Customs Marine Centre,
Neutral Bay, NSW
Customs Marine Centre, Neutral Bay
Source: Environment Resources Management, 2014
Finance ID
Number
DFD-61019
Commonwealth
Heritage List
(CHL) Place ID
Number
105249
Current Status
(including CHL
Place ID Number)
The Customs Marine Depot is included on the Commonwealth Heritage List
(CHL) (Place ID: 105249).
Ownership
The Customs Marine Depot at Neutral Bay is managed by the Department of
Finance on behalf of the Commonwealth and is currently leased to the Australian
Customs Service.
Record last updated 30 April 2015 |
1
Location
Customs Marine Depot is located on the waterfront at the southern end of Ben
Boyd Road, in Neutral Bay, Sydney, NSW.
Customs Marine Depot location
Source: Environment Resources Management, 2014
Description
The Customs Marine Depot site contains two distinct levels and has been
constructed around the cliff face, which divides the site.
The upper level of Customs Marine Depot contains an established and
maintained garden bed and large Port Jackson Fig Tree, which contribute to the
aesthetic characteristics of the site.
The lower level above the shoreline contains the reconstructed Boat Shed
Building that may contain timber from the Halvorsen period. The Boat Shed
Building has a functional design and character, common to other waterfront boat
facilities on the Sydney Harbour.
The cliff face contributes to the aesthetic characteristics of the site and also
contains items from the past use of the site, potentially dating to the mid-19th
century.
The lower level of the site contains a concrete slip way and the 1967-68
Administration Building, a common example of the Post-war International
architectural style in Australia. The slipway is the estimated location of the Ben
Body Woolstore that was demolished in the late 1870s.
The foreshore contains the remains of the former slipways introduced to the site
in the 1930s by the Halvorsens and features a stone seawall, which contains
stone from the demolished Craignathan residence built by Ben Boyd.
The waterfrontage includes a timber wharf, metal jetty and pontoon that are
recent replacements of former structures. The views from the upper level of the
site towards the Sydney CDB have high aesthetic qualities.
Record last updated 30 April 2015 |
2
Landscape Setting
Customs Marine Depot is an historic site dating back to the early nineteenthcentury settlement of the Sydney Harbour waterfront. As such, standing
structures relate to various periods of occupancy and operation.
The upper level of Customs Marine Depot comprises of a grassed area with
garden beds, asphalt and concrete car park, and entrances to the two main
buildings. The majority of the area is grassed, with a garden bed running along
the northern side adjacent to the boundary fence. This garden bed is bordered by
a row of upright sandstone paving blocks, their approximate dimensions. The
garden contains mature trees and shrubs. Between the eastern and western car
parks is a large and mature Port Jackson fig tree.
A shelf of land slopes gently southwards between the access roadway (Ben Boyd
Road) and the cliff edge, with the eastern end containing an asphalt driveway
into the site leading to a small parking area directly in front of the footbridge to
the Office Building.
The top floor of the Boat Shed Building extends across to the upper-ground level,
with an entrance foyer and vehicular garage founded on the upper level.
Heritage Objects
and Collections
The entire site is included on the Commonwealth Heritage List. Key objects at
the site highlighted in the Commonwealth Heritage List are:
•
the 1840s (Ben Boyd’s) pump
•
the seawall
•
artefacts on the cliff face.
Ben Boyd’s Pump was discovered in the vicinity of the Boat Shed Building
during works in the 1930s and was conserved by the RAAF and placed in the
rear section of the Boat Shed. The pump is a tangible connection to the
nineteenth century history of the site.
History and
Summary of Uses
Aboriginal Land: Aboriginal groups inhabited the area around Sydney Harbour
for millennia. It has been estimated there may have been 3,000–5,000 people
living in the Sydney region at the time of contact with the First Fleet.
1814–1844: The land parcel of the site lies within what was originally a 700-acre
grant made to Alfred Thrupp in 1814. Thrupp’s land included all of Neutral Bay
and Cremorne, but its uneven topography made it unsuitable for agriculture. A
small cottage was constructed on the waterfront, known later as Thrupp’s
Cottage. The first residential development on the North Shore was at Neutral Bay,
when Daniel Cooper leased part of Thrupp’s original grant to James McLaren in
1831. McLaren built a large, single-storey villa on the waterfront called
Craignathan.
1844–1850: In 1844, the colonial entrepreneur Benjamin Boyd moved into
Craignathan. Boyd built a large, stone wool store on the foreshore and a stone
reservoir for wool washing. The remnants of a pump associated with the
activities of this period were salvaged in the 1930s and reinstated to the western
portion of the site in the 1950s within the current boatshed/workshop building
operated by Customs and is referred to as ‘Ben Boyd’s pump’.
1850–1892: This period saw major physical changes made to the site, including
the 1878 demolition of Ben Boyd’s wool store and the construction of a seawall
Record last updated 30 April 2015 |
3
with stone from the building, which washed away in heavy seas soon after
completion. In April 1879, Neutral Bay was given its name as it was officially
identified as the anchorage for ships of non-British origin. In 1892, the foreshore
was being used in a more systematic manner, with the construction of a small
wharf at the western end of the shoreline. Following Boyd’s departure, the
property passed through a number of owners and was subdivided it in c1892.
1900s: Shipbuilding had been an integral part of the industrial activity in Neutral
Bay. The shipyard of Robert Millard and Richard Linley was situated on the
waterfront to the east of the study site. Boatbuilding was also present on the
study site at least from the turn of the 1900s.
1920s: In the mid-1920s, the Halvorsen family leased part of the waterfront for
their boatbuilding business. In 1926, Halvorsen moved his business to the
eastern side of Neutral Bay, erecting a boatbuilding shed on the waterfront of the
former Craignathan Estate. In 1927, gained permission to erect a larger, woodenframed shed to accommodate his expanding business. The older shed had been
demolished by this stage.
1930s: The Halvorsen family shed was removed in January 1930, with only a
small appurtenance left standing. In 1931 Halvorsen erected a new temporary
building shed, although it remained on site well after the lease expired. A number
of different slips and sheds remain on the site.
The Halvorsens unearthed and identified a significant in-situ archaeological
feature associated with the nineteenth-century activities on the site (in particular
Ben Boyd’s wool-washing enterprise). These included the remnant of the pump
currently located in the Customs boatshed.
A new, large building shed was completed at this time on the waterfront over the
site of an earlier iron boatshed and the site of Boyd’s 1840s stone wool store that
had been demolished in 1878.
1940s–1950s: During the Second World War, the Neutral Bay site was
requisitioned by the RAAF as a base for its marine wing, while the Sydney
Volunteer Coastal and Harbour Patrol occupied Craignathan from 1939.
The smaller wooden boatshed was demolished at this time and extensive
concreting was undertaken. It is believed that the outside slips were concreted
over and the interior slips were replaced. The RAAF continued to occupy the
Halvorsen site until the end of 1958, having purchased it outright from them in
c1951.
1960s: In 1963, the site was acquired by the Australian Customs Service for its
boarding vessels and impounded aircraft. A new office building and a range of
other facilities were installed. The large metal shed dating from the Halvorsen era
was reduced to half of its former size, and a new brick building was constructed
in the demolished half’s footprint in the late 1960s.
1980s: The retained section of the Halvorsens boatshed underwent a significant
reconfiguration and refurbishment in the mid-1980s. The extent of replacement
cladding, roofing, windows and internal configuration was extensive.
1990s: The site underwent further refurbishment of various elements during the
1990s, which included the replacement of the small building at the top of the site
Record last updated 30 April 2015 |
4
above the boatshed. The new building provided direct access to the boatshed and
workshops from the upper level of the site.
2006: The slipway is no longer used for boat maintenance and was
decommissioned in 2006. The machinery does not have an ongoing use by
Customs.
2014: The site continues to be occupied by Customs and primarily used as a
training centre for staff. Works completed in early 2014 included a new jetty and
pontoon for the site.
Statutory Heritage Values
Gazetted
Statement of
Significance Commonwealth
Heritage List
The Customs Marine Centre, and particularly the 1840s pump, the seawall, the
artefacts on the cliff face and the slipway and boatshed remains and other
elements are of historical significance for several reasons. The site is associated
with Ben Boyd's industrial enterprise on Neutral Bay in the 1840s and in turn is
connected with commerce on Sydney Harbour and the wider colony's growing
pastoral and commercial development. Also, the site was associated with
shipbuilding and ship repair activities, and with wartime and customs maritime
duties. The site, particularly significant for its long and continuing association
with waterfront commercial and industrial operations, is one of the few
remaining maritime industrial sites on the north shore of the harbour. (Criteria
A.4 and B.2) (Themes 3.13 Developing an Australian manufacturing capacity,
3.8.1 Shipping to and from Australian ports, 7.6 Administering Australia, 7.7.3
Going to war)
The pump is of exceptional interest as an example of handmade pumping
technology as used in mid-nineteenth century industrial processes connected
with the wool industry. (Criterion B.2 and D.2)
The site has direct associations with 1840s entrepreneur and adventurer Ben
Boyd, who made a strong impression in colonial NSW and who not only built the
woolstore and woolscour but lived adjacent to the works. The site is also
associated with the prominent boat-building firm Halvorsens who are well
known in Australia and who traded from the site for a considerable number of
years in the twentieth century. (Criterion H.1)
The place has strong potential to yield archaeological evidence of former
shipbuilding and other activities over several phases. (Criterion C.2)
Possessing a definite maritime industrial character, and being located right on
the Sydney Harbour foreshore at Neutral Bay, the Customs Centre has important
aesthetic values. (Criterion E.1)
Criterion A Processes
The Customs Marine Centre, and particularly the 1840s pump, the seawall, the
artefacts on the cliff face and the slipway and boatshed remains and other
elements are of historical significance for several reasons. The site is associated
with Ben Boyd's industrial enterprise on Neutral Bay in the 1840s and in turn is
connected with commerce on Sydney Harbour and the wider colony's growing
pastoral and commercial development. Also, the site was associated with
shipbuilding and ship repair activities, and with wartime and customs maritime
duties. The site is particularly significant for its long and continuing association
with waterfront commercial and industrial operations.
Record last updated 30 April 2015 |
5
Attributes
All remaining fabric that indicates use of the site as a waterfront commercial and
industrial operation, including specific fabric detailed above.
Criterion B –
Rarity
The Customs Marine Centre is one of the few remaining maritime industrial
sites on the north shore of the harbour. The pump is of exceptional interest as an
example of handmade pumping technology as used in mid-nineteenth century
industrial processes connected with the wool industry.
Attributes
1840s pump, the seawall, the artefacts on the cliff face and the slipway and
boatshed remains.
Criterion C –
Research
The place has strong potential to yield archaeological evidence of former
shipbuilding and other activities over several phases.
Attributes
The whole site's subsurface.
Criterion D –
Characteristic
Value
The pump is of exceptional interest as an example of handmade pumping
technology as used in mid-nineteenth century industrial processes connected
with the wool industry.
Attributes
The pump
Criterion E –
Aesthetic
characteristics
Possessing a definite maritime industrial character, and being located right on
the Sydney Harbour foreshore at Neutral Bay, the Customs Centre has important
aesthetic values.
Attributes
The site's maritime industrial character with its harbour side location.
Criterion F –
Technical
achievement
Customs Marine Centre does not fulfil this criterion.
Criterion G – Social Customs Marine Centre does not fulfil this criterion.
Value
Criterion H –
Significant people
The site has direct associations with 1840s entrepreneur and adventurer Ben
Boyd, who made a strong impression in colonial NSW and who not only built the
woolstore and woolscour but lived adjacent to the works. The site is also
associated with the prominent boat-building firm Halvorsens who are well
known in Australia and who traded from the site for a considerable number of
years in the twentieth century.
Attributes
Evidence of use by Ben Boyd and by the Halvorsens.
Criterion I Indigenous
tradition
Customs Marine Centre does not fulfil this criterion.
Record last updated 30 April 2015 |
6
Department of Finance’s (Finance) updated heritage assessment
Finance’s updated
Statement of
Significance
The Customs Marine Centre, particularly the 1840s pump, the seawall, remnant
slipways and boat shed remains, is of local historical significance for several
reasons. The site is associated with Ben Boyd's industrial enterprise on Neutral
Bay in the 1840s and in turn is connected with commerce on Sydney Harbour
and the wider colony's growing pastoral and commercial development. Also, the
site was associated with shipbuilding and ship repair activities, and with wartime
and customs maritime duties. The site, particularly significant for its long and
continuing association with waterfront commercial and industrial operations, is
one of the few remaining maritime industrial sites on the north shore of the
harbour.
The pump is of interest as an example of handmade pumping technology as used
in mid-nineteenth century industrial processes connected with the wool industry.
The pump is associated with the Ben Boyd historical phase of the site.
The site has direct associations with 1840s entrepreneur and adventurer Ben
Boyd, who made a strong impression in colonial NSW and who not only built the
woolstore and woolscour but lived adjacent to the works. The site is also
associated with the prominent boat-building firm Halvorsens who are well
known in Australia and who traded from the site for a considerable number of
years in the twentieth century.
The place has some potential to yield archaeological evidence of former
shipbuilding and other activities over several phases.
Possessing a definite maritime industrial character, and being located right on
the Sydney Harbour foreshore at Neutral Bay, the Customs Centre has important
aesthetic values.
Criterion A Processes
The Customs Marine Centre site contains items of local historic significance.
These are the 1840s pump, the seawall, the artefacts on the cliff face and the
slipway and boat shed remains. The site is associated with Ben Boyd's industrial
enterprise on Neutral Bay in the 1840s and in turn is connected with commerce
on Sydney Harbour and the wider colony's growing pastoral and commercial
development. Also, the site was associated with shipbuilding and ship repair
activities, and with wartime and customs maritime duties. The site has local
historic significance for its long and continuing association with waterfront
commercial and industrial operations.
Attributes:
All remaining fabric that indicates use of the site as a waterfront commercial and
industrial operation, including specific fabric detailed above.
Criterion B –
Rarity
The Customs Marine Centre has local heritage significance as one of the few
remaining maritime industrial sites on the north shore of the Harbour. While not
intact, in poor condition and decontextualised by its immediate surround, the
pump is of interest as an example of handmade pumping technology as used in
mid-nineteenth century industrial processes connected with the wool industry.
Attributes:
1840s pump, the artefacts on the cliff face and the slipway and boat shed
remains.
Record last updated 30 April 2015 |
7
Criterion C –
Research
The place has some potential to yield archaeological evidence of former
shipbuilding and other activities over several phases.
Attributes:
The whole site's subsurface.
Criterion D –
Characteristic
Value
The pump is of interest as an example of handmade pumping technology as used
in mid-nineteenth century industrial processes connected with the wool industry.
Attributes:
The pump.
Criterion E –
Aesthetic
characteristics
Possessing a definite maritime industrial character, and being located right on
the Sydney Harbour foreshore at Neutral Bay, the Customs Centre has important
aesthetic values.
Attributes:
The site's maritime industrial character with its harbour side location. The
upper level garden bed and mature Port Jackson Fig Tree on the cliff edge. Views
from the upper and lower levels across the Bay and to the Harbour and Sydney
CBD.
Criterion F –
Technical
achievement
Customs Marine Centre does not fulfil this criterion.
Criterion G – Social Customs Marine Centre does not fulfil this criterion.
Value
Criterion H –
Significant people
The site has associations with 1840s entrepreneur and adventurer Ben Boyd,
who made a strong impression in colonial NSW and who not only built the
woolstore and woolscour but lived adjacent to the works. The site is also
associated with the prominent boat-building firm Halvorsens who are well
known in Australia and who traded from the site for a considerable number of
years in the twentieth century.
Attributes:
The pump, slipways, reconstructed portion of the Boat Shed and the potential
archaeological deposits.
Criterion I Indigenous
tradition
Customs Marine Centre does not fulfil this criterion.
Source: Environment Resources Management, 2014
Non-Statutory Listings
Register of the
National Estate
(RNE)
Customs Marine Centre is listed on the Register of the National Estate (RNE)
(Place ID 101166).
North Sydney
Customs Marine Centre is also included on Schedule 5 Environmental Heritage of
Local Environment the North Sydney Local Environment Plan 2013 as an item of local heritage
Plan 2013
significance (LEP 2013 ID 10576), and is located immediately adjacent to the
Kurraba Point Conservation Area (LEP 2013 ID CA16), an area of local heritage
significance on the LEP 2013.
Record last updated 30 April 2015 |
8
Additional information
Property Access
Customs Marine Centre is used a training centre and is not open to the public.
Consultation
The Department of Finance consulted with key stakeholders including the
Customs and the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Any additional consultation with other interested parties should include the
Compliance, Environment and Heritage team, Department of Finance.
Conservation
Documents/
References
Environment Resources Management (2014), Customs Marine Depot, Neutral
Bay, NSW, Heritage Management Plan.’ Department of Finance.
Godden Mackay Logan (2001), Heritage Assessment: Customs Marine Centre,
Neutral Bay", for Knight Frank.
Godden Mackay Logan (2008), Customs Marine Depot, Draft Heritage
Management Plan, Department of Finance.
Pike, Douglas (ed) (1966), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol 1, Melbourne
University Press.
More information
For further information regarding the Customs Marine Centre, please contact the
Department of Finance.
Record last updated 30 April 2015 |
9