Marine Discovery Centre Hastings Point
A world-class marine and coastal science centre upgrade.
Client: North Star Holiday Resort
Category: Museum
Date: 25 March 2021
The Marine Discovery Centre Hastings Point is a museum exhibit and ecotourism learning centre. Visitors can learn about the marine and coastal environment in an interactive way using diverse tools of communication. The million dollar upgrade combines digital, audio-visual, interactive, and experiential elements with traditional displays for maximum engagement and understanding.
Marine health is an issue which literally surrounds us here in Australia. So Brandi Projects were thrilled to be asked by the passionate team at the Discovery Centre to reimagine the existing centre to create a world-class facility for coastal environmental education. The Centre has since been awarded the highly regarded ECO Destination Certification. It is one of Australia’s largest privately funded museums. The Centre now boasts state-of-the-art light and sound technology, interactive digital terminals and world-class marine and coastal science displays.
Purpose
The Marine Discovery Centre Hastings Point teaches people about the important role they have to play in taking care of our marine environment. It holds one of Australia’s largest private collections of marine specimens. The museum’s focus is to help visitors understand the vital ecosystems along our coastline. As well as the impact that climate change, marine litter, plastic waste, pollution and fishing can have on that delicate ecological system. In understanding the ecology, it is the hope of the Centre’s team that more people will be inspired to care for the marine environment and its inhabitants, in order to preserve what we have for future generations.
Our role
- Lead consultants
- Exhibit design
- Exhibit construction
- Installation
- Interpretive strategy
The rebuild itself was extensive, requiring a demolition of the existing space with a new floor to ceiling built environment. This was in addition to building the interpretive displays within it. The benefit of this, was it allowed for a complete reimagining of the space in line with the new interpretive strategy. The project not only highlights our exhibition design skills, but also our building skills including cabinetry and external and internal signage.
About the exhibit
Features at a glance
- Interactive digital terminals
- World-class marine and coastal science displays
- Largest private marine specimen collection in Australia
- Tactile and digital interactives
Heart-warming history of the Marine Discovery Centre
The Centre was originally called the Marine Discovery Education Centre, and was situated at Hastings Point Caravan Park. It was established in 1999 by environmentalist Ted Brambleby and teacher Kerrie Trees. Together, they created a place where students, teachers, community groups and holiday makers could come and visit and learn about the marine environment.
However, Ted had been educating the community long before the Marine Discovery Education Centre first opened. Ted was an avid collector of marine specimens, and had grown an extensive collection over more than 30 years. Today, it is one of the largest independent collections of marine specimens in Australia. For years before the centre opened, he would passionately haul his display around in the boot of his car. He would drive along coastal roads, educating beachgoers of all kinds about the delicate marine environment.
The resource centre and collections were relocated to North Star at Hastings Point back in 2008. North Star’s owners, Ian and Diana Beadel were also passionate about the centre, and the coastal environment. They welcomed Ted’s amazing and inspiring collection to North Star for a token rent payable of just $1 per year. They were excited to be updating the extensive static display with futuristic technologies. Ensuring Ted’s legacy would be maintained, for future generations to enjoy.
Comments about this project
“Brandi Projects is diverse team of truly innovative and diverse professionals.
Delivering quality unique spaces requires flexibility, creativity, leadership and superb craftmanship, which Brandi Projects has delivered on all fronts.
As a result, we now have a beautiful, robust and meaningful space that will stand the test of time.
We are thrilled with the newly imagined Marine Discovery Centre and appreciated Brandi Projects not only embracing our vision but truly enhancing it into a world class facility”
North Star CEO Susan Flaherty said.
