NORTH MELBOURNE LOCOMOTIVE SHED
Location
300-372 FOOTSCRAY ROAD WEST MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE CITY
File Number
HE/09/3010-06
Level
Heritage Inventory Site
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Statement of Significance
Why is it significant?
The main shed and depot complex played a key role in the regional rail network and the Victorian Railways operations. The site may also add to the understanding of the development and expansion of Melbourne and Victoria in the late 19th century when steam and coal were the main sources of energy for major infrastructure.
As an employer of hundreds of rail workers for 77 years, it was a major employer in Melbourne and saw many strikes, demonstrations, and other industrial action throughout the 20th century.
The site was also associated with major development works in Victoria such as the expansion of the railway lines, the reclamation of the West Melbourne Swamp and the construction of the Railway Coal Canal, which is now the Moonee Ponds Creek.
The Former Coal Wharf formed an intrinsic part of the North Melbourne Locomotive Depot, transporting fuel to supply the steam engines of the Victorian Railways trains, providing essential transportation within Melbourne and the state for people and goods.
The Coal Wharf meets both Threshold A and Threshold B of Heritage Victoria’s Policy for Determining Low Archaeological Value 2020 and s. 118(1)(a) of the Heritage Act 2017. Historical maps indicate the coal loading wharf on the eastern bank of the Moonee Ponds Creek, from c. 1888 until the 1920s. Subsurface components of the former wharf exceeding 75 years old may therefore be present below the ground surface. This may include timber wharf piles and structures, and possible artefact-bearing deposits below the wharf. The eastern Moonee Ponds Creek bank has been filled and extended to the west and previous ground disturbance appears to have been limited. Any archaeological remains of the former Coal Wharf could provide breath to our understanding of the connections between the 19th and early 20th century maritime and rail transportation systems in Victoria and Australia. Associated themes, as set out in Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes, of the Coal Wharf include ‘Travelling by Waters’ (3.2) and ‘Linking Victorians by rail’ (3.3).
Group
Transport - Rail
Category
Goods shed/crane
