Stepping straight out of a line in a Paul Kelly song and back into real life, Melbourne’s iconic Nylex Clock has suddenly sprung back into action today, being officially switched back on for the first time in nearly 5 years.
The sign, which sits atop derelict but historic silos in Cremorne, has had its switch thrown back on this morning; the sign’s pink and green “NYLEX PLASTICS” portions now illuminated across the city.
The re-illumination is happening for one day only, beginning at 11am this morning and continuing through until 10am tomorrow.
The entire site is being redeveloped thanks to a controversial building plan being run by Caydon Property Group, who have plans to turn the site into apartments, offices, a hotel, and a retail precinct.
As part of this, the Nylex sign has been switched on today as Caydon officials assess what parts of the sign remain functional ahead of a planned restoration of the sign, which will remain a feature atop the redeveloped buildings, according to redevelopment plans.
The sign is set to be removed from its current home atop the silos in around 18 months’ time. Following a planned 6-month refurbishment, it will be reinstalled in 2022 atop a “glass extrustion” that will thrust it a further 15 metres into the air. The sign then forms the centrepiece for the new Malt District redevelopment.
The redevelopment project isn’t expect to be fully completed until 2023, however residents are scheduled to begin moving into the precinct later this year.
