- Clunes Town Hall was refurbished thanks to a $317,000 grant
- Creswick Town Hall has received a $500,000 grant
- Part of the Victorian government's $30B investment into rural and regional areas
The Victorian government has today announced further investment into regional town halls as part of a revitalisation program for local communities.
Mary-Anne Thomas, the Minister for Regional Development, today opened the newly refurbished town hall in Clunes, which was given a $317,000 grant from the state government.
Originally built during the gold rush heyday in 1873, the building is highly utilised by the local community for events such as Booktown, the town’s annual book festival, along with community dinners, concerts, exhibitions and school socials.
The project involved conducting remedial works that were identified in a heritage study, which included brick and masonry repairs to both the exterior and interior of the building.
Ms Thomas today also announced that under the Regional Infrastructure Fund – Stimulus Round, $500,000 will be allocated to undertake improvement on the 145-year old Creswick Town Hall.
Since it was opened in 1876, the town hall holds memories for many older members of the community as it was a picture theatre before the 1970s. Works set to be undertaken include roof plumping, electrical work, painting and fixing structural cracking.
“These priority town hall projects form part of an investment plan for the future of the region, creating more jobs and revitalising community assets – we are proud to support Hepburn Shire to help make these projects a reality.”
Mary-Anne Thomas, Minister for Regional Development
“Places like Clunes and Creswick Town Hall sit at the heart of our regional communities and I’m so pleased we are able to help restore these grand buildings to their former glory,” said Jaala Pulford, Member for Western Victoria.
The funding falls under almost $30 billion worth of state government’s investment towards regional and rural Victoria.