tree trunks that had been pier supports at Victoria Dock. Despite their size, the benches were made with few bolts. The parts are designed to slot into and support each other. The trees from which these Australian timbers were milled may have already been hundreds of years old before they were sunk into the bed of the Yarra River a century ago.'

extracted from Walks in Port Phillip: a guide to the cultural landscapes of a City by Meyer Eidelson This fascinating publication is available from the Assist desk at Port Melbourne Town Hall, 333 Bay St or from the Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society http://home.vicnet.net.au/~pmhps

Protecting Port's heritage

I am so pleased the Council is reviewing the heritage overlay for Port Melbourne - known as HO1. Heritage overlays are a mechanism in the planning scheme to protect heritage values. For example: in a heritage overlay, a permit is required for the demolition of a building and there are strict tests as to whether a permit will be issued. If there is no heritage overlay, a permit for demolition is not required and other provisions in the planning scheme such as Rescode come into play.
The review currently underway is reviewing past studies and doing a walking review of the areas covered by the overlay to see what has changed since the last study in 1995. The review will also consider whether areas should be added to the overlay. The outcome of the process will be a more rigorous and soundly based underpinning for the overlay which will better stand up to challenge.

The real estate sign in Evans St advertises 'No heritage overlay' suggesting the house is available for redevelopment

Access to heritage photographs of Port Melbourne

Did you know that many images from the City of Port Phillip's heritage collection can be viewed on line? Just put Port Melbourne into the search box and you are bound to find a photograph of interest to you. On that page you will also find information about how to go about requesting copies of images from the City's collection.

Albert Jacka and Port Melbourne

The annual commemoration of the life of Albert Jacka VC, MC and Bar was held today at his grave at the St Kilda Cemetery. Jacka was the first Australian to win the Victoria Cross in World 1, and many commentators thought he should have been given greater recognition for his valour on the western front. He had a reputation for challenging authority when he thought his men were exposed to unwarranted risk and for his extraordinary dedication to his men.

Jacka returned to Melbourne on the SS Euripides berthing at Station Pier in October 1919. He didn't like all the adulation that he received from the public. He went on to become mayor of St Kilda but died in 1932 - worn out at the age of 39.

Give him a thought when next you drive along Jacka Boulevard.

Blue and yellow are the colours of the 14th battalion - known as 'Jacka's mob'.

War memorial restored

The Port Melbourne War Memorial has been receiving some very sensitive care.
Repeated poulticing has been applied to the gypsum crusts to soften them. They have then been removed and rinsed with pressure wash.
The bronze components have been cleaned using non ionic detergent applied by nylon brush and application of microcrystalline wax.
Copper salt staining has been removed from the central bowl using a a poultice of sodum dithionite. Cracks in the marble canopy have been filled using marble dust and dry pigments in acrylic resin.
Finally, a very thin application of saline hydrophobing treatment has been applied to the stone surfaces with a spray bottle to protect the memorial against the salty environment.

The Piers

Did you know that there used to be cranes on Station Pier but not on Princes Pier?
As part of fulfilling their heritage commitments at Station Pier, the Port of Melbourne Corporation will re-instate one of the cranes on the pier in due course.
image courtesy of the Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society used with permission www.vicnet.net.au/~pmhps

Whittaker Walk

The harsh times of 1928 and the depression years that followed were recalled in the second annual walk commemorating the life of Alan Whittaker, waterside worker.

Frank Vincent, seen here near the site known as Hogans Flat, examines the scant evidence to try to find out how Whittaker was shot.

Whittaker Walk

The life and times of Alan Whittaker will be commemorated in a walk through Port Melbourne, beginning near Beacon Vista [between Station and Princes Piers] on Sunday 7 November from 11 am.

Alan Whitaker, waterside worker and Gallipoli veteran, was shot by police during a bitter waterfront dispute in 1928.

To hear more of Whitaker's life and the Port Melbourne in which it was lived, join the walk and end up at the Port Melbourne Bowling Club afterwards.

Perce White, former mayor of Port Melbourne, and a veteran of the waterfront, addresses the crowd in 2009

Turville Place Reserve

The Council is planning on upgrading Turville Place Reserve - it sure needs it. This rather unloved and unlovely piece of open space next to the Graham St overpass is used mainly to get to the Graham tram stop.

Offer us your thoughts on what could be done to improve the area. The things that bother you give useful information about what you think needs to be done.

Council staff and me will be on site on Saturday 30 October between 10 and 12.30 or may be easier for you to provide feedback here

Before the overpass was built in the 1970s, there used to be a double set of constantly closing level crossing gates here to accommodate the heavy volume of passenger and freight traffic that used the line. Traffic used to get held up - sometimes all the way back to Bay St. The overpass was constructed in relation to the Westgate Bridge since Graham St provided direct access to it. Many shops and homes were demolished to make way for the overpass.

[adapted from Railway Rockeries: Tales of the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Reserves, Port Melbourne, Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society]

A fresh coat of paint

All heritage letterboxes in the City of Port Phillip have been revitalised under the terms of a new agreement between Australia Post and CoPP to share responsibility for maintaining the closed boxes.
All letter boxes have been refurbished, cleaned and repainted: missing crowns have been replaced on top, graffiti, old labels and dirt cleaned off, the pillars given a fresh coat of red paint and decorative details highlighted in gold. They will be maintained in this condition under the terms of the agreement.
How many of the 9 boxes in Port Phillip would you say are in Port Melbourne?