At The Heads Restaurant Refurbishment Project
About the Project
‘At The Heads’ restaurant and kiosk at the Barwon Heads jetty, is 25 years old and needs an upgrade to continue to meet industry standards and improve the internal functioning of the restaurant.
The restaurant is on coastal Crown land managed by Barwon Coast through a lease arrangement with Short Game Pty Ltd. The restaurant and kiosk provide a passive way for visitors and the local community to enjoy and experience the coast.
‘At The Heads’ was converted to a restaurant in the early 2000’s from a historical fisherman’s co-op building.
The proposed works are within the existing lease area and include the following elements:
- Realignment of the building footprint and roofline to consolidate the ‘back of house area’ (including improvements to the kitchen, cool room, freezer, dry store).
- Relocation of the historic ‘Boot Room’, that is currently used as part of the restaurant dry storage area.
- Retention of the existing kiosk and the installation of new public seating area adjoining the kiosk.
The proposed works will use external colours and finishes that complement the existing restaurant building. The proposed works are detailed in the architectural drawings drafted by 3id Architecture studio based in Geelong.
The new public seating area will allow space for people to sit when visiting the kiosk, and generally provide some shelter from the prevailing southerly weather.
Historical Boot Room
A component of the proposed works is the relocation of the ‘Boot Room’. The Boot Room is a structure of local historical significance linked to the Barwon Heads jetties and maritime activities at Barwon Heads since the 19th century.
Currently, the Boot Room is part of the overall building structure of the ‘At the Heads’ restaurant. The proposed refurbishment works include the relocation and reconstruction of this structure to a place where it can be publicly accessed.
Barwon Coast is exploring options for an appropriate relocation site on the reserve. A potential site is the Barwon Estuary Heritage Centre gardens. Relocation and reconstruction of the structure will be subject to further engineering and heritage advice.
Community Consultation
Barwon Coast recently ran a three-week community consultation process on the ‘At The Heads refurbishment proposal. We were interested in your views on the external and public-related elements of the proposed works.
The community provided their feedback through an online survey that was open from 5-25 August 2024. There was also a drop in information sessions on Sunday 18 August at, ‘At The Heads’ restaurant.
The Community Consultation Report provides a summary of what we heard from the surveys. This information will be considered as part of the Marine and Coastal Act consent process.