ERN HALLIDAY RECREATION CAMP
THE BUILDERS CHOICE Ern Halliday Recreation Camp
Beloved beachside camp gains sympathetic upgrade SAILING INTO THE FUTURE
Photos Deprimo Photography
A
decades-old oasis of youth adventure in Perth’s north has a fresh wind at its back, sailing into a renewed future of delightful childhood experiences. The iconic Ern Halliday Recreation Camp, located on Whitfords Beach in the northern suburb of Hillarys, has hosted many thousands of young people during the past four decades. THE TEAM
Phone: 9387 2945 www.rivettcs.com.au
Phone: 9225 0600 www.carabiner.com.au
74 The Builders Choice Magazine – March 2022
Boasting three large dormitory camps, a picnic and tent campsite and some of the best youth programs in Western Australia, the Ern Halliday complex is set in 28 hectares of natural bushland – and is a young adventurer’s paradise, beloved of generations of school children. Now the original Ern Halliday Camp site, the Spinnaker Precinct, has undergone a comprehensive renovation and refurbishment to ensure it will continue to generate precious memories for many more decades. The 1970s-era Spinnaker camp was a shabby version of the original facility when builder Rivett Construction and architectural firm Carabiner began to work their collaborative magic last year. Owned by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, Spinnaker consisted of an out-dated kitchen and ablution block flanked by demountable buildings serving as a dining room and dormitories. Still recognisable as the beloved adventure playground of old – thanks to a sympathetic regeneration that effortlessly blends the best of the old with the enhanced amenity of the new – the camp now offers modern accommodation and user-friendly communal spaces. The hybrid approach to upgrading the camp was deliberate, according to Carabiner project director Peter Giangiulio. “A strong part of the brief was that the upgrade and improvements had to maintain the existing 1970s structure, as well
