General News
4 March, 2025
Carisbrook Railway Station could become a community asset following council meeting
A unanimous motion in council brings new hope the historic Carisbrook Railway Station may once again serve the community.
While its role as a train station remains distant, a motion was passed in the last council meeting to explore the site as a possible community hub for the town.
Councillor Anna De Villiers, who introduced the motion, said the site had considerable potential for adaptive use as a community hub — a service Carisbrook currently lacks.
The successful motion requests the CEO investigate the feasibility of a lease agreement with VicTrack and present a report to council regarding the repurposing of the space as a community hub, including associated financial impacts and opportunities.
“The crux of the matter will be a lease agreement with VicTrack, without a lease agreement with VicTrack nothing will happen at the Carisbrook Railway Station,” Cr De Villiers said.
The lease agreement will likely be through VicTrack’s community leases program which makes under-used land and buildings available to community organisations.
Avoca Community Arts and Gardens president Hugh Forster, who runs Gallery 127 in a historic railway station through this program, suspects the lease will likely have council as “head tenant” and the community hub as the “subtenant” based on his own experience.
“[VicTrack] wanted the shire to take involvement so if the community group folded the shire would still be responsible for the building under the lease,” he said.
Cr De Villiers’ motion was seconded by councillor Gerard Murphy who commended the proposal’s foresight.
“[Disused train stations] have to be used or they go into derelict. When we get a derelict building it’s going to cost us more money, or someone more money, and suddenly it’s being used by the pigeons or the rodents or whatever,” he said.
While VicTrack maintain the stations even when in disuse Mr Forster’s experience found that was only surface level. Gallery 127’s station looked fine from the outside but was “woeful” on the inside prior to renovations.
“Most of the floors you couldn’t walk on. They weren’t there or you’d fall through. It had no running water, it had very limited electricity, it was like a building that had been shut for 50 years and nothing had been done on the inside,” he said.
Mr Forster believes projects such as this bring economic and social value to the community. For example, Gallery 127 now brings in 5000 visitors a year.
Not only has the Carisbrook Railway Station been identified as a possible solution to a community need, but as a significant historical site to the town’s history, having celebrated its 150th anniversary last year.
“Getting this investigation done will be an amazing opportunity,” Cr De Villiers said.