APRIL 2014 ISSUE 96 PRICELESS WWW.DOCKLANDSNEWS.COM.AU : Docklands_News Thumbs up for free tram plan Docklands Rotary is revived Page 3 Page 8 Docklands Studios celebrates Support needed for local 10th birthday art initiative Page 4 Page 9 Hortus is here Th e Harbour Esplanade glasshouse fi nally opened its doors late last month. Onlookers have been watching the construction of Hortus, as the glasshouse is known, since August last year and last month their patience was rewarded. Already, locals and visitors have been visiting the site and gathering on the communal tables and landscape installations that surround the structure. Conceived as a temporary activation project, Hortus is the brainchild of Utopian Folk, a collaboration between Folk Architects’ Christie Petsinis and Tim Wilson and Utopian Slumps’ Melissa Loughnan. Th e group has been working on the project more than two years, having been awarded a Place Victoria contract to activate the site in January 2012. Utopian Folk's Melissa Loughnan, Christie Petsinis and Tim Wilson. Continued on page 2. Harbour Town sale not yet complete Sydney-based real-estate investment group Ashe Morgan plans to acquire Harbour Town and the Icehouse in Docklands, but the deal is not done yet. Docklands News understands conditional a caveat on the land titles for Harbour Town According to Albert Morcos, Harbour Town Morcos said. contracts to purchase the site have been and the Icehouse, forbidding the registration traders were yet to be informed of the signed and the acquisition process has of any person as proprietor of the sites. centre’s intended sale. “Th e fi rst said don’t believe everything you begun, but is not currently completed. read but the second said an agreement was Th e caveat points to a contract of sale Mr Morcos owns and operates Le Cirque in place but was still conditional.” On March 18, Th e Australian reported Ashe between Waterfront City 1B Retail Pty Ltd Fine Foods at Harbour Town and said Mr Morcos said he had known about ING’s Morgan had purchased Harbour Town (ING) and Ashe Morgan Pty Ltd, dated after reading a news report on the sale, he intention to sell its Australian real estate shopping centre and the Icehouse from ING March 4. approached centre management asking if it for $150 million. ventures for a long time. It is believed the March 4 contract referenced was true. Land title documents reveal that on March in the caveat is a conditional contract to 13, lawyers acting for Ashe Morgan lodged purchase the site. “I received two diff erent responses,” Mr Continued on page 4. Become a Harbour Town VIP Member today shopper and enjoy further discounts vip harbourtownmelbourne.com.au 2 DOCKLANDS NEWS ISSUE 96 Hortus is here Continued from page 1. Suite 108, 198 Harbour Esplanade “We wanted to make something that was PO Box 23008 Docklands 8012 able to be activated in diff erent ways and Tel: 8689 7979 Fax: 9602 2929 used by a wider range of people,” Ms Petsinis www.docklandsnews.com.au said. Advertising Hortus features a café, operated by Seven Tel: 8689 7979 Fax: 9602 2929 Seeds (to the delight of local coff ee fi ends) a [email protected] horticultural art installation by artist Lauren Berkowitz and a communal outdoor space. Reader contributions are welcome. Please send articles and images to According to Ms Loughnan, the plant [email protected] installation was a way of bringing both art and greenery to the space. Th e deadline for the May edition is May 1. “It’s our way of bringing art and culture into the site. Rather than just plonking down a sculpture or something that’s static, it’s Follow us on Twitter something that evolves and is alive,” she said. @Docklands_News Ms Loughnan said there would be more planting on-site and the group also hoped Like us on Facebook to work with the installation artist Lauren Docklands News Berkowitz to run children’s planting workshops or similar, highlighting the intended community use of the space. To download our iPad app, “We’d really like it to be activated by events simply scan the QR code below: Artist Dion Horstmans, Planning Minister Matthew Guy and acting Places Victoria CEO Peter Armstrong examine a and diff erent cultural groups and community model of Mr Horstmans’ sculpture Supersonic in Docklands last month. groups to be able to use the space,” she said. According to Mr Wilson, the space is very fl exible, lending it to a range of diff erent purposes from events, to a day-to day Super-sized gathering site and café. Originally Hortus was intended to open in September 2012 but a series of delays hampered eff orts to get the project off the local artwork ground. Delays were put down to diffi culty obtaining Installation of Dion Horstman’s large-scale sculpture began at a permit to operate on Crown land, the Collins Square last month. original café operator backing out, and a reliance on in-kind assistance for the design and construction. Th e bright yellow, geometric-shaped reputation as a place for great art will “When you’re relying on in-kind support, artwork, titled Supersonic is worth $2.5 continue to grow.” typically you can’t expect people to do things million and will stretch from Collins Square for you instantly,” Mr Wilson said. across to the Lantern building. Artist Dion Horstmans said he was grateful for the opportunity to be able to create the Th e estimated cost of the project was When complete, it will be Melbourne’s artwork, which is based on a F-18 fi ghter jet. $540,000, with $310,000 of that estimate largest integrated sculptural artwork. provided through in-kind services. “Th is piece responds to the site and the Planning Minister Matthew Guy was buildings during the construction phase,” Mr Places Victoria general manager Simon in Docklands on March 18 to mark the Horstmans said. Wilson said: “Hortus was intended to be beginning of the artwork’s installation. a temporary activation project that would “Th is is a unique piece of art that will “I have carefully considered the relationship bring people to Docklands’ waterfront, but be embedded in the Collins Square of my piece to its environment, emphasising we hope to see it become more than that. the relationship between art and development and cast beams of light across “Places Victoria believed Hortus has architecture.” the paths of visitors,” Mr Guy said. the potential to become a Docklands “Docklands has become an urban art Th e 80-metre-long sculpture is the size of destination, both for Docklands workers destination and with developers required an Olympic pool. It weighs 56 tonnes and is and residents, and for visitors, especially to contribute one per cent of development made up of 100 separate pieces that will take cyclists using the bike path along Harbour costs towards urban art, Docklands’ around six weeks to put together. Esplanade.” The Kelly’s have successfully managed short-stay apartments in Docklands for more than 9 years. During that time, they have built a great rapport with both property owners and thousands of visitors to Docklands. We invite booking inquiries for stays of one or more days, as well as offering a great investment opportunity to Docklands’ apartment owners. Shop 7, Lifelab Building, 198 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands | p: 9642 4220 [email protected] | www.docklandsprivatecollection.com.au COME IN AND SEE PETER, LYN AND THE FRIENDLY TEAM Please support our advertisers because without them we would have no Docklands News ISSUE 96 DOCKLANDS NEWS 3 Library to open in May Docklands will soon have a new community facility, with the Library at the Dock nearing completion and expected to open next month. According to a City of Melbourne spokesperson, construction of the building has now reached practical completion and the next step is the internal fi t-out of the facility. Th is stage will include the installation of Docklands Chamber of Commerce president Joh Maxwell gives the free tram proposal a big thumbs up. shelving, books, furniture, signage and connection of the IT systems. Delivered through a partnership between the City of Melbourne, Lend Lease and Places Victoria, the library will provide a Free trams for Docklands range of services and facilities for the local community. Tram commuters will travel free of charge throughout Docklands and to and from the CBD, starting “Once completed, Library at the Dock will next year. be the civil and cultural centrepiece of Victoria Harbour and is currently on track to be opened in May, along with the adjacent Premier Denis Napthine announced the Joh Maxwell said the free Docklands trams commuters, including tourists, will be able urban park,” a council spokesperson said. free tram plan as part of a series of public would have multiple benefi ts locally. to travel anywhere within the CBD free of transport reform promises made in a pre- charge,” Mr Mulder said. “An opening day event is being planned “What a great initiative,” Mrs Maxwell said. election bid. to showcase the Library’s state-of-the-art Combined with the recent increase in tram Minister for Tourism Louise Asher agreed, digital collection, performance spaces and “Tram travel within the CBD will be free, services to Docklands, Mrs Maxwell said the saying the move would make travel around interactive learning facilities.” in a move that will enhance Melbourne’s free trams were a very positive move and Melbourne easier for domestic and reputation as an international city,” Dr According to the spokesperson, the highlight would entice visitors to the area.