In the nineteenth century the riverport city of Melbourne, life and prosperity depended on expertise on the water for both trade and transportation. Punts and ferries were significant public transportation options which became diminished by land-based transportation via railways and cars. Water-based recreation, however, became increasingly popular in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and is still very popular – and relatively inexpensive. Victoria Port became redundant as a maritime trade port in the 1960s, but with the establishment of the Docklands Renewal project in the 1990s, surrounding the vast shallow protected expanse of Victoria Harbour, new water-based recreation activities proliferated. The City of Melbourne invested in the Community Boating Hub to support water-sports in Victoria Harbour, which is used as a base by Docklands Yacht Club, the Victorian Dragon Boat Association, and the Melbourne Outrigger Canoe Club. The Hub provides storage and other facilities for the boating community. The second floor has a centre for family services, such as maternal and child health and playgroups, and a large multipurpose room suitable for community workshops and health and wellbeing activities can be used by a range of community organisations.

Located next to the Community Hub, the Library at The Dock provides the civic heart of Docklands. It contains traditional and digital catalogues, free Wi-Fi, small practice and recording studios, a fun children’s section, a theatrette, and several bookable multipurpose rooms suitable for meetings, conferences, performances, training, recreation, gameplay, art, and design activities.

IMAGE CREDIT
Library at the Dock, photographer Jeff Malley 2022