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Diagnostech Works with NSW Government to Restore Montague Island Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage to Original Heritage Condition
The NSW Government Office of Environment & Heritage engaged Diagnostech to design the works for a heritage improvement project at the Montague Island Lighthouse, 9 kilometres offshore of the NSW Far South Coast town of Narooma.
After several instances of ad-hoc maintenance taking place over the years, the government department decided that this was the time to restore the buildings that make up the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage back to their original heritage state.
Here’s how Diagnostech approached this challenging yet spectacular and unique heritage restoration project.
Situation
Having previously worked with the NSW Government to carry out a major restoration project at the Green Cape Lighthouse on NSW’s Far South Coast, Diagnostech was once again engaged to design and manage the technical aspects of a heritage improvement project at the Montague Island Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage.
Off the back of the previous project’s success, the NSW Government Office of Environment and Heritage knew that Diagnostech were the right team to help execute this exciting yet challenging offshore project – in collaboration with the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Situated beside the lighthouse on the clifftops of Montague Island, The Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage consists of two freestanding masonry buildings.
Originally built in 1881, these buildings had begun to leak over time and were subsequently subject to several ad-hoc attempts to maintain and repair their rooves throughout the years.
As a result, the original profile of the roofing had been altered, and some but not all of the asbestos used in the original build had been removed and replaced.
For this reason, the government decided to have these iconic heritage buildings repaired and restored to their original condition.
Goals
First and foremost, the main goal of this project was to replace the rooves of the buildings that make up the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage.
The government wanted the rooves to be returned to their original configuration and made watertight once again.
As part of this, Diagnostech also had to carefully remove all the dumped asbestos that remained on the site and complete a whole host of smaller related miscellaneous works.
Working with a heritage architect, it was Diagnostech’s role to design and oversee all the technical aspects of this project to ensure each goal could be reached. Some architectural research was also required to understand how the buildings were originally constructed to uphold their heritage values.
Challenges
The project presented several significant challenges.
Apart from the fact that Montague Island sits remotely 9 kilometres offshore, there were several other key considerations and challenges that had to be navigated as part of this project.
For one, it was important to ensure that when materials were taken off the roof, the buildings were kept weathertight until the roof could be replaced.
What’s more, materials delivered via helicopter – the most efficient means of delivery over water – could not be flown over public roads. Likewise, the asbestos and other materials still on the island had to be carefully removed in a way that did not impact the public or the sensitive surrounding environment.
Solution
As mentioned, the only way to access the island, both to transport materials and carry out the work required, was either by helicopter or by boat.
This meant working in close collaboration with the contractor to design and program the job to ensure the required materials could be delivered as needed and the buildings could be readily re-roofed – meaning as little time as possible exposed to the elements.
As the materials could not be flown over public roads, it was decided that they would be delivered by road to a staging area on the onshore headland, where they would then be picked up and delivered to the island via helicopter.
The same process was also applied in reverse for all asbestos and waste materials that had to be removed from the island as well.
Weather conditions also played a role in when helicopters and boats could operate, meaning the weather had to be continuously monitored and all transport timed around the weather.
Results
All up, the project, designed and overseen by Diagnostech Senior Building Consultant, Dennis Stephenson, took 20 weeks to complete.
By the project’s end, the roof had been restored, the heritage values of the buildings had been upkept and the conservation management plan had been adhered to. No whales or wildlife were injured throughout the course of the project.
As an added bonus, the regular boat trips to the island provided the opportunity to observe Humpback Whales and the more than 250 seals that call Montague Island home in their natural habitat
