The Holden Fishermans Bend Plant[1] was an industrial park opened in 1936 in Fishermans Bend, Victoria, as Holden's headquarters.[1][2] The new location was opened due to many issues with its previous City Road facility.[3] The park was also intended to kickstart a Victorian leg of the General Motors subsidiaries Chevrolet and Vauxhall.
| Fishermans Bend Assembly Plant | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Built | 1936 |
| Location | Fishermans Bend, Melbourne |
| Coordinates | 37°49′29″S 144°55′18″E / 37.824770°S 144.921560°E |
| Industry | Motor vehicle and driveline component assembly |
| Products | |
| Employees | 350 (2014) |
| Architect | Eric Gibson |
| Style | Art Deco |
| Area | 50 acres (20 ha) |
| Address | 171-197 Salmon Street, Fishermans Bend, Victoria |
| Defunct | 2020 |
In 1948, the plant facilitated the production of the first Holden-branded motor vehicle, the Holden 48-215.[4] In 1956, due to an inability to meet demand, the assembly section of the plant was closed, succeeded by the new Dandenong plant. The Fishermans Bend plant also produced engines and driveline components for all domestic and most exported vehicles up until 2016, when the Australian LFX V6 was discontinued. In 1981, production started of the global Family II engine series - most of which were produced for export to other GM plants around the world.
Since 2020, the area is no longer used by Holden for manufacturing or administration.[5] In 2021, it was announced that the University of Melbourne planned to redevelop the area as the headquarters of its school of engineering, with plans to open in 2024.[6]
Products
editAfter production of the Commodore VL engines ceased, the engine division became known as 'Holden Engine Company' (Aka. HEC)
Pre-Holden
- Misc. Chevrolets
- Misc. Vauxhalls
Vehicles
Engines
- Holden straight-six motor
- Holden V8 engine
- GM 3800 V6 engine
- GM High Feature V6 engine
- GM Family II engine
Transmissions
Differentials
Notes
edit- 1.^ The facility was alternatively named the General Motors Holden Port Melbourne plant
References
edit- ^ "From the Archives, 1936: GMH opens new plant at Fisherman's Bend". The Age. 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ^ "When General Motors Holden moved to Fishermans Bend - Port Places". 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ^ Njuguna, Marcus (2021-12-08). "The Rise And Fall Of The Holden Car Company". HotCars. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ^ "Birth and demise of Holden at Fishermans Bend". Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ^ "Holden Retiree's Club - Fishermens Bend". HRC.
- ^ "Almost $200M to be spent transforming historic 32-hectare Melbourne site". 7News. 2021-05-17. Retrieved 2022-08-03.