The Bottleworks

The Bottleworks is a new development on the site of the former Big Shed in South Geelong. The finished development will have 33 townhomes and seven apartments.

The Bottleworks is a fascinating project. We are seeing a lot of residential townhouse projects in Geelong currently, but very few acknowledge the history of both the site and precinct.

The original Glass Works factory is going to be turned into warehouse style apartments. The townhouses architecture is designed to celebrate the industrial heritage. The double story design and façade materials echo the asymmetrical structure of the original sheds.

It’s a really exciting project – especially when you consider how many bland developments there are in South Geelong.

The Big Shed

The Big Shed operated from this site for over 30 years. John Dillon bought the site in the early 1980’s and turned it into a timber furniture retail store. His daughter, Lucie, took over the business after he retired.

You can learn more about the history at The end of an era for The Big Shed,

In April, 2020, the council approved a new development at the site of the Big Shed in Fitzroy Street. I visited the site to get photos of the shed prior to demolition.

Very little happened on the site for the rest of 2020 and the first half of 2021. Their was a lot of uncertainty regarding Covid 19 and, for many people, strict restrictions.

Despite the uncertainty, over half the homes had been sold by November 2020.

Bear Hunt Trail

The team behind The Bottleworks Geelong development worked with local cafes and artists to create a ‘bear hunt’ walking trail. Silly Sully, Mandy Dollery and Jacklyn Foster painted artworks on the side of the building.

Demolition

Demolition started on the former Big Shed in June, 2021. I wasn’t able to get many photos of the demolition works due to changing Covid restrictions.

I was able to get photos of the demolition works near the end of July. By Augusts end, the shed had mostly been demolished by the end of August.

The demolition works were completed by October.

Construction