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ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL

HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE AND

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

RECOMMENDATION TO THE

HERITAGE COUNCIL

Name: The Landscape of Dendy Street BeachHermes Number: 198916

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NAME THE LANDSCAPE OF DENDY STREET BEACH

LOCATION THE ESPLANADE, BRIGHTON

HERITAGE OVERLAY BAYSIDE CITY: HO143 BATHING BOXESHO163 BRIGHTON BEACH GARDENSHO730 BRIGHTON BEACH GARDENS, GREENPOINTHO164 WAR MEMORIAL

OTHER VPO1 DR JIM WILLIS RESERVE AND GREEN POINTABORIGINAL SITES (VICTORIAN ABORIGINAL CULTURAL HERITAGE REGISTER)

FILE NUMBER: FOL/16/10289

HERMES NUMBER: 198916


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This recommendation report has been issued by the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria under s.32 of the Heritage Act 1995. It has not been considered or endorsed by the Heritage Council of Victoria.


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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RECOMMENDATION TO THE HERITAGE COUNCIL: That the place NOT be included in the Victorian Heritage Register under Section 32 (1)(b) of the Heritage Act 1995.

TIM SMITH OAMExecutive DirectorRecommendation Date: 19 May 2017

NOMINATED EXTENTThe landscape of beach, dunes and foreshore reserve west of the Esplanade, Brighton, from, and including the Brighton Life Saving Club (LSC) southwards to, and including, Green Point Reserve. This includes the Dr Jim Willis Reserve, and the renowned bathing boxes.


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BACKGROUND TO THE NOMINATIONA nomination was accepted for the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach, which is inclusive of the Dendy Street Bathing Boxes, on 29 March 2016. The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach contains natural landscape elements, places of Aboriginal significance and built cultural heritage structures. The Heritage Act 1995 (the Act) does not allow for the assessment of places primarily of natural heritage value, or of places of cultural heritage significance only on the grounds of an association with Aboriginal tradition or Aboriginal traditional use.

NATURAL HERITAGE VALUES

The purpose of the Act is to ‘provide for the protection and conservation of places and objects of cultural heritage significance. Under s.3 of the Act a ‘place’ is defined as ‘a building, a garden, a tree, the remains of a ship or part of a ship, an archaeological site, a precinct or a site.’ The vegetated sand dunes (the Dr Jim Willis Reserve) and the beach are significant components of the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach, but are primarily places of natural heritage values. While the place as a whole could be considered as a precinct, there is no readily identifiable beginning or end to the beach landscape and the boundary could be extended indefinitely in north or south directions. The Dr Jim Willis Reserve is part of the Bayside City Council Planning Scheme Vegetation Protection Overlay (VPO1).

ABORIGINAL VALUES

The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach includes sites associated with Boonwurrrung culture, which are included in the Victorian Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Register established by the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006. These sites are not included in this assessment as under s.5 of the Victorian Heritage Act 1995, the Act does not apply to a place or object that is of cultural heritage significance only on the grounds of its association with (a) Aboriginal tradition; or (b) Aboriginal traditional use.

INTANGIBLE VALUES

The nomination states that ‘it is possible to actually stand on the same natural sand among midden scatter just as the Boonwurrung stood for thousands of years, looking through the same tea tree but now at our major capital city. This gives us a continuing connection with the oldest culture of the world.’ The nomination continues ‘The prospect from Green Point draws together all these elements, the aboriginal, the Dendy Settlement, the natural dune and the view of the great city, demonstrating the passage of time and


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exemplifying our cultural history in a unique way.’ The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach is undeniably a place of natural and built beauty, which is highly appreciated and valued by local residents and tourists, and one of immense cultural value to the Boonwurrung people. These values are expressed through views across a large and changing historical landscape and the evocation of intangible cultural histories . The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach is one of many places around Port Phillip Bay, indeed around Victoria, which has a similar confluence of natural, cultural, Aboriginal, tangible and intangible values. It should be noted that all places in Victoria have a continuing connection with Aboriginal culture and tradition.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RESPONSE SUMMARYIt is the view of the Executive Director that the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach in its entirety should not be included in the Victorian Heritage Register for the reasons outlined in this report. It is the view of the Executive Director that the Dendy Street Beach Bathing Boxes should be included in the Victorian Heritage Register.

DENDY STREET BEACH BATHING BOXES RECOMMENDATIONIn addition to this current report, there is a separate recommendation which provides the Executive Director’s reasons for recommending the inclusion of the Dendy Street Beach Bathing Boxes in the Victorian Heritage Register. Some reference will necessarily be made to the Dendy Street Bathing Boxes in this current report in the context of the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach in its entirety. A more detailed assessment of the history and significance of the Dendy Street Bathing Boxes is addressed in a separate recommendation report.

LOCAL SIGNIFICANCEThe local heritage significance of individual elements within the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach are reflected in their inclusion in the Heritage Overlays of the Bayside City Council Planning Scheme for the Bathing Boxes (HO143), Brighton Beach Gardens (HO163), Brighton Beach Gardens Greenpoint (HO730) and the War Memorial (HO164). The Dr Jim Willis Reserve and Green Point are included in the Vegetation Protection Overlay of the Bayside City Council Planning Scheme (VPO1).


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RECOMMENDATION REASONSREASONS FOR NOT RECOMMENDING INCLUSION IN THE VICTORIAN HERITAGE REGISTER [s.34A(2)]

Following is the Executive Director's assessment of the place against the tests set out in The Victorian Heritage Register Criteria and Thresholds Guidelines (2014).

CRITERION A

Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION A

The place/object has a CLEAR ASSOCIATION with an event, phase, period, process, function, movement, custom or way of life in Victoria’s cultural history.

Plus

The association of the place/object to the event, phase, etc IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object and/or in documentary resources or oral history.

Plus

The EVENT, PHASE, etc is of HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE, having made a strong or influential contribution to Victoria.


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Executive Director’s Response

The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach contains elements with independent histories and values which are connected through their geographical location. The disparate nature of the various built elements within the landscape means that it is difficult to read as a cohesive landscape or precinct. An historical theme that can be used to assess the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach under the Act is the development of a British/European beach culture from the mid nineteenth century.

Elements which have a clear association with the development of beach culture

The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach has an association with the development of beach culture in Victoria. The elements which are able to be assessed under the Act, and which best demonstrate the development of beach culture through physical fabric and documentary resources are the Bathing Boxes, the Brighton Beach Gardens and the Brighton Life Saving Club.

These elements demonstrate the development of beach culture through their evolution from nineteenth century uses, to present day uses. The bathing boxes have evolved from modest functional structures located close to the waterline, which allowed bathers to change out of their clothes and discreetly enter the water, to their present use as colourful places of casual social interaction, and for the storage of sporting and recreational equipment. The Brighton Life Saving Club was established as beach visits and swimming became more of a recreational activity where many people in the water at once required safe supervision. The Brighton Beach Gardens were established as places for people to promenade and take in the healthy sea air. They too have evolved into a place for more informal social events.

Elements associated with aspects of Victoria’s cultural history other than beach culture

The Brighton War Memorial also has a clear association with the impact World War One and subsequent conflicts had on local communities throughout Victoria. The Brighton War Memorial is one of hundreds of local war memorials in Victoria.

Criterion A is likely to be satisfied.


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STEP 2: A BASIC TEST FOR DETERMINING STATE LEVEL SIGNIFICANCE FOR CRITERION A

The place/object allows the clear association with the event, phase etc. of historical importance to be UNDERSTOOD BETTER THAN MOST OTHER PLACES OR OBJECTS IN VICTORIA WITH SUBSTANTIALLY THE

SAME ASSOCIATION.


There are many beach side locations around Victoria’s bays and peninsulas. Brighton was one of the earliest beach side suburbs to be established, and many more were established in the following decades. Bathing boxes and permanent sea baths were constructed at many Victorian beaches in the mid to late nineteenth century, and during the early twentieth century, lifesaving clubs were established.

The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach is one of many coastal locations in Victoria where the development of beach culture is evident. Individual elements located within the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach demonstrate the evolution of beach culture, but similar assemblages of these elements, are also evident at other coastal locations in Victoria and demonstrate a comparable level of cultural heritage value. The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach as a whole does not allow the development of beach culture to be better understood than most other places in Victoria with substantially the same association.

Criterion A is not likely to be satisfied at the State level.

CRITERION B

Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION B

The place/object has a clear ASSOCIATION with an event, phase, period, process, function, movement, custom or way of life of importance in Victoria’s cultural history.


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Plus

The association of the place/object to the event, phase, etc IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object and/or in documentary resources or oral history.

Plus

The place/object is RARE OR UNCOMMON, being one of a small number of places/objects remaining that demonstrates the important event, phase etc.

ORThe place/object is RARE OR UNCOMMON, containing unusual features of note that were not widely

replicatedOR

The existence of the class of place/object that demonstrates the important event, phase etc is ENDANGERED to the point of rarity due to threats and pressures on such places/objects.


No elements of the Dendy Street Beach Landscape which can be assessed under the Act possess uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history. The elements which make up the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach can be found at many coastal locations around Victoria and there are many similar landscape settings around Port Phillip Bay.

Criterion B is not likely to be satisfied.


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CRITERION C

Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION C

The: visible physical fabric; &/or documentary evidence; &/or

oral history,relating to the place/object indicates a likelihood that the place/object contains PHYSICAL EVIDENCE of

historical interest that is NOT CURRENTLY VISIBLE OR UNDERSTOOD.

Plus

From what we know of the place/object, the physical evidence is likely to be of an INTEGRITY and/or CONDITION that it COULD YIELD INFORMATION through detailed investigation.


This criterion usually refers to archaeology or physical evidence that is not currently visible. Neither the Dendy Street Beach Bathing Boxes nor the landscape in which they are located, contain physical evidence of historical interest (such as historical archaeology) that is not currently visible, and able to be assessed under the Act. The place does contain sites associated with Boonwurrrung culture, and these sites are included in the Victorian Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Register established by the Aboriginal Heritage Act (2006). They are not located within the footprint of the Dendy Street Beach Bathing Boxes.

Criterion C is not likely to be satisfied.


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CRITERION D

Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural places and objects.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION D

The place/object is one of a CLASS of places/objects that has a clear ASSOCIATION with an event, phase, period, process, function, movement, important person(s), custom or way of life in Victoria’s history.

Plus

The EVENT, PHASE, etc is of HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE, having made a strong or influential contribution to Victoria.

Plus

The principal characteristics of the class are EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object.


The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach is a recreational landscape which contains elements associated with the development of beach culture, from the mid nineteenth century, through to the present day. Beach culture has made a strong contribution to Victoria, and the principal characteristics of a recreational coastal location are evident in the physical fabric of the place, including the Bathing Boxes, the Brighton Beach Gardens, and the Life Saving Club.


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Criterion D is likely to be satisfied.


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STEP 2: A BASIC TEST FOR DETERMINING STATE LEVEL SIGNIFICANCE FOR CRITERION D

The place/object is a NOTABLE EXAMPLE of the class in Victoria (refer to Reference Tool D).


The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach contains a large number of characteristics of the class of a recreational coastal location. However these characteristics are also evident at other coastal locations around Victoria. There are more bathing boxes at Dendy Street Beach than anywhere else in Victoria, however the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach as a whole is not of a higher quality or historical relevance than other places in the class.

Criterion D is not likely to be satisfied at the State level.

CRITERION E

Importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION E

The PHYSICAL FABRIC of the place/object clearly exhibits particular aesthetic characteristics.


The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach clearly exhibits particular aesthetic characteristics through its setting on Port Phillip Bay with views across the water to the Melbourne CBD. The brightly painted Bathing Boxes set against the natural backdrop of the vegetated dunes contribute to these characteristics.

Criterion E is likely to be satisfied.


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STEP 2: A BASIC TEST FOR DETERMINING STATE LEVEL SIGNIFICANCE FOR CRITERION E

The aesthetic characteristics are APPRECIATED OR VALUED by the wider community or an appropriately-related discipline as evidenced, for example, by:

critical recognition of the aesthetic characteristics of the place/object within a relevant art, design, architectural or related discipline as an outstanding example within Victoria; or

wide public acknowledgement of exceptional merit in Victoria in medium such as songs, poetry, literature, painting, sculpture, publications, print media etc.


The aesthetic characteristics of the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach are appreciated by the local community, and by national and international visitors. The Bathing Boxes have been photographed and represented in paintings and drawings innumerable times, however there are few creative works which address the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach as a whole. There has been no critical recognition of, or acknowledgement of, the exceptional merit of the landscape (such as the acknowledgement afforded to Hanging Rock). The Dendy Street Beach is one of numerous beach locations around Victoria which have similar aesthetic values that are undistinguished by any critical recognition or wide public acknowledgement of exceptional merit at the State level.

Criterion E is not likely to be satisfied at the State level.


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CRITERION F

Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION F

The place/object contains PHYSICAL EVIDENCE that clearly demonstrates creative or technical ACHIEVEMENT for the time in which it was created.

Plus

The physical evidence demonstrates a HIGH DEGREE OF INTEGRITY.


No elements of the Dendy Street Beach Landscape which can be assessed under the Act contain physical evidence that clearly demonstrates creative or technical achievement for the time in which it was created.

Criterion F is not likely to be satisfied.

CRITERION G

Strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. This includes the significance of a place to indigenous people as part of their continuing and developing cultural traditions.


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STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION G

Evidence exists of a DIRECT ASSOCIATION between the place/object and a PARTICULAR COMMUNITY OR CULTURAL GROUP.

(For the purpose of these guidelines, ‘COMMUNITY or CULTURAL GROUP’ is defined as a sizable group of persons who share a common and long-standing interest or identity).

Plus

The ASSOCIATION between the place/object and the community or cultural group is STRONG OR SPECIAL, as evidenced by the regular or long-term use of/engagement with the place/object or the enduring ceremonial,

ritual, commemorative, spiritual or celebratory use of the place/object.


The community of Brighton has a strong association with the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach as a place to meet and engage in social and recreational activities. The association between the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach and the Brighton community is particularly strong, with some members having multigenerational associations with the place. The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach is also valued and appreciated by the many local, national and international visitors who visit it each year.

Criterion G is likely to be satisfied.

STEP 2: A BASIC TEST FOR DETERMINING STATE LEVEL SIGNIFICANCE FOR CRITERION G

The place/object represents a PARTICULARLY STRONG EXAMPLE of the association between it and the community or cultural group by reason of its RELATIONSHIP TO IMPORTANT HISTORICAL EVENTS in Victoria

and/or its ABILITY TO INTERPRET EXPERIENCES to the broader Victorian community.


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The association between the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach and the community of Brighton is no stronger than the association between beaches and communities at other locations around Victoria. The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach is also valued and appreciated by the many national and international tourists who visit it each year, however this association is no stronger than the association tourists have with the many other places they visit.

Criterion G is not likely to be satisfied at the State level.

CRITERION H

Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Victoria’s history.

STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION H

The place/object has a DIRECT ASSOCIATION with a person or group of persons who have made a strong or influential CONTRIBUTION to the course of Victoria’s history.

Plus

The ASSOCIATION of the place/object to the person(s) IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object and/or in documentary resources and/or oral history.


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Plus

The ASSOCIATION: • directly relates to ACHIEVEMENTS of the person(s) at, or relating to, the place/object; or

• relates to an enduring and/or close INTERACTION between the person(s) and the place/object.


No elements of the Dendy Street Beach Landscape which can be assessed under the Act have a direct association with a person or group of persons who have made a strong or influential contribution to the course of Victoria’s history.

Criterion H is not likely to be satisfied at the State level.


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ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE [s.34A(2)(d)]

The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach is a place with strong connections to the community of Brighton. It is also admired and appreciated by local, national and international tourists who visit it each year. The local heritage significance of individual elements within the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach are reflected in their inclusion in the Heritage Overlay of the Bayside City Council Planning Scheme for the Bathing Boxes (HO143), Brighton Beach Gardens (HO163), Brighton Beach Gardens Greenpoint (HO730) and the War Memorial (HO164). The Dr Jim Willis Reserve and Green Point are included in the Vegetation Protection Overlay of the Bayside City Council Planning Scheme (VPO1), and the sites associated with Boonwurrung culture are included in the Victorian Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Register.

DESCRIPTION The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach is bounded by the high water mark to the east, the Esplanade to the west, the clubhouse of the Brighton Life Saving Club to the north, and Green Point to the south. The beach itself is divided into two coves; Holloway Bay and Dendy Street Beach. Sand dunes vegetated with native species are located at the rear of the beach, along the Esplanade. A brick 1950s Life Saving Clubhouse is located at the northern end of the beach and in front of the dunes there is a line of approximately 82 brightly painted bathing boxes.

The southern end of the beach is known as Green Point. This area contains a World War I Memorial, a large carpark, an area with interpretive signage, and Brighton Beach Gardens which contains remnant mature trees and a c. 1910s timber tram shelter. To the north, a substantial brick scout hall is located within the dune area, approximately midway along the beach and a change room is located further north.


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RELEVANT INFORMATION

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY Bayside City Council

HERITAGE LISTING INFORMATION

Heritage Overlay: Yes: HO143 Bathing Boxes; HO163 Brighton Beach Gardens; HO730 Bright Beach Gardens, Greenpoint; HO164 War Memorial

Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Register: Yes (partial – sites beneath the Dr Jim Willis Reserve)


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Heritage Overlay Controls: External Paint: Yes: HO143, Bathing Boxes; HO163 Brighton Beach Gardens, HO164 War MemorialInternal Alteration: NoTree: Yes HO730 Brighton Beach Gardens, Greenpoint

Other listing: Bayside Planning Scheme Vegetation Protection Overlay (VPO1)


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HISTORY

The landscape

The land known as the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach is the traditional land of the Boonwurrung people and their presence is evident in cultural sites within the sand dunes along the Esplanade. This place includes Green Point, originally a low receding cliff, which was filled in when a sea wall was constructed post 1936, and Dendy Street Beach and Holloway Bay. The dunes behind Dendy Street Beach were probably created around 6,000 years ago when the sea level stabilised and sand was deposited against the Red Bluff Sands which run under the Esplanade. Foreshore winds continue to shift sand from the beach, resulting in two dunes with a small swale or depression between them. Vegetation has stabilised the dunes and continues to trap the sand.

The dune area is now known as the Dr Jim Willis Reserve after Dr Jim Willis who was the Assistant Government Botanist at the National Herbarium of Victoria (Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne) until his retirement in 1972. He was a long term resident of Brighton and was widely recognised for his taxonomic research and more than 800 publications on native flora.

The establishment of Brighton

In 1840, prior to leaving Britain, Henry Dendy was granted eight square miles of land under a Special Survey approved by the British Government's Land and Emigration Commission. It was bounded by North Road, East Boundary Road, South Road and the high water mark of Port Phillip Bay. On his arrival in 1841, Dendy employed Jonathan Binns Were as his agent and the new township of Brighton was surveyed in the same year. Dendy eventually sold his interest to the Were family and after a slow beginning, Brighton became a popular recreational destination, with interest slowly growing in the healthy atmosphere of beach side locations.

Beach ownership

In 1873 Beach Road (now the Esplanade) was formed, exacerbating ongoing disputes about ownership of land at Brighton between the road and the high water mark. Some believed it was in private ownership and others believed it was for public use. In theory, a portion of land one chain from the high water mark had been allocated for public use but bathing boxes had already been erected on this land and drew complaints from private owners whose properties abutted the foreshore. In 1876, Nicholas Were tested this ownership by advertising a property between the road and the high water mark for sale. The land was jointly purchased by private residents, the government and Council and was ultimately handed over to the Brighton Council for public use.


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Beach use in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

In the late nineteenth century, the activity of sea bathing was common in Britain, as well as in Australia. People visited beachside destinations to take in the unpolluted seaside air, and to bathe. During this period sea bathing was not considered so much as a sport or recreational activity, but as a health benefit. The water was clean, and bathing was often a substitute for washing. It was a discreet affair, with segregated bathing times and areas. Men bathed naked and women wore dresses or bathing costumes, almost as cumbersome as clothing. Even with segregation, bathers accessed the water using bathing ‘machines’ or purpose built baths which extended out into the water, ensuring there was as little opportunity as possible for the bather to be seen. Despite this, there were many complaints about the visibility of naked men, and in 1891 Brighton Council passed a resolution that they too, had to be clothed.

During the mid to late nineteenth century, a number of beaches around Port Phillip Bay, including Brighton, St Kilda and Williamstown, had commercial bathing facilities with change rooms, promenades and enclosures extending out into the water. In 1844 the Brighton Hotel advertised a wheeled bathing machine for use by its patrons. It is likely that there were bathing boxes on Dendy Street Beach by the 1860s, and definitely by the 1880s. Unlike places in Europe and Britain where boxes were almost always connected to a resort or hotel, bathing boxes in Victoria were often privately owned. The ownership of some bathing boxes was affiliated with houses in nearby streets, and sold as part of the property.

In the 1880s, the Brighton Beach Gardens were established on a reserve acquired by the council in 1876, on what is now known as Green Point. By 1900, a band rotunda had been erected and the gardens were laid out and planted. Path layouts and mature trees survive from this period, including Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa), Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla), Norfolk Island Hibiscus (Lagunaria patersonii) and Coast Tea Tree (Leptospermum laevigatum), although most other early plantings have been replaced. A tramway shelter was moved to the Gardens in 1909 from the Park Street terminus of the St Kilda Brighton Tramway.

By 1915 there were 120 bathing boxes on Brighton beaches. Owners paid an annual license fee to Council, but were expected to maintain their own boxes. Despite this, many fell into disrepair, or were destroyed or damaged by storms and high tides. During the 1920s, there was agitation to remove them, however most remained, and new ones were constructed. Bathing boxes built in the first few decades of the twentieth century were weatherboard with shingle or corrugated irons roofs and painted white and green. It wasn’t until the mid-1970s that the individual, brightly painted colour schemes evident today were implemented.


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Suggesting an increase in swimming activity, three bathing box owners established a life saving club in 1921. It was officially opened in 1922 as the Middle Brighton Swimming and Life Saving Club and has been known as the Brighton Life Saving Club since 1923. The first clubhouse opened in 1924 and was a modest building, containing dressing rooms and a storage area. In 1925 a new clubhouse was erected on land provided by Brighton Council.

In 1927 a sandstone war memorial designed by Paul Montford and constructed by Irwin and Stephenson was constructed at Green Point to commemorate those who served in World War I. Additions and alterations have since been made to acknowledge those who served in later conflicts.

The Depression of the 1930s initiated programs to provide work for the unemployed, including the construction of a bluestone wall to prevent erosion at Brighton beaches, and a sea wall at Green Point. The wall was designed with a break between the existing lifesaving club and Green Point and in 1934, all bathing boxes in the Brighton area were moved to Dendy Street Beach. At first they were lined up along the high water mark, and then moved to their current location at the rear of the beach. The Brighton Bathing Box Owners Association was formed in the following year and remains a strong community group which is still operational today.

By the 1950s, the boxes were again in a neglected state. The council proposed to demolish the boxes and replace them with large concrete dressing sheds, however, mainly due to objections from the Brighton Bathing Box Owners Association, this never eventuated. The lifesaving club was destroyed by fire in 1957 and a new brick clubhouse opened in 1961 on the existing site.

In the following decades, the State Government authorities and councils adopted policies which actively discouraged the private use of any beaches, and encouraged the removal of all beach structures on Crown Land. In 1983 the Coastal Caucus Committee of the Labor Party recommended to remove approximately 2,000 Port Phillip Bay boatsheds, bathing boxes and similar structures within the next five years. In response to representations to the Historic Buildings Council, a study of the architectural and historical significance of all structures around Port Phillip Bay, was commissioned, which recommended that the Dendy Street Beach Bathing Boxes be retained as a representative group. By this date, the bathing boxes had been painted in their existing bright colour schemes.


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VICTORIAN HISTORICAL THEMES

06 Building towns, cities and the garden state6.3 Shaping the suburbs

08 Building community life8.5 Preserving traditions and commemorating

09 Shaping cultural and creative life9.1 Participating in sport and recreation

INTEGRITY/INTACTNESS

INTACTNESS – The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach is largely a natural environment which has undergone many changes. The Dr Jim Willis Reserve, the foreshore, and the Aboriginal sites cannot be assessed under the Act. Individual elements which can be assessed under the Act, such as the lifesaving club house, scout hall, change rooms, carpark and war memorial, are individually intact. The individual bathing boxes appear intact, however some of the original fabric has been replaced and/or repaired and some bathing boxes have been constructed within the last five years. (March 2017)

INTEGRITY – The Aboriginal sites, and the natural environment, including the Dr Jim Willis Reserve and the foreshore, cannot be assessed under the Act. The integrity of individual elements which can be assessed under the Act such as the lifesaving club house, bathing boxes, scout hall, change rooms, carpark and war memorial individually is high, however it could be argued that their presence compromises the integrity of the natural environment. (March 2017)

CONDITION

The place is mostly in good condition. Most elements of the place are well maintained. The Brighton Life Saving Club and the drain which runs beneath the sea wall directly in front of it are in fair condition.


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COMPARISONS

Recreational places in natural settings in the VHR

Eastern Beach Bathing Complex And Reserve, Geelong (VHR H0929)

Constructed between 1928 and 1939, the Eastern Beach Bathing Complex was the last major enclosed sea bathing facility to be constructed on Port Phillip Bay, and represents the culmination of the ethos of sea bathing. Eastern Beach has provided a focal point for Geelong’s outdoor activities. Eastern Beach Promenade is also significant in being the only original structure that survives of the many sea-baths which once dominated Port Phillip Bay’s foreshore and is unique within Victoria. Eastern Beach represents an innovative example of the work of structural engineer and architect, Harry Hare. The sea-baths are illustrative of the traditional pastime of sea bathing, popular since the 1840s and are representative of the transition from segregated and private bathing in the 19th century to mixed public bathing and pursuit of sport and leisure in the early 20th century.


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Eastern Beach Bathing Complex And Reserve (VHR H0929)


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Bells Beach Surfing Recreation Reserve (VHR H2032)

Bells Beach Surfing Recreation Reserve is a landscape that is significant as an international icon of Australian surfing culture. It comprises a high concentration of quality surfing spots created by swells from the southern ocean which slow and steepen over the reef strewn shallows to form consistent, rideable waves. The roots of surfing in Victoria are in the Torquay/Surf Coast area beginning at Lorne in 1920, and pioneer surfers were accessing Bell’s Beach from 1939. In January 1961 the first surfing event was held, followed by the first annual Bells Beach Easter competition in 1962 which, since 1991, has been recognised as the world's longest running surfing competition. The creation of the Bells Beach Surfing Recreation Reserve (a world first) in 1973, the recognition of its environmental excellence, and even the creation of the Surf Coast Shire in 1995 bear testimony to the special place of surfing and Bells Beach in Victorian social history. Bells Beach Surfing Recreation Reserve has historic significance to the development of surfboard and wetsuit technology. The Bells Beach conditions led to important developments in the surfing industry which has become a multi-million dollar surf manufacturing industry.


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Bells Beach Surfing Recreation Reserve (VHR H2032)

Hanging Rock Reserve (VHR H2339)

Hanging Rock Reserve is a public reserve near Woodend. It is historically significant as an early and popular recreational destination and meeting place for Victorians. The distinctive and rare geological formation of Hanging Rock attracted large numbers of visitors from as early as the 1860s to participate in outdoor sport and leisure activities, in a unique and highly picturesque setting. It illustrates the great popularity of outdoor pursuits, particularly in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, including its long association with horse racing in Victoria from the 1860s to the present day. Hanging Rock Reserve is of aesthetic significance as an outstanding, distinctive and unusual place of natural beauty. The picturesque qualities of the place evoke a


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strong emotional response from the viewer. From the 1850s the unusual and distinctive physical features of the Hanging Rock formation have stimulated innumerable written and artistic responses, including sketches, paintings, photographs, writing, film and music. The Hanging Rock Reserve has an enduring association with tourists which was reinforced by the production of the book (1967) and the film (1975) of Picnic at Hanging Rock, which resulted in an increase in the popularity of the Hanging Rock Reserve as a destination for local, Australian and overseas visitors.

Hanging Rock Reserve (VHR H2339)


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Comparison summary

All three of these locations are of cultural heritage significance for their enduring association with outdoor activities and recreational pursuits, which increased in popularity in the late nineteenth century. Although the same could be said for the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach, these places have a cohesiveness that is lacking in the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach.

The Eastern Beach Bathing Complex and Reserve comprises a number of different elements which were designed and constructed at the same time, creating a cultural landscape which concentrates beach side activities at a single location. There is a clearly defined boundary which encapsulates significant elements.

Bells Beach Surfing Recreation Reserve is well known as a place intrinsically connected to surf and beach culture. Although there are no permanent structures at Bells Beach, it is associated with the development of world renowned surfing events, beach culture and associated industries during the twentieth century.

The association with Hanging Rock Reserve as a place for creative inspiration, outdoor pursuits, and associated leisure activities, including horse racing, developed concurrently from the 1860s and continues to the present day, creating a cohesive landscape of continued use. Its aesthetic significance is reinforced through a critically acclaimed publication and film.

All three of these places have a long and enduring association with the development of outdoor activities and recreational pursuits which attract visitors, initially from around the state and now internationally. The various elements that make up the individual places have developed concurrently, forming cohesive cultural landscapes. In comparison, the elements which contribute to the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach have geographical association through their geographical location, but have separate histories. Together the elements of the Landscape of Dendy Street Beach do not form a cohesive landscape with consistent cultural heritage values of State level significance.

KEY REFERENCES USED TO PREPARE ASSESSMENT

Allom Lovell & Associates (1999) City of Bayside Heritage Review (including a review of City of Brighton Urban Character and Conservation Study (1986) and the City of Sandringham Heritage and Conservation Study (1989) by Andrew Ward)

Allom Lovell & Associates and John Patrick (1999) City of Bayside Heritage Review (Landscape assessment)

Brighton Historical Society


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Heritage Insight (2015) Draft Due Diligence Report, Proposed Dendy Street Beach Pavillion

Heritage Unit and the Coastal Unit of the Ministry for Planning and Environment (August 1985) Bathing boxes and similar structures around Port Phillip Bay

Jenkinson, Jo (2015) The Lure of the Beach Brighton Historical Society

Smith, R V (1987) James H Willis – a distinguished botanical career Botanic Magazine Vol. 2 pg 27

Wakelin Associates Pty Ltd (2011) Geomorphology of Brighton Dunes & Jim Willis Reserve

Willis, J H (1991) My Lifetime Involvement with Systematic Botany Botanic Magazine Vol. 8 pg 43

The Age and the Argus (various articles)

http://www.brightonvillage.com.au/Brighton_History/history.htmhttp://www.brightonbathingbox.org.au/en/history


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http://www.brightonvillage.com.au/Brighton_History/history.htm

http://www.brightonbathingbox.org.au/en/history

LOCATION PLAN


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IMAGES

2016: The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach, from Green point, looking north


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2016: The Landscape of Dendy Street Beach, from the Life Saving Club, looking south


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2016: Dr Jim Willis Reserve from the Esplanade


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2016: Green Point and Brighton Beach Gardens, aerial view


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2016: Brighton Beach Gardens


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2016: War memorial at Green Point 2016: Interpretive signage at Green Point


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mid 1980s: Dendy Street Beach, from Green Point, looking north (Source: State Library of Victoria)


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1968: Aerial view of Green Point (Source: Museum Victoria)


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1961: Brighton Beach (Source: National Library of Australia)


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c. 1940s: Brighton Beach Gardens (Source: State Library of Victoria)


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c1932 Dendy Beach (Source: Museum Victoria)


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c. 1920s: Brighton Life Saving Club (Source: www.brightonlsc.com.au)

c1880 Brighton Beach (Source: State Library of Victoria)


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€¦ · web viewsand dunes vegetated with native species are located at the rear of the beach,...

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