All aboard as station revival gathers steam

The future of the old train station building in Mirboo North has been a topic of discussion recently, as the community continues to show interest in the building being brought back into active community use.

A public meeting was held on Wednesday, April 29, coordinated by Mirboo Country Development Incorporated to discuss the future of the historic building that sits in the middle of Baromi Park.

Around 50 people attended, a turnout that MCDI said reflected the strong connection many locals still have with the former station.

“It was a fantastic turnout for a building that is obviously close to so many people’s hearts,” said an MCDI representative.

Attendees heard about the building’s origins from the Mirboo and District Historical Society, before former members of the Mirboo North Playgroup shared some of their memories of the building, which was home to the playgroup for around 40 years. The current playgroup president also provided an update on the group.

MCDI vice president Ruth Rogan then shared a presentation prepared by the South Gippsland Shire Council on the current condition of the building and some issues for the community to consider.

The meeting mainly saw two broad options discussed, which were refurbishing the building as a static display or restoring it as an actively used community space.

One of the key issues raised was the need for a community contribution towards refurbishment and ongoing maintenance if the building was to be used again.

The building also happens to be on Crown land and is owned by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, while the South Gippsland Shire Council is the committee of management.

A heritage overlay also applies to the building.

A specialist railway heritage architect identified several issues, including significant building subsidence, structural deficiencies in the canopy, inadequate sub-floor ventilation and decaying window frames.

Despite those challenges, MCDI said it was very clear that the meeting’s attendees wished to see the building actively used.

Community members had the chance to provide their own suggestions, of which there were a number of varied ideas, including a museum, art gallery, tourism space, café with visitor information, playgroup, community hub or neighbourhood house.

There were also several existing groups that were raised as potential users of the building, including the Mirboo North Playgroup, U3A, ArtSpace, Boo FIIT, the historical society and Hope N Help.

Attendees had the opportunity to discuss their vision for the building in small groups, speaking about what it means to the community and how locals could potentially be involved in the project.

Some of the ideas included forming a working group or a committee, working with Council on refurbishment, fundraising, reviewing condition reports and costings and continuing community discussions on the topic.

MCDI is hosting a tour of the train station building and a discussion on next steps on Wednesday, May 27 at 2pm.