Plans are moving ahead to acquire Yarrawonga’s old primary school site for community use. Pictured: Moira Shire Council chief executive, Matthew Morgan and chair administrator, Graeme Emonson.
For the past eight years, the old Yarrawonga Primary School has sat derelict, at the mercy of vandals, on 3.5ha of prime, town centre real estate.
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The site includes the school buildings, the former Yarrawonga Courthouse and fire station, and the disused water tower, all in very poor condition and riddled with termites and asbestos.
Over the past two years, Moira Shire Council staff have met with community members to best understand its potential use.
Now the council is looking to develop concept and investment plans with funds allocated in the 2025/26 draft budget.
“It will help us to identify opportunities and understand what’s possible,” chief executive Matthew Morgan said.
“We know there is a lot of enthusiasm to see this space activated for the community.
“There is an opportunity to create that space, but we need to do some detailed planning to understand exactly what that might look like, and how it would align with existing spaces and needs from different groups.”
In Stage 1 of its proposal to acquire the site from the State Government, council has allocated $60,000 to develop a master plan, which is likely to be complete by early 2026.
Stage 2 would involve acquiring the site, at a cost to be determined by the Valuer General’s office.
Chair administrator, Graeme Emonson said the actual purchase price would be negotiated and determined after the use had been established.
Philanthropic organisation, Alexandra Park Club has promised the full notional purchase price of $823,000, which was included in the 2025/26 draft budget.
The derelict school sits behind a wire fence but that could change in the coming years.
“The more community use, the cheaper it will be,” Dr Emonson said.
“It’s a fantastic site; the community has been very clear they want council to protect it for community use in perpetuity, and that’s what we intend to do.”
The next step is a comprehensive engagement process, expected to start in July.
The process will determine exactly what the community would like to see, and to find out which community organisations may be willing to invest into the site, to bring it up to a level where it can be used.
Substantial work on the deteriorated buildings and upgrades to water and sewerage are needed before any development can happen.
Council estimates about $5-$10 million would be needed for refurbishment and redevelopment of the site as part of Stage 3.
“This will likely require considerable external funding as it sits outside council’s 10-year financial plan,” Dr Emonson said.
“We need to understand who is out there, with an interest in using the site … what use might they have for a particular building, and what level of funds could they invest to bring it up to standard.”
The site includes the old Yarrawonga Fire Station which is damaged by termites.
One such organisation is Yarrawonga Mulwala Community and Learning Centre, which submitted a business proposal two years ago, in collaboration with Alexandra Park Club.
YMCLC offers Neighbourhood House programs and as a registered training organisation is the region’s preferred training provider for the aged care, disability, early childhood and hospitality sectors.
Its premises in Hargrave Court are “overflowing and bursting at the seams”.
Under the proposal, Alexandra Park Club promised the funds to purchase the site and then hand it over to the council to be used for community purposes, in perpetuity, with YMCLC as the lead tenant.
Executive officer, Julie-Anne Clark said the idea was pitched to the new administrators who asked to take the proposal to the State Government.
It was well-received and under the Victorian Government Landholding Policy and Guidelines, Moira Shire Council was offered first right of refusal on the sale of the property.
Two years later, with more programs coming on board for youth and senior citizens, a community shower program, community engagement vehicle, Indigenous employment and parenting programs and plans to grow the Learning Centre, the need for more space at YMCLC is paramount.
Land containing the old water tower is under the control of North East Water but Federation Council wants to retain it within the school site.
Alexandra Park Club director, Bruce Pigdon said they had promised funds to purchase the site, exclusively for community use and now it was for the council to consider the liability to ensure it was viable to proceed with the acquisition.
“To make it available for the community means there needs to be a considerable amount of money spent to upgrade the buildings,” Mr Pigdon said.
“Graeme (Emerson) has a big task now to satisfy the community.
“We can only provide the funds if it’s for community benefit, because that’s our charter.”
Although the challenges are there, Mr Pigdon remains convinced of the opportunity for Moira Shire to secure “probably the most valuable asset in this community”, in the centre of town, for the next generations.
“This would provide benefits in ways that we can’t imagine now,” he said.
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