The outdoor museum…
Boatsheds on the Derwent
The Cornelian Bay boatsheds are something of a local landmark for Hobart people. Here is a brief photo essay…
TAKE A WALK along the foot track that links Cornelian Bay to Hobart CBD and you pass by the row of colourful boatsheds projecting from the shoreline out over the water.
Cornelian is a minor bay on the muddy brown Derwent River in Hobart, Tasmania. There is a restaurant/cafe in the park and a playground for kids. Once, there was a swimming baths here that dated from early last century but burned down in more recent times. The Bay is where the track starts, or where it finishes if coming from the city. With an easterly aspect, the row of 36 boatsheds are at the southern end of the bay.
The first was built in 1892, after which the number grew. Despite past threats of demolition, the strucutures survived and today enjoy heritage protection. They are on 25 year leases, none are owned.
A common feature
Boatsheds are a common sight around the Tasmanian coast. Basic, sometimes makeshift and plainly utilitarian structures of wood and galvanised iron, they usually lack any semblance of architectural elegance in serving their single purpose of sheltering boats.
Some, like those at Cornelian Bay, stand in clusters and vary according to whether they are well cared for or run down. Others stand solitary along the shoreline.
A little different
The Cornelian Bay boatsheds are a little different to their utilitarian counsins. They have become away-from-home relaxation venues on the water.
Some have been in the same family for generations and display an elegance that others lack thanks to their owners who have renovated and painted them. This is what has made them something of a Hobartian landmark, although one that is not widely known beyond the city. They also cost more than their utilitarian cousins on other waterfronts, changing hands for between AU$225,000 and AU$350,000.
Structurally, they are related to their utilitarian cousins, being made of weatherboard and roofed with galvanised iron. This, though, is where similarities end. The Cornelian Bay boatsheds are like nautical mens’ sheds, places where people go to escape, to be with family and friends, to follow their hobbies and interests. With decks facing onto the Derwent, their owners have fitted out the interiors as comfortable relaxation spaces.
Heading to the nearby Botanic Gardens? Why not walk along the foot track from Cornelian Bay and check out the boatsheds on the way?
