From Whelan the Wrecker to the circular economy

Whelan the Wrecker was synonymous with destruction – it became the go-to company for demolition if something stood in the way of a more modern or useful alternative. This was progress and economically sound - pulling down the old to make way for the new had been the way in Melbourne since the 1850s gold rush and it contributed to turning a village into a city. 

But destruction is not always necessary to create new, modern places in our cities.

Retention and restoration not only supports a circular economy - offering one way to claw ourselves out of the climate change mire we’re in - but they also present a fabulous opportunity to add cultural value to our ‘new’ places through interpretation and story telling, as well as economic value.

Read, and watch, how this is being done with a simple old shed - but one that just so happens to be the only place in all of Melbourne where it is possible to see all the elements of a traditional (pre-containerisation) berth.