General News
11 July, 2022
Bristol Hill Tower structurally sound, report finds
Just over a year since it was closed to the public due to structural integrity concerns, the Bristol Hill Tower has been given the all clear to reopen, however works to ensure the tower’s compliance are required first. Managed by the Department of...
Just over a year since it was closed to the public due to structural integrity concerns, the Bristol Hill Tower has been given the all clear to reopen, however works to ensure the tower’s compliance are required first.
Managed by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), the Bristol Hill Pioneers Memorial Tower was closed to the public on June 30 to allow for the repair of minor vandalism.
During these repairs however, Parks Victoria engineers flagged structural integrity concerns and the tower was closed to the public.
Last week a DELWP spokesperson confirmed an engineer’s report of the tower had been received and had given the tower the all clear.
“DELWP has obtained the engineer’s report, which has found the structural integrity of Bristol Hill Tower is intact,” the spokesperson said.
“There are still some works that need to be undertaken for the site to be made safe for the public.
“DELWP representatives are currently sourcing quotes from relevant contractors before seeking funds to undertake the works.
In the 12 months since its closure, Central Goldfields Shire councillors Geoff Lovett and Grace La Vella have championed for the historic structure to be reopened.
The tower and area around it has also been picked up by the Maryborough Rotary Club as the location for a possible peace and harmony park and place for the club to potentially take a managerial role, serving as a place for residents and visitors of all backgrounds, cultures and faiths to come together.
There were fears the tower could have been condemned when it was originally closed, however Cr Lovett said while the tower is in need of some work, it remains structurally sound.
“In April, myself and councillor Grace La Vella along with some Rotarians met with Adam Melis, the regional general manager of DELWP at the tower to discuss its future,” he said.
“Adam committed to get a structural dilapidation report completed for the tower and last week he presented this report to council.
“There was a fear the tower may be condemned but importantly, this report finds the tower to be structurally sound.
“Having said that, the report finds that due to years of poor maintenance, neglect and vandalism, a significant amount of remedial work will need to be undertaken before the tower can be reopened.”
The Advertiser understands issues highlighted in the report relate to visible cracking in the render of the tower itself, cracking in the concrete of the tower’s lower level landing, corrosion to the tower’s balustrade and loose or missing wire mesh infill.
There are also signs of cracking in the concrete surface at the top viewing platform, the external steps leading to the tower show signs of cracking and the internal bluestone stairs show signs of wear and tear from foot travel.
While the report recommends a consultant is brought in to identify accessibility issues that may pose a danger to the public and ensure the tower’s compliance, Cr Lovett welcomed the report as a positive step forward.
“I found this report to be very positive in terms of the tower’s future, it lays out what needs to be done for us to reopen this facility to the public which is our objective,” he said.
“In many ways the problems are due to neglect and are largely superficial which isn’t to say they’re not important, but the tower itself in a general sense is structurally sound which is the most important thing.
“It is DELWP’s responsibility to obtain funding to fix these issues, I can’t put a time on it but I expect that in 12 months we will be a long way down the track in solving these issues.
“I believe this report has negated those fears of the tower being condemned, but there is work to be done.”
Cr Lovett also said council will be working with the Maryborough Rotary Club on further exploring its ideas for a peace and harmony park and club president Garry Higgins said the project will bring the whole community together.
“This is still early in the planning stage for us and the most important part of this for Rotary is the process we use, we have to get our whole community together to come up with something for everyone,” he said.
“We need to do some work on what a peace and harmony park might actually look like — the idea of it is to bring people from all different groups together during the project and ongoing as well.
“We’re looking at all the international groups that have made Maryborough in the past and what the current mix of nationalities and faiths is and how we can get them to come together to create something.
“We’re considering the possibility of visiting the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo to get some ideas.”
Built almost 90 years ago during the Great Depression in 1933, the tower is a memorial to the pioneers and founders of Maryborough, something Mr Higgins said was also important to commemorate.
“We’re starting to do some work around collating the history of the tower and how it came to be,” he said.
“When the tower was built it was in the middle of a global depression and we’re now in the middle of a global pandemic.
“We want something of significance that acknowledges or notes in history that our community has actually gone through this — it will leave a trail for our future generations.”