By NOEL MURPHY
GEELONG’S Customs House should become a museum celebrating the city’s immigration, wool and gold history, according to heritage councillor Tony Ansett.
The move could draw more tourists to central Geelong and help free up North Geelong’s Osborne House to display heritage collections in storage across the city.
The sandstone and basalt Customs House, built in 1856 at the corner of Moorabool and Brougham Sts, is considered one of the finest mid-19th Century public buildings in Western Victoria. The council-owned building has a restaurant and cafe in its lower level¨but the two upper levels are closed to the public.
“I see Customs House as being able to tell Geelong’s immigration story, about Geelong’s role in the Gold Rush and the wool story with all the clippers on the waterfront,” Cr Ansett said.
“This would complement the National Wool Museum diagonally across the road. A museum close to the waterfront could capture a lot more tourists.”
Cr Ansett said he had yet to run his idea past maritime museum staff at Osborne House and was worried it “might give them a heart attack”.
He stressed Osborne House’s naval heritage should be maintained on site. The property was home to Australia first naval training college, from 1913 to 1915, served as a navy convalescent hospital in 1919 and accommodated Australia’s first submarine fleet from 1920 to 1922.
“There’s the opportunity to tell more of the story of Osborne House and also an opportunity for the many different collections of Geelong’s history that are presently forced into storage,“ Cr Ansett said.
“This could free up space for the community to see more of Geelong’s history, to display more of its heritage.”
