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Macquarie Point10.0 Site ContextRevealing the Past, and Invigorating the FutureNatural ShorelineFor tens of thousands of years the site was a placeof habitation for the indigenous Muwinina people,presumably due to the ample supply of fresh waterfrom the local rivulets and the abundant shellfishthat could be found along the shores and reefs ofthe Derwent Estuary.The shoreline can be thought of as the widerfringe of land that was modified by the action ofthe water. While this line no doubt shifted withlower and higher tides, it is believed to haveremained constant for many thousands of years.In a comparatively short amount of time thenatural shoreline was lost following the successivereclamation of land that was initiated soon afterEuropean settlement in 1803.Historic Roof FormsHistoric photographs of the site and its surroundsreveal a character, which while still evident, wasonce much more strongly pronounced. A number ofsignificant early structures that have been lost inthe transition of this part of the city were industrialor utilitarian in nature and often displayed dynamicroof forms.A deep and wide warehouse building once extendedfrom the IXL Building all the way to MacquarieStreet. This building displayed an industrialsawtooth roof, the edges of which were cut tothe shape of the irregular site. This building wasdemolished to make way for the extension of DaveyStreet and the Hotel Grand Chancellor, which nowstands at 1 Davey Street.In addition, the Hobart Railway Station was asubstantial sandstone building at the front, witha large, light-weight roof behind, the shape ofwhich was derived from the configuration of therail lines it enclosed. The railway station was soldand redeveloped in the 1980s and sections of trackwere demolished for the extension of the TasmanHighway onto Davey Street and Macquarie Street.This type of built form is perhaps best evidenced bythe existing Old Woolstore building.40