Former customs shed
The Project
The project included the partial refurbishment and partial adaptive reuse of a former customs shed as a frozen and live tank storage facility, and as public toilets.
The Site
The shed, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register, is located on the banks of the Moyne River in the township of Port Fairy. The site is part of King George Square, a federally funded upgrade of a public reserve which includes a boardwalk and park.
The Challenge
The building was required to serve a dual purpose. The first was its historic use to house the Port Fairy Fishing Cooperative. The Cooperative had used the building since the 1870s. The shed was moved to its current location in 1875. The building, which had been a meeting place and the home port for those working on Port Fairy’s commercial fishing boats was to include: two publicly owned live seafood holding tanks; a large freezer; and a cooking and preparation area.
The Solutions
The toilets were placed on the southern side of the structure and the two new external doors are not obviously visible from the general public space. The openings were not cut into the original fabric as this wall had been reconstructed. Associated works (including plumbing) did not impact on the exterior appearance of the shed as sewerage vent pipes were attached to the outside of the northern wall of the adjacent Sou’ West Seafoods’ building.
The Lessons
Adaptive reuse can give a much needed incentive for the conservation and refurbishment of derelict or declining heritage items. The bait shed has both architectural and ongoing social significance. Its location at King George Square, an important local gathering place and tourist destination, further facilitated the likely success of an adaptive reuse. While public toilets may not be considered a glamorous adaptation, this use was a necessity for both the wider community and the historic users of the building, the local fishermen. The discrete placement of the toilets enabled the new use to sit comfortably and mostly concealed along side the existing use by the Port Fairy Fishing Cooperative.