General News
18 January, 2023
Mystery of an old garage
SUMMER READINGBy CHRIS EARLGENERATIONS of Loddon residents knew the corrugated iron building on Bridgewater’s main street as the local garage. Then, more than two years ago, the National Trust classified building became the town’s nursery...
SUMMER READING
By CHRIS EARL
GENERATIONS of Loddon residents knew the corrugated iron building on Bridgewater’s main street as the local garage.
Then, more than two years ago, the National Trust classified building became the town’s nursery attracting greenthumbs from across the Loddon and beyond.
They are fascinated with the architectural design of the building. So, too is owner Bianca Rothacker.
Many say it was originally a church. But finding conclusive evidence only stirs the mystery that has started a thousand conversations.
East Loddon Historical Society’s Gwen Twigg did some digging and found a connection with the famous East Loddon Woolshed.
“The owner of East Loddon Station, Serpentine, came to Australia from Scotland in the 1850s,” she told Bianca.
“He was a civil engineer and was later involved in the building of the Alfred Graving (dry dock) in Williamstown. He had premises in Melbourne and is listed in 1861 in the Victorian Government Gazette as Ettershank and Co Engineers. He was also a partner in a stock and station agency business.
“In 1868 he rented East Loddon Estate and purchased it two years later. He became a very dedicated pastoralist and like many rural men of that era became an inventor and innovator on his station.
“He built the historic red brick woolshed between the years 1868-1872. It was constructed using over 400,000 locally made bricks.
“It was the first woolshed to be constructed using iron trusses to hold up the roof. These trusses were constructed in John Ettershank’s Melbourne engineering works and transported to the site by bullock wagon.
“From this it seems very likely that the prefabricated Bridgewater building would have been constructed in his engineering works also. Possibly one of the earliest buildings constructed as most of the buildings at East Loddon were made of bricks.”
Gwen said she could not find any mention of it being “a church, only an overseers’ residence but the windows certainly look church like”.
The National Trust told Serpentine historian the late Jack Tresize in 1973 part of the Bridgewater building’s history.
“This interesting building is currently being used as a garage by Mr Ray Carin.
“We believe that in 1897, it was the overseer’s house on East Loddon Station.
“Later it was bought by Mr W, Bassett for a shearing shed but he sold his property before the building was erected and it was bought by Mr Gordon Wylie and moved to Main Street, Bridgewater,”
While the National Trust referred to the building as a “prefabricated iron church”, there remained the mystery.
Was it a church, where did the building come from and when did it arrive in the Loddon?
That’s the great mystery still waiting to be solved.
Until then, the unique building will continue to be much talked about.