Nylex Clock facts for kids
The Nylex Clock is a famous landmark in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It's a big neon sign on top of tall storage buildings called silos. These silos were used to store barley. The clock is located near the Yarra River and the Monash Freeway. It shows the time and temperature, and also flashes the words 'Nylex Plastics' and 'Nylex Every Time!'. You can see it from many places in Melbourne, especially from the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The clock is even mentioned in the song "Leaps and Bounds" by Australian musician Paul Kelly. Some people have even climbed the clock! Australian hip-hop artists Baker Boy and Dallas Woods filmed part of their music video 'Black Magic' at the site.
History of the Nylex Clock
The Nylex Clock and its sign were designed and built by a company called Neon Electric Signs. They put it up in 1961 for Nylex, an Australian company that made plastic products. The silos underneath the clock were built in the 1950s and 1960s. There are 20 of them in total, used for storing barley.
In 2002, there was a plan to build new offices on the land where the silos stand. The architects thought the silos weren't important enough to keep, but they agreed the Nylex sign should stay. However, the plan was stopped in 2003 because people wanted to protect the site's history.
For several years, the Nylex Clock wasn't working. But in 2004, plans were made to fix it. The sign was also added to the Victorian Heritage Register, which means it's officially recognized as an important historical site. The land around the silos was sold in 2004. The Nylex company bought the sign itself in August 2004, and they leased the space for the clock from the silo owners.
Bringing the Clock Back to Life
On June 29, 2005, the clock was turned back on at 7:24 AM! It was a big event, even broadcast live on a radio station. Thousands of new white LED lights came on. However, the time got stuck at 7:24 AM because of a small problem with the equipment that kept the time accurate.
The clock had been off for 14 months. Fixing it started in February and cost about $300,000. Workers used 17,000 LED lights, 800 metres of neon tubes, and two kilometres of electrical cables to restore it.
Later in December 2005, the LED lights were changed again. The first LEDs made the clock harder to see from some places. So, they were replaced with orange-coloured LEDs that were easier to spot.
Challenges and Future
The clock had a few more problems over the years. In May 2006, it froze at 6:38 for several days. A special device was installed to prevent this from happening again. It broke down once more in September 2006, but bad weather made it hard to find the problem.
In March 2009, the Nylex company ran into financial trouble, and the clock was switched off. Since then, the clock and its temperature display have not been working. People in Melbourne really want the clock to be turned back on. They hope the local council will take over the costs of running it.
For a short time on January 29, 2015, the clock lit up again! A group called 'The Nylex Clock Collective' managed to get into the silos and found the switch. Drivers noticed the clock was an hour behind, as it hadn't been changed for daylight saving time.
In March 2017, plans were approved to build new towers near the silos. The good news is that more than half of the old silos will be saved, instead of being knocked down. The Nylex sign and clock are also planned to be fixed and brought back to working order. However, the landmark will be put into storage for a few years while the new buildings are constructed.
In November 2017, a fire broke out in an abandoned factory nearby. This caused traffic problems and closed a road for a day. Firefighters worked for several hours to put out the fire.
