Shipping Control Tower: Hopes for heritage recognition

Melbourne Maritime Heritage Network (MMHN) has consistently championed the overdue heritage registration of the Shipping Control Tower (SCT) located at the end of North Wharf.

We fully support Heritage Victoria’s current proposal before the Heritage Council of Victoria. If approved, this registration will begin to address the longstanding heritage gap in Victoria Harbour and the broader Port of Melbourne.

The SCT played a central role in shipping operations throughout Melbourne’s port, including Victoria Dock, the Birrarung/Yarra wharves both upstream and downstream, and as indicated by the angle of the structure, the wharves and shipping movements at Port Melbourne.

In our submission to the Heritage Council, MMHN emphasised that the SCT’s significance extends far beyond the description by Heritage Victoria as “merely a notable example of a control tower in Victoria.” Replacing an earlier wooden structure, the SCT stands as a testament to the state’s investment in “growth and modernisation of port facilities”.

Moreover, the Melbourne Harbour Trust’s investment offered substantial commercial advantages to maritime trade and, just as importantly, benefited the public by providing essential shipping information. Staffed by five people 24/7 the SCT became the community’s reliable link to global shipping news.

The SCT’s placement, orientation, structural design, and technological innovations enabled much more than just “direct and electronic connection to Melbourne’s major ports and shipping routes,” as Heritage Victoria describes. It facilitated port operations and coordinated with towage, pilots, and emergency services not only at Victoria Dock, but also at the upper and lower Birrarung/Yarra wharves and the piers of Port Melbourne. Its angled position on North Wharf was a deliberate choice, reflecting these broader responsibilities.

MMHN also advocated that the Heritage Victoria proposal be extended to include the parcel of land at the tip of North Wharf surrounding the SCT. We argued that the dimensions currently proposed do not adequately protect the SCT as a significant port infrastructure asset.

The tip of North Wharf is increasingly threatened by real estate development, with Lendlease-approved projects already encroaching on the SCT site. The small park shown in development plans offers insufficient protection risks. Destabilisation of North Wharf beneath the soon-to-be-demolished sheds adjacent to SCT is a serious concern.

Deep excavation to support multi-storey towers has already begun under North Wharf, with further work planned near Shed 2, close to the SCT. Development Victoria (DV) is responsible for this extensive North Wharf project, and MMHN is acutely aware that historically it has not adequately recognised nor been supportive of maritime port infrastructure (as seen with Central Pier, North Wharf, and wharves opposite NewQuay).

Tourism asset

While MMHN welcomes DV’s recent actions to halt SCT degradation and is delighted at the progress in heritage registration, more state government action is warranted. It is now critical that Victoria’s Minister for Tourism Steve Dimopoulos recognises the economic value of unique maritime assets in the Docklands precinct.

The state government should rightly build upon the recent DV investment in stabilising the SCT and help Docklands imaginatively capture its tourism potential as a prominent focal point from which to educate and entertain visitors.

For a detailed look at the MMHN submission, see the Heritage Council of Victoria website.

Community consultation deficit in Docklands

MMHN recently submitted a formal response to the Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee, which is investigating how well communities are served by current consultation practices.

Our submission detailed deficiencies in DV’s engagement with the community regarding Victoria Harbour, especially concerning the Heritage Fleet and Central Pier.

Public hearings on community consultation will begin in the coming weeks, with the committee’s report due by February 2026.

As a reminder, MMHN is fundamentally an advocacy organisation. This is why we recently met at Spring St with Southern Metropolitan Region MLC Ryan Batchelor to discuss the issues raised in this column. •