low head pilot station
Established in 1805 to help ships navigate the dangerous entrance to the Tamar River, the Low Head Pilot Station is the oldest group of Pilot buildings in Australia. It is the second oldest pilot service after Sydney and the oldest pilot station to operate continuously from its original site.
The Low Head Historic Precinct is a place of national importance and one of Tasmania’s most significant cultural assets. Birrelli undertook the feasibility, value management studies, master planning and concept for the site and strategic interpretive planning.
The site represents many interpretation opportunities and these can be categorised into two broad areas, cultural and natural. Within these areas there are five main themes that could be interpreted for the public, to affect the shaping of experiences and share values.
The pilotage operations that have existed on site since 1805 are identified as the most significant cultural resource that must be managed, protected and interpreted. That goal was of the highest priority and the interpretive design supports the long-term sustainability of pilotage on this site.
Beyond the Pilot Station, there was also an imperative to develop strategies for interpretation around the entire Low Head Precinct. A walking discovery interpretation trail was developed to enable locals and visitors to access information about the entire precinct as a significant area.
The overall interpretive design was cohesive and coordinated with Low Head Heritage Precinct graphic branding. This was to be used to link all areas of the precinct: the overall site interpretation, walking guide, museum, visitors centre, shipwright’s workshop, merchandising, restaurant and accommodation.
The initial funding allowed for immediate upgrade of the existing museum with the introduction and consolidation of major themes of the site, interpretive signs around the site at points of significant asset, and cohesive graphic branding across the site.