Duleesha Perera

The current development master plan for the Apollo Bay harbour lacks social, economic and environmental outcomes in the redevelopment and expansion of the fishermen’s co-operative building, sailing club and coastal infrastructure. One of several key issues not addressed includes the towns heritage significance and the on-going threat of sea-level rise. In order to address these issues, a series of interventions are proposed to aid and enhance the development of the current masterplan and make the site more appealing for visitors. These propositions outlined in the current master plan will be designed thoughtfully to withstand and combat the sites predicted 100 year storm tide inundation.

The First European settlers were timber cutters in the 1850’s, who subsequently established sawmills. The new fishermen’s co-operative building has been designed to reflect this early colonial history and to portray a unique architecture that feels familiar to the town and is inspired by significant architectural styles seen within the shire. Whilst resembling the towns fishing and maritime heritage, its programmatic spatial outcomes has been hybridised to showcase the importance of coastal management practices to educate visitors on the on-going threat of sea level rise.

The township of Krambruk (Aborigina name meaning ‘sandy place’, later renamed as Apollo Bay) was established in 1877 and was part of the traditional lands of the Gadubanud or King Parrot people of the Cape Otway coast. The sailing club has been elevated and hybridised through its design and spatial outcomes and includes a cultural hub space in order to acknowledge the sites indigenous heritage. The new expansion consists of a midden showroom, a space to encourage native planting and a communal fire pit area which resembles that the act of gathering is what combines cultures and people together over thousands of years.

As the harbour contributes as an importance fishing port, the addition of Floating marine reef platforms will provide accessibility to the inner harbour waters and will contribute as part of the site's urban weaving; encouraging ecological sustainability, increasing native fish populations and the town's economy.

It is hoped that these interventions will make the Apollo bay foreshore a resilient, educational and appealing harbourside for locals and tourists.

Over the years, fishing and boating has become a contested subject in terms of the ecological impact of commercial fishing and heavy tourism. The consequences of the bushfires and Covid-19 has led to large job losses due to the drop in Abalone sales. Our project analyses the ways in which architectural propositions can be used to improve social and economic viability in order to address bushfire recovery in Mallacoota. The Mallacoota Main Wharf Project attempts to acknowledge the tensions between locals and visitors, encouraging spaces for cohesion and stability.
- Mallacoota Main Wharf Project: A project undertaken in collaboration with Udari Gardihewa