The state government hs refused to fund the restoration of the historic 1860s Marshall Bluestone Cottage after it was dismantled to make way for the Barwon Heads Road duplication.
City of Greater Geelong wrote to state government in March requesting it to rebuild the much-loved cottage.
State government’s Major Road Projects Victoria (MRPV) dismantled the cottage in 2021 following a community campaign and independent feasibility study to save the building for future generations. MRPV stored the salvageable materials ready for future restoration at the nearby Marshall Reserve (also known as JF Field Memorial Park).
But Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams wrote back to the City refusing funding, stating “the reconstruction of the cottage is outside the scope of the upgrade”. The minister also indicated that MRPV would cease storing the materials.
“The community fought to preserve this important cottage and now the government has told them that it wants to walk away from it. It’s not good enough,” City of Greater Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj said.
“The cottage was removed by the Victorian government with the clear community understanding that it would be reconstructed at another location. They need to follow through on that.
“We will continue to advocate on behalf of the community for the cottage’s restoration and hope to work positively with state government to find a solution to fund the restoration.
“I would also like to know if the local Member for South Barwon Darren Cheeseman plans to fight for his community.”
City of Greater Geelong chief executive Ali Wastie wrote back to the minister recently.
“The City advocated on behalf of our community to ensure that the cottage could be relocated and rebuilt in the future by the Victorian government,” Ms Wastie wrote.
“The City has demonstrated its commitment to the project by providing land proximate to its original location for the Victorian government to rebuild the cottage in line with community expectation. The rebuild should be part of the scope of the Stage 2 works and I ask you to confirm your commitment to the future of the cottage as a matter of urgency.”
