Nylex clock in Richmond ticks back to life

UPDATE: A GROUP called the ‘Nylex Clock Collective’ says it turned the iconic sign back on after six years in the dark because they felt “sad” about its decline.

The iconic Nylex clock has been swithched back on. 14 degres a chilly summer's morning in Melbourne. Picture: Nicole Garmston

UPDATE: A GROUP called the ‘Nylex Clock Collective’ says it turned the iconic sign back on after six years in the dark because they felt “sad” about its decline.

The heritage-listed clock in Richmond flickered off and on yesterday morning to the excitement of Melburnians.

Byron from the ‘collective’ said a small group of men including engineers and electricians planned for a couple of years to turn it back on.

“We noticed in the last six months that the site itself had become a lot less secure,” Byron told 3AW.

“On our little excursions up there we had seen the clock ... and it seemed to be in very decent order.

“ ... a lot of us were fairly dismayed to find in the last six months or there was a lot of graffiti and vandalism taking place.

“Every time we drove past it we’d look at it and grow a bit sadder and we were waiting for someone to get up there and do some damage to the clock, so we made the decision that we were going to go up and have a look to see if we could get it running again.”

Byron told 3AW it wasn’t as simple as “flicking a switch” to get the clock working.

“It took a few nights,” he said today.

The group used harnesses to drop an extension lead through a back window in one of the silos, he said.

They climbed a spiral staircase to plug it in on Wednesday night at 11pm.

Byron said it was easy to access the site, and said he was hoping the group’s actions would encourage authorities to switch the clock back on permanently.

Caller Tanya took this photo a couple of days ago of 3 blokes on the Nylex clock. Not sure if they flicked a switch. pic.twitter.com/eZVtQnDpAF

— 3AW Breakfast (@RossAndJohn) January 28, 2015

#BREAKING - The Nylex clock is working! #hallelujah pic.twitter.com/OCV3zIaGsO

— 3AW Breakfast (@RossAndJohn) January 28, 2015

Mischievous vandals were believed to be responsible for turning the clock back on.

Police were called after several reports of people “loitering suspiciously” around the site, most recently on Australia Day.

Owner Joe Russo yesterday said he was in the dark about how the clock returned to life.

Installed in 1961 on malting storage silos, the clock had a chequered history and was restarted in 2005 after hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of repairs.

But technical glitches continued before it was switched off in 2009 when Nylex went into receivership.

The site was recently purchased by developer Caydon for $38 million, with plans to keep the clock as a centrepiece of a $600 million redevelopment.

Mr Russo said late last year that the clock would be retained as he worked to establish a boutique brewery and even a beer-themed museum at the site.

“It’s an amazing building inside, it’s got all the natural timber trusses and the light is fantastic,” Mr Russo said.

“We want to create a destination point so people want to come and visit it. Try a beer, have a meal, have a look at it — I think it would be good.”

Caydon engaged a top heritage architect to advise on refurbishment of the clock and the buildings.

The clock was immortalised in Paul Kelly’s song Leaps and Bounds.

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Twitter: @tminear