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State Government support for Chiltern Discovery Centre - $15,000 for Chiltern’s Mt Pilot Discovery Centre Plan
Left to right: Indigo Shire Mayor, Cr Larry Goldsworthy, Eileen Collins from Friends of the Chiltern Mt Pilot National Park, Chiltern Tourism & Development Inc President, Kevin Mayhew, and Hon Bill Tilley, Member for Benambra, at the announcement of the $15,000 State Government grant.
Indigo Shire Council will develop a strategic plan for the proposed Chiltern Mt Pilot Discovery Centre with the help of $15,000 in Victorian Government funding, Bill Tilley, Member for Benambra, said today.
Mr Tilley said the plan would investigate the need for the facility through consultation, determining the possible economic and social benefits to the community and research similar facilities throughout the country.
“The plan will also look to identify possible centre locations, potential partner organisations and tourism markets and statutory requirements and impediments,” Mr Tilley said.
“It will also make recommendations regarding the various options available in seeing the project become a reality.”
Mr Ryan, Deputy Premier said the Chiltern Mt Pilot National park was one of the few remaining large tracts of Box Ironbark Forest in South East Australia.
“The park is recognised as a nationally significant habitat for rare and endangered birdlife and is fast becoming a major tourist attraction for bird watchers,” Mr Ryan said.
“The proposed Chiltern Mt Pilot Discovery Centre will target the growing national and international bird-watching markets and develop an eco tourism focus for the town.
“It is intended that the Centre will also provide educational resource materials and facilities relating to the natural assets of the Chiltern Mt Pilot National Park which can be used by the community, tourist groups and the education sector more broadly.
“The centre has the potential to deliver significant economic benefits to the township of Chiltern and nearby towns within Indigo Shire by providing a unique tourist attraction that could become a strong drawcard for the region.”
Mr Ryan said Victorian Government funding for the $20,000 Chiltern Mt Pilot National Park Discovery Centre Strategic Plan project would be provided to Indigo Shire Council through the $1 billion Regional Growth Fund’s Putting Locals First Program.
“Putting Locals First is a $100 million initiative that enables regional communities to devise and deliver service and infrastructure responses that reflect local priorities,” Mr Ryan said.
“It is supporting stronger and more sustainable regional communities by building their capacity to drive development in their region.”
The project is expected to be completed by December 2012.
Media contact: 02 6024 4488
Official launch for new Indigo Gold Trail projects
Indigo Shire Council has celebrated Heritage Week 2012 with the official opening of a suite of new projects completed as part of the Indigo Gold Trail, a major tourism initiative which links the towns and historic sites of the area by the common thread of gold.
State Government grants totalling $130,000 under the Sustainable Small Towns Development Fund, together with contributions from Indigo Shire Council, have enabled the refurbishment of the Rutherglen Gold Battery including a new visitor viewing area, audio visual production, interpretive signage, landscaping, building repairs and carpark upgrade. The Rutherglen Gold Battery Committee, supported by the Rutherglen Historical Society and Indigo Shire’s Economic Development and Tourism teams, has seen the refurbishment project to fruition.
The launched included:
- a package of entertaining Indigo Gold Trail Audio Tours which take visitors on an entertaining journey of gold discovery around Indigo Shire, bringing to life the sites, colour and the characters of the goldfields. The Audio Tours are now available on MP3 players (pictured) at Visitor Information Centres in Rutherglen, Beechworth, Chiltern and Yackandandah and online
- The Indigo Gold Trail website – www.indigogoldtrail.com - equipped with a downloadable Gold Trail brochure, soon to be available in simplified Chinese, as well as audio tours, videos and comprehensive information about the gold history of the area
- Indigo Gold Trail touch-screens equipped with new software offering visitors a virtual tour of some 40 key gold sites across our Indigo Shire, to be installed at each Visitor Information Centre in Beechworth, Chiltern, Rutherglen and Yackandandah.
Believed to be the only Government Battery in Victoria still in working order, the Rutherglen Gold Battery was built in 1908 to extract quartz recovered from reefs in and around Rutherglen. It was in use until 1994 yielding 5650 ounces of gold (worth close to $100 million in today’s currency) from 6549 tons of quartz crushed during that period. The Battery is considered historically as well as scientifically significant because of its rarity and its intactness.
The State Government grant has also assisted the refurbishment of the National Trust-listed Powder Magazine, one of a number of nationally significant gold era buildings comprising the Beechworth Historic & Cultural Precinct.
The Indigo Gold Trail is a key plank of Indigo Shire’s Tourism Strategy and aims to bring tangible benefits to the community by giving visitors of all ages a new reason to explore the area, bringing economic benefit to local accommodation and hospitality providers, restaurants and cafes, retailers and ultimately, the broader communities of the Shire.
This year marks the 160th anniversary of the discovery of gold in Indigo Shire – the rush began on the banks of Spring Creek in Beechworth in August 1852.
Autumn Festivals & Events 2012
Autumn is the perfect time to visit the historic towns of Indigo Shire. The weather’s great, the scenery is beautiful and there’s plenty happening. Our latest Festivals and Events calendar for the region has just been released and is packed with food and wine, music, cultural and historical events for all ages.
A highlight is the annual Tastes of Rutherglen in March, where 21 of our famed wineries match their produce in a true feast for the senses. The Yackandandah Folk Festival in March is an annual highlight for music lovers. Vintage and veteran cars and bikes will take centre stage in Chiltern in April for the Cancer Cruise, Car and Bike Show, while Beechworth’s biggest annual event, the Beechworth Bakery Golden Horseshoes Festival, returns this Easter long weekend with a packed program for the whole family.
To view our full festivals and events guide for Autumn 2012 please click here.
Festivals & Events Summer Guide 2011/2012
Indigo Shire's new Summer 2011/2012 guide to festivals and events is now available. Click here to go to the full calendar or contact the tourism department on 03 5728 8000 or via email if you'd like to receive a hard copy.
Festivals & Events Spring Guide 2011
Indigo Shire's new Spring 2011 guide to festivals and events is now available. Click here to go to the full calendar or contact the tourism department on 03 5728 8000 or via email if you'd like to receive a hard copy.
Women & Children of the Unfortunate Class
Click here for details about a new permanent display about to be launched at Beechworth Historic Courthouse.
Festivals & Events Winter Guide 2011
Indigo Shire's new Winter 2011 guide to festivals and events is now available. Click here to go to the full calendar or contact the tourism department on 03 5728 8000 or via email if you'd like to receive a hard copy.