Heritage Minister David Templeman in Geraldton to announce $7.6m to restore historic structures

Heritage Minister David Templeman visited Geraldton this week to announce a $7.6 million commitment to help restore the city’s heritage precinct. The precinct takes in a group of eight late Victorian and early Federation buildings including the Old Gaol, which is the earliest surviving cell block in regional WA. The 1887-built structure, Victoria House, was used as a hospital, operational until 1966 when the Geraldton Regional Hospital was opened. Managed by the National Trust of Australia the precinct buildings, known as the Geraldton Heritage Precinct/Ngurra Barlunguu, are commercially leased for a variety of local community and tourist-based purposes. The funds will address urgent safety and security issues and deliver much needed repairs to the structure and amenity of several buildings to support and attract longer term commercial lease holders. It includes stoneworks performed on ageing limestone, a replacement to the roof of the old hospital and revitalising timberwork. Julian Donaldson, CEO of the National Trust of WA said specialised heritage architects have been approved as tenders for the project, given the age and condition of the existing materials at the site. Mr Templeman said the work would provide the opportunity for adaptive use and additional tenancies in the space, breathing new life into the buildings with extensive history and meaning to the community. “Geraldton is so special, obviously to the people who live here. But it is so special to the State’s history,” he said. The work is expected to begin ”almost immediately”. The site is a popular tourism destination and attracts large crowds when cruises are docked in the port. “We want to make sure that the local economy continues to flourish, that this place is a place where lots of tourists will come and experience the stories and the storytelling,” Mr Templeman said. Member for Geraldton Lara Dalton said the work was an important step to ensure future generations could appreciate the history and the associated stories.