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.

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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.

Landscape Setting Customs Marine Depot is an historic site dating back to the early nineteenth-

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century 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 with stone from the building, which washed away in heavy seas soon after

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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, wooden-framed 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 above the boatshed. The new building provided direct access to the boatshed and

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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.

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AttributesAll 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.

Attributes1840s 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.

AttributesThe 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.

AttributesThe 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 Value

Customs Marine Centre does not fulfil this criterion.

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.

AttributesEvidence of use by Ben Boyd and by the Halvorsens.

Criterion I - Indigenous tradition

Customs Marine Centre does not fulfil this criterion.

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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.

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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 Value

Customs Marine Centre does not fulfil this criterion.

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 Local Environment Plan 2013

Customs Marine Centre is also included on Schedule 5 Environmental Heritage of the North Sydney Local Environment Plan 2013 as an item of local heritage 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.

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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.

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