Tyabb Packing House History

Tyabb Packing House Antiques, or simply "the Packing House" has been an antiques, old wares and vintage business which existed under the same management and ownership across two different locations from the mid-1980s through to 2022. From the mid-1980s to 1993 it operated as Moorooduc Antiques & Old Wares located at 545 Mornington-Tyabb Road, Moorooduc, run and managed by Sheila and Gerard Martland.

At Tyabb, at the Packing House it was operated as Tyabb Packing House Antiques located at 14 Mornington-Tyabb Road, Tyabb, and was also under the same ownership and management of the Martlands from 1993 through to December 2021.

In December 2021 the building, land and business was sold to new owners sparking a new, if challenging era.

This is an attempt to cover its history from 1993 through to 2022, and slightly beyond into a new era of its ownership. With detailed links to a variety of elements of its history.

The building, what would become Tyabb Packing House Antiques had remained remained in various forms of selected retail use for at least 10 years prior to Sheila and Gerard Martland taking ownership of the building, however with their taking ownership of the building it would be the first time anyone had looked at opening up the whole building to the general public.

During the initial stages of the renovation the bank manager from Westpac came down to Tyabb to assess it for a loan for the renovations. He said (of the amount they wanted to borrow) "it’s not going to be enough."

Sheila countered that "It’ll have to be enough."

Then surely enough after a week’s work they were back in the bank to borrow more. When the bank manager came down to Tyabb again and saw all the pipe work and mud along with the building work happening he couldn't believe it. After that the manager took a personal interest in the project.

Throughout the renovation process Sheila and Gerard said that on more than one occasion, they were throwing up their hands and thinking “what have we done?”.

Yet through the renovation process their enthusiasm for the project remained, despite the long hours and difficult process of renovation, adaption, rejuvenation and upgrades that were needed throughout the building and land.

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Even though extensive renovation and building work was needed to add emergency exits, lighting, windows and fire equipment most of Tyabb Packing House's original features were maintained as they had been, and remain as of 2023. 

The original cooling pipes that were once used to cool the building remained intact, the pipes still greased to prevent rust formed via condensation on the pipes when they were in operation (it was one of the first cool stores to use suction gas powered engines for the refrigeration). The floorboards still had the remains of the white guidelines which indicated where farmers placed their cases of fruit when it operated as a cool store.

As the building progressed through various stages of renovation one of the the more combative elements was the local council. They had actively discouraged the restoration and renovation of the building, believing that the building should have been demolished, seeing no value in the building any more. The irony was not lost a little less than a decade later while renovating and extending Chamber 27 - Golden Delicious that the same council stated that a heritage building needed protecting.

Gerard also added elements to the interior and exterior to enhance the building’s aesthetic. Sliding exterior doors which needed to be removed for emergency exits were retained and mounted on the exterior to signify where they had been, while additional ones were added to the new front half of the building to maintain the similar aesthetic.

In newer portions of the building Gerard added pipework that had been removed from other areas of the building to maintain the visual ‘look’ of the coolstore building.

Peacock Road-facing side of the building. (Photos: 1993-03)

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Following extensive renovations by both Gerard and Sheila Martland along with other members of the Martland family 'The Tyabb Packing House' opened on the 24th September 1993, with more than 100 guests; both past and present dealers and family, along with the Honourable Alan Brown M.P. Minister of Transport and Hastings Shire President Stan Paul.

As a salute to its past, all chambers and spaces within Tyabb Packing House Antiques were named after apple and pear varieties. Each chamber is linked below and has a more detailed and specific history, with photos from the past 30 years of operation. Other areas beyond the chambers are also covered and linked below.

After the somewhat hectic move to Tyabb, the first few years of the mid-1990s were about settling into the new building with the new space continuing to be developed, some areas like Chamber 14 - Display and Chamber 15 - Museum hadn't quite been ready for 1993, so these continued to be developed through 1993 forwards.

1995 exterior

In 1997 the Tyabb Packing House site was completely fenced in, separating the parking and the rest of the site from the near-by Stony Point railway line and providing a safer space for all who visit Tyabb Packing House Antiques. A gate was added to the car park fence to maintain passage to the train station.

2006-12-02 exterior

2018-02-02 railway pedestrian crossing

Early 2000s

From the late 1990s and finishing in the early 2000s the Tyabb Packing House was re-roofed, completely replacing the rusted roof that had been on the Packing House since before 1993.

1995

Fully replaced roof in 2013. (2013-06-23)

Painful clutch tractor (1993).

1993-11 unsealedd

This had necessitated using a grey tractor with a very hard to use clutch to grade the car park on a regular basis. In 2001 this task was removed with the sealing and asphalting of the whole of the Packing House's car park, right through into the Village at the rear of the location.

Since the Packing House had been opened most of the car park had remained unsealed (aside from the first section up to the building which had been asphalted in the past).

Sealed car park in 2005.

2010s

In early 2013 after 10 years of being painted in light green the outside of Tyabb Packing House was repainted. For colours it was limited to a heritage colour as the building was governed by a heritage overlay. The external colour of the building was now 'Paperbark’ with accents in 'Caulfield Green'. The sign on the front was also upgraded from a painted-on sign to a sign-written sign, based on the Tyabb Co-Op packing posters with red text and a black outline on the text. 

In 2014 Tyabb Packing House Antiques celebrated its 21st birthday; it being 21 full years the opening in 1993.

2020s

2020 really changed things for the Packing House, along with all retail. It seemed like more days were spent closed than open with the various lockdowns in Victoria and changes to the retail environment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In early 2020 long-time dealer at Tyabb Julian Phillips Trading ceased trading, he had occupied Chamber 20 - Red Delicious for 10 years.

In mid-2021 Maas Antiques ceased trading, the husband and wife dealers were some of the longest trading dealers at Tyabb, having been in the same area Chamber 23 - Statesman since 1993 when the Packing House opened.

Having been in the antiques business for more than 40 years, and run Tyabb Packing House as manager and owner for 27 years, Sheila Martland decided following the tumultuous years of 2020-2021 that it was time retire from trading and managing the Packing House, and to sell the building and land, the business and the Village at the rear of the location at 14 Mornington-Tyabb Road, Tyabb.

Following Gerard's passing more than 10 years previous their son had taken on a majority of the maintenance and general upkeep of Tyabb Packing House Antiques. However with such a vast and complex site more often it felt like a team was required, not one person. It had in fact become quite a burdensome ordeal at times to keep everything to a standard that the dealers in the Packing House and artisans in the Village wished for. And as the building was now over 100 years old, the maintenance was a constant concern.

Sheila in 2005 (above).

And in 2021 (below).

Moving forward from December 2021 Morgan & Griffin became the owners of Tyabb Packing House, the Village and everything located at 14 Mornington-Tyabb Road, Tyabb.

In December 2021 the new owners instructed the Packing House's website be shut down. The Packing House had been an early adopter having registered their domain (tyabbpackinghouseantiques.com.au) in the late 1990s following a seminar by the local tourism board explaining the significance of a website for tourism operators. The Packing House's website had been online since 2001 (WayBack Machine-linked versions of the site are linked below in ‘External links’).

2022 was a tumultuous year for the dealers at the Packing House, after almost 30 years there was new management and new owners, with a new point of contact for when things went wrong or maintenance was required.

Following changes by the new management of how sales were processed, along with the downward trend of sales of books one of the Packing House’s oldest dealers Book Browser made the decision to close down their business. The unfortunate matter was that given its layout covering Chamber 24 - Bartletts, Chamber 25 - Emporer and the most extensive Chamber 26 - Sheppards Delight – the space covering almost half the building along the side of the chambers, a layout favouring sales being processed at the front counter. However this processing of sales at the front counter (which had occurred since 1993) was something the new management would not allow. 

Along with the changing retail environment post-COVID meant that it was no longer viable to continue as a business. By mid-December 2022 they had completely emptied their spaces of all books, leaving only the shelves which were part of the fabric of the building behind.

By January 2023 these shelves had also been removed, fully clearing these spaces of all vestiges of the books and their business at the Packing House.

Gerard in 1998.

After a few months under the new management the dealers attempted to have a meeting with the new manager, ostensibly to discuss the advertising of the building. Unfortunately with so much uncertainty that had built up the meeting was somewhat hijacked to cover all the grievances the dealers had up to that point with the new management. Tempers flared quite early devolving the meeting into something of a shouty discussion, with little being resolved.

2023 saw some of the largest changes in dealers at the Packing House.

Dogs Republic who had dealt in mid-century furniture at since 2010 ceased trading at the Packing House in Chamber 5 - Brammley in February 2023.

Antique Bed Specialists, who had held the central space in Chamber 1 - Tycos since 1993 vacated the Packing House in September 2023. 

In August 2023, citing poor health in his legs the proprietor of Andrew's Antipodean Photographic Emporium began the process of closing down his business located in Chamber 6 - Rome Beauty at Tyabb Packing House Antiques, they had been at the Packing House since 2014.

Additional information & media

Sheila Martland interviewed on Visit Victoria TV show (2005).