MMHN October 2020 Update

Melbourne – A Great Maritime City

MMHN October 2020 Update 

Greetings All

Is the tide turning in relation to COVID contagion and Lockdown? Seems so? We know that progress is being made in relation to maritime heritage matters and that the MMHN Events Program can re-commence before too long. We live in hope.

Municipal elections in the State of Victoria.
MMHN hopes the current ‘champion’ for maritime heritage will be re-elected to the Council at the City of Melbourne (Jackie Watts). That said ALL maritime enthusiasts are about to vote in this state – and MMHN encourages all of you to take, or make, ANY opportunity – in person or by email – to simply ask any Council candidate: What will they do to better support recognition and preservation of our rich Maritime Heritage?

MMHN Second AGM, 1 October 2020
A synopsis of comments from the re-elected Chair: ‘Thank you all of those who joined the Board and participants in the first (and hopefully the last) MMHN virtual AGM meeting. The Minutes will, of course, be available on the MMHN website in due course.  However, a longer Report from the Chair is already on the website for you to read in more detail outlining the progress of MMHN since its establishment two years ago. A quite extraordinary, productive, heartening voyage into uncharted waters for us all!’

MMHN network approach
The diverse contributions from maritime stakeholders featured in MMHN Updates each month is evidence that the MMHN Network approach is succeeding. MMHN member Gordon McMillan drew our attention to a similar approach adopted by the Scottish Maritime Museums which functions as an integrated collection of smaller museums in various locations including Dumbarton, in the former William Denny Shipyard, home of the world’s first commercial testing tank, with branches at Irvine in a glass-roofed Victorian Lint-house, which was the former shipyard engine Shop. See:
https://www.scottishmaritimemuseum.org/?fbclid=IwAR0tBpt7sYUT4NyYJ96CPeVQjMGyAQUNBa6Q7QjhXUih2XcSsIUpQerRaqQ

Maritime nations build ships – why not Australia?
Noting that Australia has built very few passenger ships, a proposal by the Peninsula Ship Society recently put an ambitious proposal to the Tasmanian government. In essence, to re-kindle – perhaps the word ‘resurrect’ is more appropriate – the island’s shipbuilding heritage. The major passenger ships built in Australia were all built, after the war, for the Australian National Line: Princess of Tasmania (1959), Empress of Australia (1965), Australian Trader (1969). They were all built-in state dockyards: Cockatoo Island, Sydney and Newcastle are long gone, as is the shipyard in Whyalla and the Evans Deakin facility in Brisbane. That leaves few options. Williamstown and Garden Island are closely linked to the Navy and presumably not available for commercial shipbuilding. This may also apply to facilities in Adelaide that over the years have built tugs and submarines. All those classic Australian pre-war ships, like Kanimbla and Manoora, were built overseas. So, what capability remains in Australia? The AUSTAL shipyard in Henderson WA and the INCAT shipyard in Hobart, TAS are both successful commercial shipyards currently operating in Australia. But both these shipyards specialize in the construction of high-speed aluminium catamarans – not ideal for Bass Strait conditions and so are not likely to be considered for any replacement vessel for the Spirit of Tasmania, which is to be made of steel and 212 metres in length. Peninsula Ship Society is calling on the Tasmanian government to establish a task force to investigate the feasibility of building the new Spirits of Tasmania in Australia. What a universally appealing idea that certainly is! The TT-Line Company, operators of Spirit of Tasmania, announced in December 2019 that two purpose-built ships would be built to replace the current Spirit of Tasmania fleet by 2021 – maybe offshore?

The vessels MS Spirits of Tasmania 1 & 2.
While thinking of the replacements, perhaps it’s useful to re-cap briefly on the current ships languishing now due to Lockdown. They were constructed in 1998 by Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Turku, Finland, and operated for four years between Greece and Italy. These are two monohull vessels, which replaced the original MV Spirit of Tasmania, made their dual maiden voyages across Bass Strait on 1 September 2002. For more details see: https://www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/media/717328/2018-ship-facts.pdf

Opening up Melbourne waterways
The MMHN focus on maritime matters includes activation of our vastly under-developed and under-utilized public asset – the waterways of Melbourne. And, of course, Docklands is at the very heart of our waterways. Few people are aware that taken as a whole, Melbourne’s navigable waterways system is greater than that of Sydney. In the past, the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers, the Estuary, Victoria Harbour, Port Phillip Bay and along the South West were a much livelier part of the fabric of the life Melbourne and the coastline than has been the case in recent decades. Our waterways have languished. In bygone days, especially before bridges, the punts and ferry services were an essential, colourful, bustling ‘fixture’ and a necessity in the life of Melbourne and beyond. The waterways, the Yarra, the Maribyrnong, were the major ‘highways’. How busy our waterways once were with punts and ferries!

Before the bridges were built, punts facilitated traffic across the Yarra River. The best known were at the sites of the present Princes, Punt Road and Hawthorn Bridges. The first rope-hauled punt, on the site of Princes Bridge, was operated by William Watts from 1838. In 1839 William Lonsdale set the site of a punt servicing the road from Williamstown to Geelong on the Saltwater (Maribyrnong) River, a little above its junction with the Yarra at the site of present-day Footscray. Several other punts operated on the river in the city area from the 1840s. Eventually, the demands led to development of steam punts. The first of these, between Spencer and Clarendon Streets, the site of the present Spencer Street (Batman) Bridge, operated from 1884 until the late 1920s. The most recent was from Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, to a point by Newport power station. Three steam-powered punts, each larger than its predecessor, ran here between 1873 and 1974, and were guided across the river on a chain. The last, with a capacity of 32 vehicles, was built in 1931.

Steam ferries commenced service from the Yarra to Williamstown before the building of the railway, and another ran upstream from Princes Bridge to Cremorne Gardens (Richmond). The Fire Fly ran the first ferry service on the Yarra on 28 October 1838. Ferries met the Geelong trains at Greenwich Point for two years before the completion of the line to Spencer Street. A service of greater significance was provided between Port Melbourne and Williamstown, principally by the paddle steamer Gem, which gave its name to Gem Pier operating from 1868 until 1911. The Rosny, the last ferry on the service, operated between 1919 and 1931. Other ferries in service on this run were the Queen and Baldrock (1907-11), and Planet and Williamstown (1910-19). Several smaller cross-river services have also been run in the port area with rowing boats and later with motorboats, the last of which, from Spotswood to Fishermen’s Bend, closed in 1979. For more information, see https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01211b.htm

Imagine if Docklands became the hub of much more ferry activity post-Lockdown. Surely an exciting prospect to rekindle our enthusiasm for waterways transportation?
Note: One MMHN Special Advisory Group is collaborating with relevant stakeholders to progress this matter. If interested email: info@mmhn.org.au

The Twycross collection
Recently MMHN was alerted to the magnificent collection of photographic images made by John William Twycross (1871-1936) held by his proud grandson (now an MMHN member) who writes John William Twycross was born in Elsternwick in 1871. His father was a fine art collector, and, having grown up in a house full of art, John painted many works in both watercolour and oil as a young man. Most of his paintings were of subjects derived from regular visits to his mother’s family farm at Arthur’s Seat in the days when a schooner or paddle steamer (the Ozone, the Hygeia and the Weeroona) provided the main access. He also rode his bicycle to the peninsula, sometimes painting on the way. In his mid-40s he set about the task of visiting Arthur’s Seat to photograph the pioneer lifestyle of his aunt and uncle, Kate and Charlie Burrell, who had lived there since the 1850s. On his way, he often photographed the Melbourne Docks, the City and the Bay. The results of his endeavours can now be seen in the permanent display of his photography in the Burrell-Twycross Gallery at the McCrae Homestead (National Trust property) where his family lived for 75 years. John delighted in the regular races between yachts such as the Eun-na-mara and the Acrospire.  He also took many pictures of the regattas in Hobsons Bay, St. Kilda, Brighton and Black Rock. The perspective lines offered by the bay’s jetties and the possibilities of water as a background made them another favourite subject. Sometimes, he took images of the vessels he knew well, or he walked to the docks in the early morning to capture a particular atmospheric effect. Often, he showed the stevedores in their workplace. Three of his original prints are held by the NGV. He grew to know Melbourne intimately, and took many images of daily life and work, and secluded laneways around the Law Courts and docks. With only four glass cartridges to work with, on each occasion, he took great care to wait for the right time to open the shutter. These images reflect a conscious desire to record the Melbourne he knew, almost a hundred years ago. As with most things in life – timing is everything! His artistry as a photography is clear.

An atmospheric Twycross Image of Melbourne Wharves

The Polly Woodside
Cheerful news for the Polly Woodside, bobbing and creaking in the Duke & Orrs Dry Dock during Lockdown. With primary schools due re-open, the National Trust is valiantly resuming promotion of the Polly Woodside Primary Programs.
Bookings: https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/educationprograms/welcome-aboard-shipmates-and-learn-the-ropes/.

You may wish to use this same link to access a timeline for the vessel, which, like many ships, has had various names and functions e.g.
1885 – built at Belfast; maiden voyage around the infamous Cape Horn taking place on 7 December. Named Polly Woodside after the owner William Woodside’s wife Marian Polly Woodside.
1904 Sold to a New Zealand owner who officially changed the ship’s name to Rona. Many years engaged in hard and dirty work. Neglected till rescued and transformed under National Trust (NT) custodianship.
But struggles for the Polly Woodside are far from over. MMHN is in discussion with the National Trust, Polly Woodside Volunteers, Yarra Traders and the City of Melbourne about ensuring that the Polly has a rosy future in our city.

Here is a Twycross photograph of the neglected Polly Woodside when she was the Rona

New Shipwreck Coast Lookout – Parks Victoria concern
Parks Victoria (PV) recently concluded public consultations on a proposed Lookout in the Twelve Apostles area at Saddle Lookout. It is within the Shipwreck Coast Master Plan Stage 1 (EPBC 2019/8571). It is regrettable to note that the 20-day PV public consultation period unhelpfully occurred during COVID Lockdown (i.e.no likely visitation). No surprise then that NO PUBLIC comments were lodged. PV claims that the construction of the Lookout will result in ‘a significant impact on the National Heritage Values of the Great Ocean Road and scenic environs’. You may wish to consider this claim. See. https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/public-notices or call 131 963 for a paper copy. Crossing fingers that the impact will be as promised by PV. To quote the landscape architect McGregor Coxall, The Saddle lookout at the 12 Apostles is distinctive and dramatic, perched on top of the cliffs, to fully experience the scale and drama of the magnificent landscape.

Note that there is no mention of the drama the magnificent SEASCAPE! And in the Shipwreck Coast? Odd omission but, given the land-based focus of Parks Victoria, not surprising. Parks Victoria has considerable power over ‘water’ matters in this State. Perhaps this explains the ‘amnesia’ we encounter too often in relation to optimal management of the waterways and maritime heritage of our State.

Williamstown Maritime Precinct Framework
Good news for maritime heritage enthusiasts! Williamstown is, of course, recognized as a key maritime heritage precinct in Victoria. It’s pleasing to find that the State Department of Transport, as well as Ports and Freight, is proactively planning for the future of the iconic Williamstown foreshore. The consultants undertaking the review invited members of the MMHN Board to a Zoom meeting to provide input during the public engagement which will culminate in the Framework. Significantly, the MMHN learned of this opportunity to contribute through conversations with the office of the Minister for Ports and Freight, Melissa Horne who is driving the $200,000 review. The extensive foreshore site is large. Elements raised in the discussions with the MMHN Board included sheds, wharves, the Graving Dock, the BAE site, adjacent fuel depot, Gem Pier, various boatyards, the HMAS Castlemaine – and of course, Seaworks. Consider sharing your views – there may still be time.
See https://getinvolved.transport.vic.gov.au/williamstown-maritime-precinct

The Graving Dock at Williamstown
You may have heard of this dock but this remarkable maritime heritage infrastructure is rarely given its correct name: the Alfred Graving Dock. In 1868, as part of the first royal tour of the Australian colonies HRH Prince Alfred laid a memorial stone at the site. It was a serious investment as befitting a key maritime city in the far reaches the Empire – total cost exceeded £300,000 and it was the largest works undertaken by the Victorian government at that time. It gained international renown, not only a key facility for naval and mercantile shipping but as a work of engineering. The Dock made a vital economic and social contribution to Victoria.

Up-date on the fate of the MV Steve Irwin
Many have enjoyed looking at the MV Steve Irwin, initially in Victoria Harbour, and later off the wharf near Seaworks at Williamstown. The vessel is now recognised as a historic vessel by the Australian Maritime Museum. Obviously, visitation has ceased during Lockdown and now the suitability of Williamstown pier is of concern. Owner Kerrie Goodall reports that the vessel is to move elsewhere. Kerrie is an MMHN supporter and MMHN is assisting in any way we can. The vessel lends itself to teaching and hospitality purposes, and more importantly from the MMHN perspective, it engages ‘young’ people with a sense of maritime adventure. Discussions are underway between Development Victoria, the relevant developer at Docklands MAB, and the City of Melbourne Waterways Unit. Stay tuned.

Docklands Activation
Many of you will be aware that MMHN writes each month for the Docklands News (back issues are available on the website). The Docklands precinct, so rich in maritime industrial heritage, has been sadly neglected by Development Victoria (e.g. the neglect of Central Pier). Recently members of the MMHN Board were invited to participate in two virtual meetings with Consultancy Alto Cibum, commissioned by Development Victoria in collaboration with the City of Melbourne, to investigate and make recommendations on how best to activate Melbourne’s Docklands precinct. These consultations seem to be a positive step forward. MMHN has long argued that the prime significance of the Docklands precinct – the rivers, estuary, wharves, piers, Victoria Harbour etc., have been inexplicably ignored by Development Victoria which has been fixated on land, the real estate value, and not on optimizing the obvious ‘asset’ of waterways. For decades Development Victoria has turned its back on the water. But it seems this attitude is changing. The consultants made it clear when talking to MMHN that they see ‘the water’ and its activation as critical to the proper development of Melbourne’s Docklands precinct.

Marine and Coast Policy
In March 2020, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DEWLP – such an awkward acronym!) produced a Marine and Coast Policy under the guidance of the Victorian Marine and Coastal Council (VMCC). The VMCC is the State’s peak advisory body about coastal and marine issues and comprises seven skill-based members encompassing marine ecology, sustainable fisheries and the environment sector, governance and law. See
https://www.marineandcoastalcouncil.vic.gov.au/about-us/who-we-are)

It is a lengthy document. You would have expected that such State government bureaucracies would have some interest in maritime heritage matters? Indeed Chapter 4 states Heritage sites are often linked to the central role of the sea in early economic, social and physical development of Victoria by Europeans. Shipwrecks, lighthouses, piers and archaeological remains of early coast settlements are amongst the sites that help provide links to this past. Sadly, due acknowledgement of our rich maritime heritage is largely absent from this point on. Chapter 9 ostensibly assesses Marine and Coastal Industries as having ‘state significance’ yet makes no reference to coastal trade or fishing. Similarly, Chapter10 is ostensibly concerned with Recreation and Tourism and refers to adaptive re-use of heritage places that are no longer required for their original purpose in a way that maintains their values and character and enhances their contribution to community activities, coastal tourism and sense of place, but fails to indicate an informed grasp of the value of heritage. The document refers to DEWLP’s Engagement Policies – none of which refer to maritime heritage other than in relation, quite rightly, to Aboriginal presence and custodianship. Had DEWLP sought maritime stakeholders’ engagement in compiling the Marine and Coast Policy, the approach may have more accurate and inclusive. The question again arises – Why do we find such persistent reluctance, this ‘amnesia, within the State bureaucracies, to acknowledge the significance of Victoria’s rich maritime heritage? It makes no sense to excise Maritime Heritage from considerations of Marine Environment, Tourism, Maritime Industries. Clearly, further MMHN advocacy is warranted. You may wish to subscribe to the free DEWLP newsletter – see http://marineandcoasts.vic.gov.au

Or you may wish to see an online introduction to this report in the Association of Bay Municipalities (ABM) Talk of the Tide webinar ‘State Marine and Coastal Environment 2021 Report by the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability’, Talk of the Tide 6: Introduction to State of the Marine and Coastal Environment Report https://vimeo.com/458789919

Association of Bayside Municipalities (ABM)
If you live in a Bayside suburb, MMHN encourages you to help raise the profile of maritime heritage around Port Phillip Bay through this group. Your local Council will be sending a Councillor representative to ABM. Port Phillip Bay should be understood as a large and valuable ‘public asset’ – and one with significant heritage value, but this aspect of the Bay is not well understood. Representing the City of Melbourne these past years, Cr Jackie Watts found that although the ABM delivered much useful information and best practice in coastal management, regrettably there was little focus on any aspect of Maritime Heritage. To help ensure that maritime heritage is on the ABM agenda in 2021, do contact your Council’s new representative on the ABM. The Bay Blueprint 2070 can be downloaded from: https://abm.org.au

Maritime history in Upwey
In the early nineteenth century the heavily forested foothills of the Dandenong Ranges were the source of ships’ timber. MMHN Member Michael Taman alerts us to an interesting mural of bullocks transporting huge trees from Upwey to the docks in Melbourne in the 1850s. The trees were culled from a gully which is still known as Mast Gully and Mast Gully Road reminds us of this heritage.

Merchant Navy
Michael Taman is gathering enthusiasm among maritime stakeholders for raising the profile of the Merchant Navy. More of this in a future MMHN Update. In the meantime, if you have a particular an interest in this, email info@mmhn.org.au

Photographs taken by Michael Taman

Station Pier – Port Tapestries
Recently the MMHN Board had a most productive Zoom meeting with key people managing the complexities of Station Pier, including Rachel Johnson, CEO of Victorian Ports Corporation (VPC). MMHN regards Station Pier as one of the jewels in the Crown of our maritime heritage assets. Iconic maritime infrastructure is of critical operational importance still to this State and this City. Although pier operations are in essence commercial (cruise ships and the Tasmanian ferry service), the Pier welcomes Navy vessels from time to time. Station Pier holds a unique place in the hearts and minds of the millions of migrants who arrived in Australia at Station Pier; of the many thousands of troops who departed for Wars, and the ‘rite of passage’ for many young Melbournians sailing off to Europe – the spectacle of colourful streamers between the ships and the pier stretching and tearing as the ship gathered speed. Station Pier is a marvellous place and given its significance, MMHN hopes that a strong and collaborative relationship continues with VPC.

MMHN thanks VPC for providing the images of two unique tapestries which hang in the international cruise terminal on Station Pier. The tapestries creatively showcase historic scenes from the Port of Melbourne from the 1800s to the 1980s. They capture the mood and feeling of the port at specific times over that period, said Rachel Johnson, CEO of Victorian Ports Corporation, which manages the pier. The Port Reflections tapestry is based on historic woodcuts and photographs owned by the port authority. It includes bales of Australian wool swinging on ropes, a nineteenth century paddle steamer, and departing Diggers on ships taking them to war. Artist Murray Walker created this collage of images. Port Impressions shows the scale of the machinery and port installations in use in the 1980s, based on photographs taken at the time by the artist Mike Brown. Commissioned by the Port of Melbourne Authority in the early 1980s, the tapestries were created by artists and then transformed into hand-made tapestries by the Victorian Tapestry Workshop. Each one is made from Australian wool and is five metres long and around 1.5 metres high.
Note: The Port of Melbourne Authority was a predecessor organisation of Victorian Ports Corporation and the Victorian Tapestry Workshop is now known as the Australian Tapestry Workshop.

Port Reflections

Port Impressions

Maritime Heritage – outrageous neglect at Seaworks
First came the heritage disaster as a result of shameful neglect by Development Victoria of the iconic Central Pier at Docklands – and now news of the wharves of Williamstown crumbling. Glenn Jones, EO of Seaworks, reports (Sept 2020) that a section of Boyd Jetty in Williamstown has collapsed, with one side of the pier subsiding, leaving all three piers at Seaworks closed amid concerns for public safety. Commissioners’ Jetty has now ceased to operate as a berthing facility due to structural issues and Workshop Pier no longer has vehicular access. The Seaworks Foundation has been leasing the former Melbourne Harbor Trust site from Parks Victoria (PV) since 2006. As is the case for Central Pier, a State government authority has once again been responsible for the neglect of maritime heritage infrastructure.

Boyd Pier was initially constructed in 1920, reconstructed in 1950, and although, under State government ownership, no significant infrastructure work has been done since the late 1990s. The most galling element in this sad saga is that the 2017 Seaworks infrastructure review showed that Boyd Pier was already in a poor condition and it has now deteriorated so badly that barricades with warning signs are required. As is always the case with land-focused authorities, DV fails to understand that timely maintenance on all water infrastructure is far cheaper than attempting to rectify long-term neglect.

All three jetties in the Seaworks precinct require significant multi-million-dollar investment to enable continued operation as a working maritime precinct, e.g. repairs of piles, crossheads, bearers and decking and replacement of capping and ladders. These piers are all well-loved and well used by the community and commercial operators alike. They are irrefutably of social, as well as economic, benefit to our State, useless if shut to school groups, university students undertaking research, Metropolitan Fire Brigade, Water Police, Search and Rescue, performance artists – and the public! A sad situation indeed.

MMHN Museum of the Month

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
MMHN Board member Michael O’Brien has provided a fascinating list of maritime heritage assets currently at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard: eleven attractions, including three ships (Mary Rose, HMS Victory and HMS Warrior), three submarines, three museums, two boat excursions and one adrenaline-pumping Action Stations. The Dockyard takes visitors on an 800-year journey through Britain’s epic story of the Royal Navy and its rich maritime heritage.

Since the Mary Rose was raised from the Solent bed in 1982, it has undergone a lengthy restoration process, which has only recently been completed. It is now viewed like never before, with visitors able to be in the same room as the ship for the first time since it went on display.

The HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, ordered in 1758, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. Best known for her role as Lord Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, in 1922, HMS Victory was moved to a dry dock at Portsmouth and preserved as a museum ship. Victory has been the flagship of the First Sea Lord since October 2012 and is the world’s oldest naval ship still in commission, with 242 years’ service as of 2020.

The HMS Warrior is a 40-gun steam-powered armoured frigate built for the Royal Navy in 1859-1861. Warrior and her sister ship HMS Black Prince were the first armour-plated, iron-hulled warships. The ship was converted into an oil jetty in 1927 and remained in that role until 1979 when it was donated by the Navy to the Maritime Trust for restoration. The restoration process took eight years, during which many features and fittings were either restored or recreated. When this was finished Warrior returned to Portsmouth as a museum ship. Listed as part of the National Historic Fleet, Warrior has been based in Portsmouth since 1987. What riches! https://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/

Tasmanian-built schooner Barbara Investigated
You may recall an earlier MMHN Update earlier this year which reported that Flinders University-based archaeologist Wendy Van Duivenvoorde was researching the wreck. The Barbara was wrecked in 1852 when a northerly gale blew her into shallow waters at Rye in Victoria. In February 2020 a collaborative exercise involving Flinders University, Heritage Victoria and the Maritime Archaeology Association of Victoria undertook an identification exercise, involving surveys and underwater photogrammetry. The 39-foot wooden ship was built on the Tamar River in Tasmania in 1841, and provided researchers with new insights into early Tasmanian boat building. It was assumed that local timbers were used, e.g. Huon pine or blue gum. However – not so. On the Barbara, the planking was WA Jarrah, the frame was Tea Tree and Eucalypt from NSW and Victoria. Early Australian shipyards are not well documented and little is known about the builders or their methods. That said, the Barbara was built by an English farmer from Tamar Valley in Northern Tasmania who came from England with his wife in 1828.S Barbara transported livestock and wool up the Tamar River before being registered in Victoria from 1846. Newspaper records of the time reveal ships’ cargoes and voyages and in March 1843, the Launceston Examiner reported that the Schooner Barbara, Davison, master, arrived from Cape Portland (north Tasmania) cargo 30 bales of wool. Six months later, the paper reported the Barbara arriving from Piper’s River with 500 bushels of oats on 5 September. MMHN thanks the Australian Association for Maritime History (AAMH) newsletter, September 2020, Issue 132, for this information.

The astounding image of the dive: Flinders university

West Gate Bridge disaster
The 50th Anniversary – 15 October 1970
MMHN takes the view that bridges, along with wharves and piers, must indeed be considered as maritime infrastructure. Two years into the construction of the West Gate Bridge, the 112-metre span between piers 10 and 11 collapsed, falling to the ground and the water below, killing 35 construction workers. The worst ever industrial accident in Victoria’s history. Bridges are obviously very much part of maritime heritage. Public Records Office See: https://prov.vic.gov.au/explore-collection/online-galleries-and-exhibitions/west-gate-bridge-collapse

MMHN contacts during the past month include:
Victorian Ports Corporation   Yarra Traders                    Immigration Museum
Seaworks                               City of Melbourne             The Enterprize Trust
City of Port Phillip                  National Trust (Victoria)    Victoria University
OSSA                                    Committee for Melbourne  COMMA
Riverlee Developers              Mission to Seafarers          Merchant Navy(VIC)
Peninsular Ship Society         Alto Cebum                         A.B.M.

Creatively adopting nautical parlance,  MMHN is ‘buoyed’ by the ever-widening ‘gyre’ of or ‘rippling tide’ of maritime stakeholders joining with us in advocating for greater recognition, not only of our rich maritime past but also enabling our future capability as a maritime nation.

So – as well as joining with us, I now encourage you to now actually join us!
Here is the t link to the MMHN membership form https://mmhn.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/MMHN-Membership-Application-Form.docx

Do keep well