Nestled within the 13 hectares of the Australian Technology
Park is the Eveleigh Locomotive Workshop, a heritage-protected site for
wrought-iron and steel craftsmanship.
But the future of the iconic collection is in doubt as the
state government prepares to offload the multi-million dollar park this year.
Wendie McCaffley has managed the workshop and its team of 30
for decades. She said she was deeply concerned it would no longer be managed by
the government when the lease expires in 2020.
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“The only way of keeping a site as complex as this
strong and open to the public is government ownership,” Ms McCaffley said.
“They’re some of the best steam powered machines of the
Victorian era. It’s an important historical site that needs to be
protected.”
The first part of the sale process has already begun:
expressions of interest close on January 30.
Ms McCaffley has a licence to continue to operate the
workshop for the next six years.
They pay very little rent in exchange for conducting public
tours, as well as making and mending heritage-style steel windows and doors.
The ATP site also includes vacant land, commercial spaces
and conference facilities.
The preservation considerations for the heritage sites were
detailed in a management plan endorsed by the NSW Heritage Council in March
2014.
Aspiring buyers will need to detail how they would manage
the heritage sites but a spokeswoman for the NSW Department of Environment and
Heritage said while changes to the site would need to be approved by the
council, it could not ensure the continued access to the site.
“Access is a matter for the owner and not a requirement
of the Heritage Act,” she said.
The possibility of losing access has caused consternation
among the local community, including Brian Dunnett who worked at the Eveleigh
Locomotive Workshop for decades, as his father did before him.
A long-time campaigner for preserving the site for
historical tourism, Mr Dunnett said he was “gutted” the public could
lose access to the workshop one day.
“The machinery and buildings are important, but we need
to talk about the human side of heritage too. What’s left behind helps tell the
rich story of Eveleigh,” Mr Dunnet said.
Urban Growth NSW, a government agency that raised more than
$373 million in 2014 by selling off state government properties, is managing
the sale.
A spokeswoman for Urban Growth said the expressions of
interest process had been framed to ensure the protection of the heritage
sites, and the new owner would be contractually obliged to honour existing
leases.
Photos:
Craftsmen: Anthony Potts watches blacksmith Guido
Gouverneur. Photo: Dominic Lorrimer
Gouverneur and Antoni Te Wharakaara hard at work. Photo:
Dominic Lorrimer
Source: Eveleigh Locomotive Workshop collection at Australian Technology Park to be sold