APCO Mt Gambier

Mount Gambier, South Australia

A large-format service station and retail development designed as a complete roadside destination.

The brief

APCO required a new service station capable of combining fuel retail with a substantial convenience store, café, fresh-food offer and supporting commercial uses. The development needed to accommodate multiple customer types—from local shoppers to highway traffic—while maintaining safe and efficient separation between cars, delivery vehicles, pedestrians and forecourt operations.

The project also involved replacing an existing building and coordinating new infrastructure across a large site with access from Penola Road and Law Street.

The architectural response

Bespoke Architects developed an integrated site plan containing an 868-square-metre service-station building, a 915-square-metre fuel canopy, two car-wash bays, adjoining retail tenancies and 33 customer parking spaces.

Inside, the service station moves beyond a conventional convenience-store model. The plan incorporates an IGA-format grocery offer, café seating, deli, bakery, fresh fruit and vegetables, chilled and frozen displays, customer amenities and a substantial commercial kitchen.

Public areas are arranged around a highly visible central console, creating clear sightlines across the shop and toward the forecourt. Dedicated cool rooms, freezers, preparation spaces, dry stores and loading areas support the operational requirements behind the customer-facing offer.

Site and identity

Vehicle access, parking, fuel deliveries and loading areas are carefully organised across the 8,872-square-metre site. Landscape zones and a vertical garden soften the commercial development, while stormwater-treatment infrastructure is integrated into the overall site planning.

A robust palette of precast concrete, blockwork, metal cladding and generous glazing gives the building a durable civic presence. APCO’s blue-and-white identity is expressed consistently across the shopfront, canopy and signage without overwhelming the broader architectural composition.

The outcome

The design creates a flexible regional service centre in which fuel, food and convenience retail operate as a unified customer experience. Clear planning, durable materials and carefully coordinated back-of-house systems allow the development to support a broad retail offer while retaining the efficiency required of a high-volume service station.

Project details

Architect: Bespoke Architects
Design team: Daniel Calder
Client: APCO Service Stations Pty Ltd
Location: Mount Gambier, South Australia
Project type: New service station and associated retail
Service-station area: 868 m²
Fuel canopy: 915 m²
Parking: 33 spaces
Status: Completed