NEWPORT OIL WHARVES

410-430 DOUGLAS PARADE NEWPORT, HOBSONS BAY CITY

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Victorian Heritage Inventory

Newport Oil Wharves Williamstown June 2003 001

Statement of Significance

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  • History

    NEWPORT OIL WHARVES - History

    In 1901, the Shell Company established a bulk handling facility for imported fuel oil at Williamstown in the old Langhorne Place wool store in Nelson Place. As Shell moved from supplying fuel in tin cans to bulk fuel distribution, they established a bulk handling depot at Newport in 1914. The Port of Melbourne Authority established a wharf and railway siding facilities for the company, and tankers used the wharf to offload their cargo into nearby storage tanks. Use of the facility declined when Shell built a new refinery at Geelong in the 1950?s, and oil was pumped direct to the facility from Geelong. Use of the site continued to at least the 1970's.

    Two phases of construction were undertaken to build the oil wharves. Sheet piling was installed for the first oil berths from 1911-1915 by the Melbourne Harbour Trust to service the needs of the British Imperial Oil Company, which had established a new depot at Spotswood in 1913. The berths consisted of free standing piers stood 8m from the and parallel to the sheet piling/ shoreline, and were accessed via connecting landings/ gangways to the shore. The installation of the wharves led to the widening of the river so as not to impede navigation of the channel. This section consisted of the unshaped circular piles at the northern end of the site. When the Commonwealth Oil Refinery Co. established a bulk terminal at Spotswood on 1923, a second wharf (Berth 4) was constructed. This facility was erected to the south of the first wharf, and was made from rectangular sawn piles. The berth was of similar construction to the first phase outlined above (Lovell, 2006: 4, 11). This phase was mistakenly identified as the Newport Coal Wharf (H7822-0535) earlier in this assessment project (see also below) .

    Interpretation of Site

    NEWPORT OIL WHARVES - Interpretation of Site

    The Oil wharves at the northern end of the site appear to have been demolished to make way for a land reclamation for a power line tower, which has constructed heavyweight corrugated iron sheet piling retaining wall, with iron reinforcing support beams and a concrete lip and top. The northern extremity of the site shows evidence of a previous concrete and/or bluestone structure, possibly an embankment wall or an earlier wharf. Three timber piles protrude from the water at the northern extremity of the site, and are possibly part of a previous wharf structure.

    The sheet piling dates to the two phases of berth development for the oil wharves. The northern uncut circular timber piles were sheet piling installed around 1911-1915 by the Melbourne Harbour Trust to service the needs of the British Imperial Oil Company.The southern section of rectangular section sawntimber piles dates to the 1923 construction of the # 4 berth, which was associated with the Commonwealth Oil Refinery Co.bulk terminal at Spotswood. Possible remains of the piles associated with the former pier berths may exist underwater below the seabed.

    These wharves were a significant feature of the Newport oil industry, and are an essential component of the State's early oil industry. They are a prominent aesthetic feature of the Yarra River foreshore.

    Heritage Inventory Description

    NEWPORT OIL WHARVES - Heritage Inventory Description

    The Oil Wharves are constructed of upright uncut timber piles in the northern section.The northern extremity of the site shows evidence of a previous concrete and/or bluestone structure. Three timber piles protrude from the water at the southern extremity of the site.

    To the south, an extant section of upright timber piling approximately 500 m long. The northern section consists of uncut circular timber piles (approx 300m long), which are reinforced with "y" section iron tie rods toconcrete anchor blocks. The southern section, which begins at a dogleg in the pile wall, consists of a length of approx 200 m of sawn rectangular section timber piling which is reinforced with single iron tie rods.

    Wharves, piles andassociated discard from wharf use.

    Archeological Potential:

    Good

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