Crane hope remains as Co-Op salvaging begins

SALVAGING of materials has begun at the old Co-Op building at Lorne’s Point Grey precinct, but a local group is hoping a historic feature on the pier can also be restored.

As part of the redevelopment of the site, the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCAPA) demolished the former Lorne Aquatic and Angling Club in March and began salvaging materials from the 1949 section of the Co-Op building for re-use in the new building last week.

All hazardous material, including a substantial amount of Class-A asbestos, has been safely removed from the structure, allowing the start of salvaging works.

It will take several weeks to remove the salvaged material from the Co-Op, with items to be saved and used again including bricks, steel framing, roof trusses, tiles, gantry beams and the tram tracks.

The rest of the structure will then be demolished and removed.

“We know the old part of the Co-Op holds a lot of memories for the Lorne community, so we are making sure historic materials are re-used and the new design echoes it in its shape, roofline and footprint,” a GORCAPA spokesperson said.

The crane on the Point Grey pier was dismantled in 2007 but later saved from the Lorne tip by members of Friends of Lorne.

The group – which uses a silhouette of the crane on the pier in its logo – have been requesting for years for the crane to be reassembled as a feature at the precinct.

 

In their April newsletter, Friends of Lorne states the crane is in storage but not in good condition so would need a professional assessment for how its parts might be used in a replica or restored structure at Point Grey.

Local interest remains high in the crane, with musician Cosmic Entity releasing a sea shanty, Point Grey Crane Come Back Again, on 30 April.

The song’s chorus contains the line “Long live the Point Grey crane/ ‘Cause rebuilding it here/Is nowhere near as insane/As Lorne without a pier”.

GORCAPA did not respond directly to questions about the crane but said the Point Grey precinct’s art and history strategy is nearly finished.

A working group with representatives from the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation, the Lorne Historic Society, Friends of Lorne and local historians have provided input.

“The art and history strategy for the precinct is really coming together as well, shaped by a working group with representatives from local community and history groups,” the GORCAPA spokesperson said.

“The strategy focuses on the precinct’s long shared history, including cultural, fishing and timber industries and will bring the area to life by telling the stories of the people who made it.”