Docklands’ Shipping Control Tower joins the Victorian Heritage Register

Docklands’ recently restored Shipping Control Tower has been officially added to the Victorian Heritage Register, recognising its pivotal role in Melbourne’s maritime history and its enduring presence as one of the city’s most distinctive industrial landmarks.

Perched at the western tip of the south arm of Victoria Dock, the 40-metre reinforced concrete tower opened in April 1966 and served as the operational heart of Melbourne’s shipping movements for three decades.

From its commanding vantage point, master mariners coordinated the arrivals and departures of vessels navigating Victoria Harbour and the Yarra River – a nerve centre that kept Melbourne’s busy port ticking through its most intensive years of expansion.

Designed by architect C. J. Smith for the Melbourne Harbour Trust and constructed by W. J. Cody, the tower’s twin concrete piers support a two-level operations deck, complete with a crow’s nest that once bristled with electronic and manual signalling equipment.

It was decommissioned in the 1990s when the port’s operations shifted downstream, but its presence at North Wharf remains a powerful reminder of the era when Docklands was the beating industrial heart of the city.

In its heritage citation, the Heritage Council of Victoria described the tower as “emblematic of the importance of maritime trade in driving Victoria’s prosperity” and noted that its prominence and design “enable its function and importance to be readily appreciated.”

It was listed under two key criteria: Criterion A, for its importance to the course of Victoria’s cultural history, and Criterion D, for its value as an outstanding example of its kind.

The listing follows a meticulous year-long restoration by Development Victoria, which has seen the tower’s decaying exterior repaired, its crow’s nest reconstructed, and its distinctive form returned to its 1960s appearance. Once vandalised and covered in graffiti, it now gleams once again over the waterfront.

While there are currently no formal plans to commercialise the site, the restoration has sparked community imagination about potential future uses – from a gallery or viewing platform to a restaurant. •