– written by Dr Kirsti Abbott

Drivers on the UNE Ring Road may have noticed that the walls of the Boilerhouse are tumbling down! In the past week Coffs Harbour Demolitions have removed the south facing wall of the giant triangular structure in preparation for removal of the impressive boiler inside. From outside the fence, if you peer into the building itself, you’ll see vertical pipes that held high temperature hot water in a reticulation system that was purported to be the largest hot water reticulation system in the southern hemisphere at the time. These pipes have been revealed as the cladding of the boiler has been removed carefully, one panel at a time.

Looking up into the pipe structure, you can almost imagine a cathedral of sorts; a work of art that the contractors and artists are working to preserve as intact as possible for repurposing in the Boilerhouse Discovery Space.

During the high winds last week, the Coffs Harbour Demolition crew discovered that the Boilerhouse was a safe haven for a special new family! Three tawny frogmouths, a parent and two fluffy babies, were hiding from the weather inside the Boilerhouse on a scissor-lift platform. WIRES was called, and the birds were safely removed and relocated. But we’re glad our Boilerhouse was there in windy times!