Port Adelaide is one of South Australia’s most historic towns. For over 100 years almost everything that entered and left South Australia, including peopleand goods, passed through it.  The State Government, through its agency the Land Management Corporation, have contracted with developers in a 2.0 billion dollar waterfront project.

At particular risk are the boatyard area near the Birkenhead Bridge, the open space between Hart’s Mill and the Adelaide Milling Company, the Radio Shack and equipment used by waterside workers such as the Double Hook Level Luffing Electric Wharf Cranes. The Trust is also concerned about the future of historic maritime vessels the Falie and Nelcebee.

Over fifty hectares of land are being redeveloped in Port Adelaide. This includes razing the boatyard area near the Birkenhead Bridge. This precinct is rich in character and central to the areas long maritime history. The Port will be seriously diminished if the boat yards are razed and replaced with Gold Coast style apartment buildings and marinas. It is most ironic that the new development is called Newport Quays but involves destroying the last active boatyard in Port Adelaide. The current plan should be varied to retain many of the old buildings in the Birkenhead Bridge precinct while allowing for new development at the rear of the site. This would include keeping Searle’s Boatyard as an operating boatyard.

Across the river Hart’s Mill and the Adelaide Milling Company buildings are major historic landmarks. They provide an exciting opportunity to apply the highest standard of design in creatively adapting redundant historic structures for residential use.

In the public interest, the balance between development, conservation and adaptive re-use of historic buildings at Port Adelaide must be improved. The current arrangements seem strongly biased in favour of the developers at the

expense of the conservation.