Jack’s Magazine

Architect: William Wardell, 1878

City of Maribyrnong | M06

Building Description

Jack’s Magazine, an intriguing former explosives store by the banks of the Maribyrnong River, opened in 1878 and has been locked up and unused since the 1990s. Built into an escarpment, and concealed behind a bluestone perimeter wall, it is largely hidden from view. For Open House Melbourne 2019, Working Heritage will invite visitors inside the bluestone wall to experience the tunnels, tramways and towering earth mounds of this remarkable heritage place. Visitors will have the opportunity to see inside some of the site’s main buildings – including the cavernous space of the nineteenth-century gunpowder store. A must for those intrigued by Melbourne’s hidden places and industrial past, this is a chance to get a taste of a place usually closed to the public. Jack’s Magazine is a significant heritage place on Crown land managed by Working Heritage. The Victorian Government has appointed Working Heritage to manage, conserve and revitalise the site. Jacks Magazine sits on Wurunderji Woi Wurrung land.

What's On

Working Heritage invites visitors inside the bluestone wall to experience the tunnels, tramways and towering earth mounds of this remarkable landscape. Visitors will have the opportunity to see inside some of the site’s main buildings – including the cavernous space of the nineteenth-century gunpowder store.
A must for those intrigued by Melbourne’s hidden places and industrial past, this is a chance to get a taste of a place usually closed to the public.

Location