Clock Tower and Gardens at Newport

Friday Facts and Fotos – 11 6 October 2022

Last week we featured the history of the Clock Tower and Gardens at Newport. This week we will be showing you the work that is currently being undertaken by the Hobsons Bay Men’s Shed Restoration Group, to fully restore the interior of Centre Block administration buildings, clock tower and gardens.

This work has been made possible by the approval and seed funding from VicTrack, approval from Heritage Victoria and the support of Steamrail. Melissa Horne, MP for Williamstown, has also visited Newport and has offered her support for the project. (Photo one)

In the area opposite the clock tower, the remnants of the former gardens will be tidied up and the gardens restored. As you saw last week, we have detailed photos form PROV that show exactly what the layout was and the plants that were there. Photo two is the cover of the July 1971 VR News Letter featuring Newport’s gardens. Photo and three and four show volunteers starting to tidy up and restore the gardens.

In the Administration Building/Clock Tower, the plan is to restore the rooms to their former glory. This involves removing fake wooden panelling and carpet tiles installed in the 1970s, patching walls, opening up fire places, replacing missing mantlepieces, and painting it in heritage colours – approved by Heritage Victoria. Photos five and six show the initial clean and tidy-up before restoration begins. We will be bringing you regular updates and photos of the restoration.

This work is a very positive step towards the preservation of the heritage-listed Newport Railway Workshops (H1000). It demonstrates that there can be broader community involvement and use, in addition to heritage rail activities. To achieve this, the Government needs to designate it a heritage rail precinct to be used for heritage and community activities.