Bayswater Marina
PLACE Samuel Wong
Waiting Room
Office
Longue
Once one departs from the ferry, the first few landmarks they are greeted with is an array of bland container like structures which boasts views to the cityscape stretching out to towards the east. Here, is a waiting room, the marina longue, and an office. Evidently, these buildings were developed with little to no intentions to provide anything more than the most basic needs for its dwellers, which probably it’s only significant contribution to the site. How it fails is the sheer lack of use of these facilities. During the three of my lengthy visits to the marina, no one used the waiting room, the doors of the longue was always open but remained empty, leaving the office room to be the only building used throughout the day, courtesy to the on-site workers.
Against shallow water south west to the rowing club is a single pier connected to a public boat ramp, which shares similar views to the marinas on site office area. Other than the great vantage point the pier offers, it is hard not to notice the incredible amount of pigeons nested underneath with numbers almost allowing it be branded the “pigeon pier� or the like. Standing on the pier facing the cityscape introduces an interesting sense of disconnection and separation from a different landscape which you are no longer part of.
Washroom
Located at the points of entry to the berths, though modest in appearance, it is not nearly flattering to the site but is ironically at the same time what gives the site a sense of character. While simple, what these structures do provide, is the base architectural style of the site, as it is constantly repeated and seen again at the washing facility buildings, and the security room. The structures are kept in a typical seaside architectural style where the use of weatherboards and tiles are prominent which must have been a choice by design, as the washrooms seem updated, yet share this exterior aesthetic.
Bathroom are provided, and while being an absolute necessity, it also offers other ablutions which can be considered quite a premium feature, but considering the amount of people who might reside in their berths, it is easy to overlook, but also reminds you that the marina is also a temporary home to some.
The southern end of the site offers a large park for public use. While a generous provision to the general public, the use of space seemed as careful as the allocated car parking lots. It wasn’t used. Ferry goers would walk through it if planning to commute by bus, while dog walkers seemed to often simply walk around it. There is enough area to play a casual game of football on the grass, and have several picnics set up, yet any sort of park like activity almost ceases to exist. There is nothing to say that the park was poorly set up, but it is easy to quickly assume that the parks emptiness is a result of the baroness on site, and really can only be considered another empty space.
The largest structure on site, owing its size to its storage shed is the rowing club. A sport played early in the morning during all times of the year. Although I did not arrive on site early enough to see it in use, I can only assume that it is used more often than less to warrant its large space on the site.
Besides the boats, the site, if anyone could describe it, is primarily a car park. It is easy to feel that the entire space was designated its purpose because of a lack of ambition to fill the site with anything else besides these car parks, though I myself started to feel the sense that nothing else really needed to be there, people come and go and the marina functions as it should, so perhaps that is why it has been the way it is for so long. Interestingly, there is worthy amount of cyclists, who will while less often than pedestrians on foot, enter the marina and will continue to roam for a short period of time, which for the first time to me establishes a sort of sense of place.
Upon entry, one is immediately introduced to the marinas large berth filled with boats, which faces the north-west where a view of the harbour bridge is prominent. Although the act of visiting the site seem infrequent, runners, walkers, and cyclists see the marina breakwater is seen as a place of common destination. Its path does not have a closed loop,but is also something difficult to complain about as it owes its quality of interest by its immediate surroundings of water and panoramic views and is here it is shown how simplicity is important. It is also notable to fishing is a popular activity on the berth.
Sir Peter Blake’s Parade is host to an array of buildings which exist for commercial purposes for the marina. Without a doubt, these buildings serve their purpose, and are relatively modest in size, but at the same time emits a sense of false hope to new visitors that an establishment to cater towards the general public like myself could have existed within this block based on the assumptions that a similar offering seen in places such as Devonport, or the Hobsonville Marina to be found. Evidently, the lack of this sort is most likely the reason not to linger around the site. For a frequent ferry commuter who has enjoyed the scenes of the marina too many times, there is little reason to stay.
Incredibly run down, and of a size impossible to ignore, rests a building labelled in a washed out sign “Sail Maker�. Plastered with business banners it seems surprising that a building that looks as if it was abandoned, still functions daily, which seems to be better than doing nothing at least. It does contribute to the character of the site. The building boasts of heritage and begs to continually stay up right with visible obvious attempts to renovate and restore the structure of the decaying building, while its close relationship to the water is likely a product to facilitate its original use.