See Yup Temple Update: 13 Dec 2024
Temple Re-Opening
It has been nearly ten months since the significant fire at See Yup Temple, and while the main Kwan Tai Hall is expected to remain closed for restoration and rebuilding over the next two years, we have some exciting news to share.
The Temple will reopen for approximately 10 weeks during the Chinese New Year period, from early January to late February 2025. Thanks to a permit granted by Heritage Victoria, a temporary marquee hall will be constructed in the temple’s front grounds, allowing the worship of Kwan Tai and Tai Sui during Lunar New Year celebrations. This arrangement ensures that it remains spiritually fitting to open the rest of the temple complex, including the Kuan Yum Pavilion, the God of Fortune hall and the ancestral halls.
Structural adjustments have been necessary following the closure of the main hall. You may notice that two of the ancestral halls have been temporarily reduced in size with the addition of partition walls. This modification has been made to safely store items retrieved from the main hall during its restoration process.
We look forward to welcoming you back to See Yup Temple during this special time.
Funding our recovery
Regrettably, our insurance coverage falls short of covering the substantial costs required for the repair and conservation of this historically significant temple. Restoring Australia’s oldest Chinese temple demands the expertise of specialist conservators and heritage professionals to ensure it receives the meticulous care it deserves.
We are, however, deeply grateful to the Victorian Government for awarding us a $60,000 grant. This generous support enables us to engage a heritage architect to oversee the initial recovery efforts, marking an important step in preserving this cultural treasure for a place of worship and for future generations.
We have also partnered with the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) who have established and will manage a fund which can take tax-deductible donations dedicated to renovation and conservation work at the temple. You can donate via our GiveNow appeal (https://www.givenow.com.au/seeyuptemplerecovery) or when you visit the temple during Lunar New Year.
We would also like to thank Museums Victoria for donating a large shelving rack for the storage of our largest, most damaged objects and also Heritage Victoria and the Grimwade Centre for the donation of conservation quality materials.
Update of Works undertaken to date include:
The appointment of Janet Beeston from Frontier Heritage as our Heritage Architect to progress the Restoration Project. This has included everything from arranging to remove the remaining items from the main hall to leading a team of specialist subconsultants to investigate the works required to return the building to its condition prior to the fire as well as investigating the existing conditions of the complete site to identify all repairs and conservation works required to the place.
Confirmation from specialist structural engineers that the fire in the main hall of the temple has not compromised the strength of the supporting columns in the main hall which are made of a single column of rendered bluestone.
Protective walls constructed around the Kwan Dai altar area
The upper roofs and walls that were damaged by the fire and the fireman when they extinguished the fire have been repaired,
The brickwork walls above the burnt skylight (‘Heavenly well’) are currently being repointed. Some bricks were just sitting in place with no mortar holding them in place.
The electrical status of the complete building is being inspected and tested. The cabling leading to the main hall is being removed and any other areas of potential dangerous wiring will be identified and disconnected until repaired. Temporary power will be provided to the garden area for Lunar New Year.
The stormwater drains throughout the site have been unblocked and are now functioning. They were blocked and water was overflowing into the main hall and other areas.
A cleaning process will begin, including a thorough HEPA clean of the horizontal surfaces. Improved floor protection will also be put in place. The remainder of the buildings will also be HEPA cleaned.
Negotiations with our insurance company continue.
Established a partnership with the Grimwade Centre for Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne to support the storage and care of the temple’s fire damaged objects. This is occurring under the supervision of Dr Nicole Tse.
Over two hundred fire affected objects have been relocated to new safe storage spaces in the temple complex, including over eighty donation plaques, some as big as three meters long, estimated to weigh over one hundred kilograms.
Follow our recovery on our new website!
We are also excited to announce the launch of our website – www.seeyuptemple.com.au, where you can stay informed about updates on the Temple’s reopening during the 2025 Chinese New Year period, as well as the progress of our restoration and conservation efforts.
Additionally, we plan to keep the Temple open on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) following the Chinese New Year period, allowing continued access for visitors and worshippers. Stay tuned for more details on our new website!