Heritage values of old forestry site retained for modern council depot

Council’s new Beerwah depot, which used materials and services from more than 20 local companies and council’s internal teams during construction to create a modern sustainably designed building, was officially opened today.

This new site, which replaces the aging Landsborough depot, is a base for council’s road maintenance, bridge construction and parks maintenance crews, who were involved in a collaborative design process to ensure the facility was suitable for each team.

Mayor Mark Jamieson officially opened the new depot alongside CEO Mike Whittaker, Director Infrastructure Services Andrew Ryan and council staff.

“It’s critical that our field staff have high quality, fit-for-purpose facilities to do their jobs effectively, deliver exceptional service to our community and work in a safe environment,” Mayor Jamieson said.

“This is the first new depot that council has built in quite some time and it is ideally placed to service the new development areas to the south and west of Caloundra that will house our growing population.”

Andrew Ryan said the facility used some refurbished buildings to retain the character of the site, as well as new structures which all incorporate new technologies and security systems.

“The modern design of the new buildings beautifully blends the old and the new to reflect the rich history of timber in our region,” Mr Ryan said.

“We have also maintained the original arboretum on the site, which is a garden featuring many rare and imported trees, to recognise the site’s history.

“The advancement of mobile devices and other technology means our field crews need to come back to the depot much less often than in the past so this new facility is smaller than what has previously been required.

“We still have a lot of land in this area that will be developed over time – and with the development of Caloundra South (Aura) now well underway, the continuing growth of the Beerwah township and with Beerwah East being developed at some time in the future – we are well positioned to serve our community both now and in years to come.”

The new depot is an upgrade of the old forestry depot on Roys Road, Beerwah. The old Landsborough depot is being rehabilitated for future community use.

Design features

• The design pays tribute to the old timber buildings – two of the existing character-filled rooflines have been retained; new and refurbished sheds are cladded in manufactured weatherboard with timber trims; an old forestry truck shed has been retained; and the large seed drying shed has been refurbished and now serves as the works shed.
• The original arboretum is protected as a garden featuring many rare and imported trees.
• All stormwater is harvested and treated for reuse for drinking, vehicle wash down and firefighting.
• Electronic access, alarms, lighting sensors and video surveillance cameras have been installed for tight security.