Camden Public Art Trail
Camden
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Barangaroo Boat
Barangaroo, Sydney
Heritage interpretation of a buried treasure
Public Art
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Project details
SYDNEY | GADIGAL
2024Client: Sydney Metro
Partners: Transport for NSW, Heritage NSW, iNSW, Watpac, Arcadia Landscape Architecture, Artefact
Photography: Sydney Metro6-Star Green Star Design and As Built rating
Unearthed by development at Sydney’s Barangaroo foreshore, the remains of a heritage boat tell the stories of the past and echo Sydney’s rich maritime history.
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Background
During archaeological investigations at Barangaroo, the wreck of a large wooden boat was uncovered in 2018. The state-significant find was revealed to be the oldest discovery of its kind in NSW and built locally from Sydney timber. It was likely abandoned on the foreshore in the 1850s and left to later become buried as Sydney’s foreshore developed with wharves, warehouses, and ship-building businesses.
The boat is clinker-built, a lighter, more agile style used for transporting goods across short distances. It also contained evidence of timber, rope, and leather.
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Tilt Services
Tilt was engaged to design, procure, and install the interpretive inlay and etched paver, detailing the significance and history of the find. The boat’s location, shape and size were documented and transferred to a 3D photogrammetric image, which was used to create a cast iron inlay of the boat’s remains. The boat’s outline, 8 metres in length by 3 metres wide, was transferred to a flattened interpretive digital file, then cast in iron and sandblasted to create a textured wood effect.
The inlay was installed in the ground plane of the Barangaroo Station forecourt, at the East of Hickson Road. The inlay marks the boat’s position and links it to the surrounding heritage precinct of maritime buildings and wharves.
Tilt delivered:
- Project Consultation
- Detailed Design inc. CAD, structural engineering review and certification, construction documentation
- Fabrication inc. shop drawings and procurement
- Installation, site documentation and handover
- Project Management
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Construction Director Claire Moore was on hand to lay a commemorative paver and witness the install of a cast iron copy of the remains of a rare pre-1830’s colonial timber boat which was discovered on the site of Sydney Metro’s Barangaroo station. 
Surface works around Sydney Metro's new station at Barangaroo near completion, ahead of the official opening of the multi-billion-dollar City & Southwest line, on Sunday, August 4. BESIX Watpac delivered the contract to build the new Barangaroo Station, which included the station fit-out, a station entrance next to Nawi Cove and upgrading Hickson Road. At Nawi Cove and along Hickson Road, new footpaths, trees, lighting, bike parking and street furniture, as well as a new separated cycle link, have been installed. Once the new metro line is operational, Barangaroo commuters will travel by metro to Martin Place Station in just two minutes, Central Station in six minutes and North Sydney Station in three minutes. Barangaroo Station is about 25 metres below ground level, and services Sydney’s newest business hub. The station improves access to the Walsh Bay Arts and Culture precinct as well as providing easy access to the development’s public, residential, commercial and entertainment areas and the new ferry hub. Barangaroo is where tunnel boring machine (TBM) Kathleen was launched for its historic under-the-harbour crossing to Blues Point, and TBMs Nancy and Mum Shirl ended their journeys across the Inner West from Marrickville. With 300 workers on site at Barangaroo at the peak of construction, the team faced a task and logistics of staggering proportions. It took 24 months to excavate the 220-metre long, 30-metre high and 28-metre wide station box, and the station box and cross-over cavern necessitated the excavation and removal of 285,310 cubic metres, or 625,000 tonnes, of sandstone. 
Surface works around Sydney Metro's new station at Barangaroo near completion, ahead of the official opening of the multi-billion-dollar City & Southwest line, on Sunday, August 4. BESIX Watpac delivered the contract to build the new Barangaroo Station, which included the station fit-out, a station entrance next to Nawi Cove and upgrading Hickson Road. At Nawi Cove and along Hickson Road, new footpaths, trees, lighting, bike parking and street furniture, as well as a new separated cycle link, have been installed. Once the new metro line is operational, Barangaroo commuters will travel by metro to Martin Place Station in just two minutes, Central Station in six minutes and North Sydney Station in three minutes. Barangaroo Station is about 25 metres below ground level, and services Sydney’s newest business hub. The station improves access to the Walsh Bay Arts and Culture precinct as well as providing easy access to the development’s public, residential, commercial and entertainment areas and the new ferry hub. Barangaroo is where tunnel boring machine (TBM) Kathleen was launched for its historic under-the-harbour crossing to Blues Point, and TBMs Nancy and Mum Shirl ended their journeys across the Inner West from Marrickville. With 300 workers on site at Barangaroo at the peak of construction, the team faced a task and logistics of staggering proportions. It took 24 months to excavate the 220-metre long, 30-metre high and 28-metre wide station box, and the station box and cross-over cavern necessitated the excavation and removal of 285,310 cubic metres, or 625,000 tonnes, of sandstone. -
Project timeline
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- Discovery
This state-significant heritage discovery in 2018 uncovers the story of an 1830s’ clinker’-style boat crafted from Sydney blue gum, stringybark, and spotted gum timbers. It would have been used to ferry goods around Sydney’s waterways.
- Documentation
A team of expert archaeologists uncovered the boat and meticulously extracted and catalogued each piece of the boat’s hull. Each piece of wood was cleaned, and then 3D scanned to create a digital programmetric model of the boat.
- Conservation
The pieces were placed in cold storage for 12 months to prevent degradation. The pieces were then soaked to remove traces of iron and plunged in a bath of polyethylene glycol wax to strengthen and preserve the wood.
- Translation
Taking the 3D model, Tilt created a 2D flattened interpretive image of the boat, allowing the boat to be reproduced in cast iron sheets at the foundry. The pieces of the boat were then laid on a bed of sand at Tilt’s workshop to trace the exact outline and sequence of the pieces.
- Installation
The outline of the boats shape was traced onto the pavers at Barangaroo and cut out to reveal the space that the iron panels would rest in. Using a magnetic gantry, the pieces were moved into place, creating a seamless fit. The surface was applied with two types of sand blasting to achieve a variety of surfaces. The patina of the iron will initially turn bright orange and then fade to a rusty brown in the years to come, providing a protective outer surface for the boat.
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Outcome
This interpretation of the historical Barangaroo precinct is a thoughtful and respectful treatment of a historically significant area. The collaborative project involved input from a wide range of consultants and experts to determine the best approach for preserving and sharing these valuable assets. The interpretation of the boat and other heritage elements from this precinct creates a visual narrative of Sydney’s past and provides an educational opportunity for visitors. The boat remains are permanently displayed at the Australian Maritime Museum, while the inlay will serve a historical legacy that will inform future generations.
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Media
- ‘First look at Barangaroo’s newest waterfront precinct‘ – 26 July 2024, Sydney Metro, media release
- ‘A brand new waterfront metro station is now open to the public in Sydney CBD‘, 29 July 2024, Timeout
- ‘Sydney Metro: Conservation of the historic Baranagaroo boat – A mini-documentary‘, 1 July 2022
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