Humphreys Boat Shed facts for kids

Humphreys Boat Shed was a special workshop and slipway (a ramp for moving boats out of the water) located on Seaworld Drive in Main Beach, Queensland, Australia. It was built to help boats get fixed and launched.

For many years, it was an important part of the local boating and fishing scene. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2001. However, it was later removed from the list in 2015 after it was taken down. Even though the main building is gone, the remains of the boat shed and slipway are still recognized on the Gold Coast Local Heritage Register.

Building a Boat Shed: A Look Back

Humphreys Boat Shed was built in 1955 by a man named John Llewellyn Humphreys. He created this place to offer marine services, like repairs and launching, for boats. This included boats used for fishing, especially prawn trawlers.

Early Days of the Gold Coast

The area we now call the Gold Coast was first explored in 1840. Early settlers came for the huge cedar trees. Later, farming became important in the northern part of the Gold Coast.

People hoped the "boat passage" at the mouth of the Broadwater could be a useful port. But by 1862, it was clear the passage was too rough for big ships.

Land for Public Use

The British Government wanted to keep land near rivers or the sea for public use. This meant some land at Main Beach was saved from being sold. It was officially set aside for public purposes in 1872.

After 1896, the southern part of the Broadwater changed a lot. A sand spit started to grow northwards from Main Beach. By this time, Southport was already a popular holiday spot and business center. Main Beach became a favorite place for surfing after World War I.

Boating and Fishing Grow

Since the 1870s, the Broadwater was known as a great place for fishing. It also became popular for yachting, with the first Southport Regatta held in 1879. By the 1930s, more and more private boat owners were mooring their boats here.

After World War II, there was a boom in mining for mineral sands. John Humphreys used old wartime landing barges to carry sand from South Stradbroke Island to processing plants. He was one of the first to provide this important transport service.

John Humphreys' Journey

John Llewellyn Humphreys was born in 1915. He worked as an engineer in Brisbane before moving to Southport in 1946. There, he started a marine engineering service for the growing number of boaters.

Humphreys first used an area now used by the Southport Yacht Club. But when the Yacht Club got a lease for that spot, Humphreys found a new temporary location. Once he was sure of the new site, he began building his permanent slipway and boat shed.

Building the Boat Shed

Work on the boat shed started around 1955. It was a two-story building made of timber and fibrous cement. The first floor had a verandah and faced a wooden landing. The roof was designed to allow for future expansion. John Humphreys even had his own living quarters inside the building after he married Mavis in 1959.

Next to the building was a concrete slipway with railway lines. By 1965, Humphreys began building extensions. He added a second two-story section, connected to the first by a covered slipway. This new part included full engineering facilities and a woodworking area. The completed building was visible in photos taken during the opening of the new Gold Coast Bridge in 1966.

A Landmark on the Spit

When it was built, Humphreys Boat Shed was the most northern building on the Spit. It stood out as a large, two-story structure when seen from Southport. It was also a very modern repair shop for boats at the time.

Both the Yacht Club and Humphreys' slipway attracted many boats. This helped lead to the development of marinas on the Spit in the 1980s. Humphreys Boat Shed became well-known among local and visiting "boaties" for its excellent service.

It was one of the few busy waterfront businesses on the Broadwater. It played a key role in servicing the Southport trawler fleet in the 1950s and 1960s. The boat shed was a reminder of the early days when boating first brought tourists to the Gold Coast.

John Humphreys passed away in 2001. In 2005, it was decided to take down the boat shed due to safety concerns about old materials. It was demolished in May 2005.

What the Boat Shed Looked Like

Humphreys Boat Shed was a two-story building made of timber. It had a central slipway for boats.

The building had two main rectangular sections, one to the north and one to the south. These sections were built on a concrete base and covered with fibrous cement panels. In the middle was a large, open space for the concrete slipway, which had an entrance on the western side.

Both the main sections and the slipway had low-pitched gable roofs. The slipway area had tall timber rafters, creating a spacious area for working on boats. Some of the original timber windows were later replaced with aluminum ones.

At the back of the boat shed, there was a concrete block extension with a trussed roof. Wooden walkways went around the building. The upper floor had verandahs with timber railings.

On the upper level of the southern section, there was a small apartment. It had rooms like bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen. This apartment still had its original fittings and furniture.

Tall trees like Norfolk Island Pines and Pandanus Palms grew on either side of the boat shed.

Why it was a Heritage Site

Humphreys Boat Shed & Slipway was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register because it was important in several ways:

• Showing History: It helped show how the commercial and recreational boating and fishing industries grew in Southport. It was a rare reminder of an early Gold Coast industry in an area that has changed a lot. It connected us to the past, reminding us of the activities that first brought tourists to the Gold Coast.

• Design and Features: The boat shed was well-kept and showed the main features of a marine workshop. This included its concrete slipway, the tall timber rafters that made a large open space, and its location right on the Spit.

• Beauty and Landmark Status: With its location by the water and its distinctive two-story design, Humphreys Boat Shed was also important for its visual appeal and as a local landmark.