Around 70 trucks delivered 450 cubic metres of concrete to Eden on Wednesday as construction of the new Snug Cove Welcome Centre entered its next stage.
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The Boral trucks began pouring their loads at 6am and Neil Rankin's crew had close to half done by the time the Magnet visited at 10am.
Mr Rankin and site engineer Glenn Vardy explained the concrete slab involved three distinct layers - a blinding layer to provide support for the more than 90 tonnes of steel reinforcement and foundation work, then a structural slab at 600mm thick, with a third topping layer to be added once the construction was closer to completion.
The third layer will include aggregate and other materials for a decorative polished concrete floor.
Mr Rankin said over the next few weeks, people in Eden will begin to see the block work and poles of the superstructure going up before the construction crew begins on the internal brickwork and so on.
The final structure should look rather spectacular if the materials on hand already are anything to go by. Mr Rankin has been travelling the country sourcing gorgeous century-old timber for the posts and beams.
Many of the huge poles in the yard still show signs of being milled by hand, including adze holes and grooves.
They have been sourced from multiple locations, including Bacchus Marsh, Geelong, Kinglake, Echuca, Taree and Kempsey, as well as North Eden Timbers, and Bega.
"There's a lot of prep work going in behind the scenes to get them ready," Mr Rankin said.
"They all need to be de-nailed, getting any paint off, oiling them up. But it's gorgeous timber!"
There are also some "absolutely sexy" trusses being constructed from 100-year-old red ironbark to create another point of interest in the Welcome Centre.
Rankin Builders has previously worked with the selected architecture firm, Cox Architecture, on the Bermagui Fishermen's Wharf.
The project is being headed up by Port Authority of NSW.