Art can be a moving experience - even more so in the former timber township of Bruthen, in Victoria’s East.
The Bruthen community was given a 100 year old Anglican Church Hall in its campaign to establish a local Arts Centre. But the building was in the wrong spot to capture the region’s burgeoning tourist trade.
So, with the help of a crane, lots of community effort, and some funding from the local Shire and funding from the Federal Government, the building was relocated to the centre of town, on the highly visible corner of the Great Alpine Road and the Melbourne to Sydney coastal drive.
And with feverish work being undertaken to fit out the new centre, tourists this summer will have the benefit of a brand new Art and Information Centre, right in the heart of Bruthen.
The relocation of the building was the culmination of three and a half years’ work, “It’s got such a history, that’s why we wanted to keep it,” says Tanja Hennekam, of Le Café, located opposite the site of the Centre, “If we hadn’t tried to save this building, we wouldn’t have this asset where we have it now.”
“I love the location,” says Hennekam, “People are just going to flock to it. It marries in so nicely to the streetscape.”
The opening of the non-profit venture, manned by volunteers and run by a committee of locals, is enthusiastically anticipated.
“I think it will be good for the town,” says Clare Reed, of Bruthen Motors , “It gives travellers a centralised point to visit to find out information about the area.”
Not only offering information to the passing tourist traffic, the Centre will also house a gallery of artwork by local artists, “I think it’s great for town, there are so many lovely artists around here, it gives them a place to display their work”, says Jenny Young, who has run the Bruthen Post Office for 10 years, referring to the vibrant artistic population in the area.
With a focus on the future, Bruthen is now anticipating the migration of more “tree-changers”, attracted by the landscape, climate and locale: close to the sea, snow and lakes, to breathe new life into the town. Clare Reed says that the district is welcoming new families settling in the district on an almost weekly basis, “But keep it a secret for a while longer,” she says.
Located on the Melbourne to Sydney coastal drive and the Great Alpine Road, Bruthen is a small but lively town, a proud and active community of less than 1000; often bustling with tourists making their way to any one of the nearby destinations: Mount Hotham, Ninety Mile Beach, the Gippsland Lakes and Fairy Dell, a unique rainforest located just out of town. It won the Victorian Community of the Year Award in 2006.
Once a flagging timber town, Bruthen is now thriving; active volunteer community groups run the monthly village market and hold regular fundraising events for local causes, plus each February the town hosts the renowned Bruthen Blues Festival.
The Arts and Information Centre project has been made possible thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Bruthen and District Community Association, together with the East Gippsland Shire and Federal and State government funding - including the recent award of $200,000 towards the project via the State Government‘s Small Towns Development Fund.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Fiona Weigall, Executive Manager, East Gippsland Marketing Inc, 0419 903 154
Katrina Raymond, MediaLink Productions, 03 9663 3222, 0417 303158
Mike Quist, East Gippsland Shire Council, 03 5153 9500
Link to downloadable photos: