Three years after Victoria’s oldest-known military bunker was unearthed at Williamstown Cricket Ground, it remains a fenced-off “hole in the ground” with no work done to turn it into a tourist attraction.
The 1860s bluestone bunker and tunnel was discovered when a tank was being installed as part of the cricket club’s $8 million expansion.
Three more underground chambers were later found beneath the floor of the pavilion.
Three years ago, the council, Heritage Victoria (HV) and a historical interpretation consultant examined options for preserving and restoring the bunker.
HV believes the bunker probably lay exposed until the 1920s, before it was backfilled during construction of the grandstand in 1930.
Brian Haynes, of the Williamstown Historical Society, said nothing had been done to restore the bunker despite its potential to become a tourist attraction for Hobsons Bay.
“They are the earliest remaining fortifications in Melbourne,” he said. “I’d like to see signage explaining what was there, the underground magazine and the actual fortification.”
Hobsons Bay councillor Angela Altair, at last week’s council meeting, questioned whether council could find money to restore the bunker.
Hobsons Bay infrastructure and city services director Sherry Clarke said there was a three-part plan to erect explanatory signs, explore the heritage merit of the site and report the likely cost back to the council.
Heritage Victoria spokeswoman Pauline Hitchins said as the bunker was not included on the Victorian Heritage Register it would not be eligible for current grant programs.
