The redevelopment of our iconic Maryborough Railway Station is now complete and was officially opened with a celebratory event on Thursday 9 November at 5.30pm.
Over the past year, the Station has been transformed in many ways and now includes a fantastic local and visitor hub.
The new-look Visitor Centre welcomes visitors and introduces them to the delights of our region, at the centre of Victoria's historic goldfields. Local residents, and visitors to Maryborough, can now enjoy a range of experiences from the fun and imaginative to the informative.
A highlight of the experience at the new Visitors Centre is the theatrette with its digital animation "The Welcome Stranger". This is a creative and highly engaging video for all ages, telling the story of gold and how its discovery has shaped our region. A replica of the famous original Welcome Stranger gold nugget can also be viewed on entry to the theatrette.
The Worth its Weight in Gold interactive installation is a fun and educational experience which invites visitors to place whatever they have in their pocket on the unit to find out its worth in today's gold prices.
The Central Goldfields Visitor Centre and the historic Maryborough Station also provides valuable information and insights into the history of the Traditional Owners of our area the Dja Dja Wurrung. It reflects on the impact the gold rush had on their lives, culture and country and presents a positive vision of how we can move forward together.
Our Visitor Services team are an integral part of this new-look centre, welcoming visitors to the delights of our region and sharing their own experiences.
The Visitor Centre is now accessible from both the Station Platform as well as directly via The Station Café Restaurant Bar. Accessibility improvements have also been made to the platform entry.
Central Goldfields Shire Mayor Cr Grace La Vella said she was delighted with outcome and response to this significant project for the Central Goldfields.
"We're incredibly fortunate to be home to the iconic Maryborough Railway Station and to have such a rich goldfields history in our region.
"Maryborough is located at the centre of the unique Victorian Goldfields region and is pivotal to the Victorian Goldfields World Heritage Bid.
"The redevelopment celebrates this and has transformed the Station into a local and visitor hub. Visitation is growing daily and the Station, already an iconic attraction now has so much more to offer to our many visitors as well as our local community.
"It's a really exciting time for us in the Central Goldfields. With our redeveloped Central Goldfields Art Gallery and the Indigenous Interpretive Garden still to come – together with the Station project – we now have two fantastic major attractions bookending the town and showcasing the community's story in creative ways by drawing visitors and locals through town.
"The station and garden honour our rich heritage and contribute to economic growth in the future. Both are public spaces for mixing, celebrating unique past and present stories, learning, understanding, healing, and reconciliation. Both are cornerstones of the growth of future tourism in the local area.
"We thank the Victorian Government for their investment in this key project and extend our thanks to the owners of The Station Café Restaurant Bar as well as VLine for their collaboration and patience throughout the project – particularly during the construction phase.
"We will continue to advocate for a further $3 million for the next stage of the project – which will involve activation of the creative space and sculpture courtyard and further story telling capability."
The project was jointly funded with $1.8 million from the Victorian Government's Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund and $200,000 from Council.
The project also delivered:
- Improvements to the indoor and outdoor spaces at the north-east end of the Station enabling it to become a future creative space for the arts and community
- Minor upgrades to the co-working space to include an additional meeting room
- Upgrades to accessibility throughout the site.
The project was delivered by Barpa Pty Ltd, an Australian Indigenous construction company. This is their first project in our Shire and their first on Dja Dja Wurrung country. The project architects were Plico Design. The interpretation of the story and our region, including the Worth its Weight in Gold and the Welcome Stranger digital animation were created by innovative design company Sandpit Media drawing on local knowledge and research.
