Community and stakeholder forum report at Docklands library on March 25

Triggered by alarm at Development Victoria’s intention to evict the heritage fleet from North Wharf, Melbourne Maritime Heritage Network (MMHN) convened a forum to enable the community and maritime heritage stakeholders to discuss the impacts.

Development Victoria (DV) declined multiple invitations to attend this forum, which would have been an opportunity to engage with the 70 stakeholders who did attend.

Forum report: As promised, MMHN produced a comprehensive forum report sharing the comments at the forum and later comments to MMHN.

MMHN provided this to DV and all other relevant state government authorities and the wider heritage community. We invite the Docklands community to access this report.

Historic parallels: where is Melbourne Harbour Trust when Docklands needs it?

Parallels may be drawn between the 19th century real-estate development agenda of the Melbourne Harbour Trust (MHT) and the 21st century real estate agenda of DV in Docklands.

Both government agencies were established by the state government to foster commercial real-estate development. That said, there is a regrettable difference – Docklands is literally paying the price. Whereas MHT invested in enhancing and building the economic capacity of Melbourne’s natural waterways assets, DV fails to display any such vision today.

The intent of DV’s agenda is clearly limited to real-estate development. DV has shirked its stated responsibility in relation to placemaking for the unique site of Docklands.

DV continues to squander heritage assets – overseeing the neglected structure of Central Pier, North Wharf, decades of wharf disrepair on Bolte West Precinct and NewQuay and failure to comply with re-erection of heritage-listed sheds along Harbour Esplanade.

DV’s agenda is characterised by community consultation in name only, inaction leading to demolition and delay after delay.

Docklands Railway Coal Canal: Docklands “vision” is absent today.

Never underestimate immense significance of direct water access for colliers from the coal port of Newcastle to the Victorian railway coaling facilities, which served the Spencer Street Station railway yards that conveyed the all-important commodity of coal to drive maritime trade vessels and ferries, freight-handling (railways, cranes), street illumination and electrical power in the booming city of Melbourne.

Direct water access was needed for colliers from the NSW coal port of Newcastle to Victoria’s ports and railway expanding network. The state government of the day established the MHT in 1877 to foster commercial interests in a Melbourne that was largely reliant upon maritime trade, port infrastructure and, efficient access to coal cargo arriving by sea.

This triggered the construction in 1889 of first the Railway Coal Canal, which also served to redirect seasonal floodwaters from the Moonee Ponds Creek away from an inland saltwater lake or swamp.

As well as streamlining the access to coal, this canal also delivered commercial benefit in the form of new areas of dry land along the bank of the canal suitable for commercial development. This was a real estate based commercial benefit. It is hard to imagine any demand for such reclaimed land in the colony or of a state government investing so heavily in such commercial projects.

The gold rushes (1850s and ‘60s) attracted immense immigration to the booming colony. Then, as now, immigration increased demand for space and jobs in an economy which was dependent on a maritime sector. Unlike the Coode Canal (part of Birrarung/Yarra) or Victoria Harbour, the Melbourne Coal Canal (aka Railway Coal Canal), still exists towards the west of Docklands but is obviously no longer an operational waterway. •