The Seafarers precinct is one step closer to completion, with construction beginning on Seafarers Rest – Melbourne’s newest riverside park in the CBD.

Construction is officially underway at Seafarers Rest, a key milestone in the Seafarers journey and the rejuvenation of the city’s underutilised maritime district. Riverlee celebrated the milestone with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Lord Mayor Sally Capp together with project collaborators developer Riverlee, the City of Melbourne, 1 Hotel, and landscape design practice OCULUS.

Situated between The Mission to Seafarers heritage building and Seafarers Bridge connecting to South Wharf, Seafarers Rest offers a vital green sanctuary for guests and residents of the adjacent 1 Hotel & Homes Melbourne and the broader community.

This spacious public park provides essential space for relaxation and recreation and acknowledges both indigenous cultural heritage and maritime history, weaving together past and present in its innovative design.

Riverlee Development Director David Lee says the construction of Seafarers Rest is the final piece in the urban renewal of the Seafarers precinct, creating accessible green space and enhanced connections.

Riverlee’s restoration of this special site will be complete later this year.

It is a story of rejuvenation, transforming the once forgotten heritage-listed Goods Shed No.5 into a $600million mixed-use precinct, which will be home to 114 hotel-branded residences and 277 hotel rooms by 1 Hotel & Homes Melbourne.

As a part of the redevelopment, Riverlee restored the shed’s iconic travelling crane in 2019 and relocated it to the eastern end, symbolically integrating it into Seafarers Rest as a beacon for the project.

In collaboration with the City of Melbourne, and stakeholders, Seafarers Rest was designed with the input of nearly 1000 community participants. Their insights, gathered through surveys and engagements, shaped the park’s design to authentically reflect local interests and heritage, while also meeting contemporary needs.

The park’s design pays homage to the area’s indigenous cultural heritage and rich maritime history. Inspired features include rope swings, timber seating evocative of shipping crates, and curated artefacts from the Offshore & Speciality Ships Association. Designs also prioritise biodiversity, habitat and urban resilience with intelligent landscaping, green infrastructure and water management strategies.

Directly connected to 1 Hotel Melbourne’s lounge and bar within the eastern end of the Goods Shed No.5, the park will also include an events deck, a versatile space which once operational, will host events curated by 1 Hotel, and the City of Melbourne to activate this once-forgotten space.

Riverlee is proud to be revitalising this underutilised and forgotten urban space, reclaiming it as a safe and vibrant green haven for all Melbournians and visitors to enjoy.