Tallarook Mechanics Institute rebuild

Consultation has concluded

The historic Tallarook Mechanics Institute is being rebuilt after it was destroyed by fire on Saturday 5 May 2018.

Established in 1891, the council-owned building was operated by a voluntary Committee of Management.

Over the years it has been used for dances, fundraisers, meetings and a host of community events. More recently, the building was home to the Tallarook Farmers’ Market and a range of classes and community activities.

During demolition, a number of parts were able to be salvaged for samples to assist with the rebuild including samples of pressed metal, the windows and the colour scheme.

The iconic garden sculptures have also been retained.

Council is working with the volunteer Committee of Management and the wider Tallarook community to develop plans to rebuild.

The historic Tallarook Mechanics Institute is being rebuilt after it was destroyed by fire on Saturday 5 May 2018.

Established in 1891, the council-owned building was operated by a voluntary Committee of Management.

Over the years it has been used for dances, fundraisers, meetings and a host of community events. More recently, the building was home to the Tallarook Farmers’ Market and a range of classes and community activities.

During demolition, a number of parts were able to be salvaged for samples to assist with the rebuild including samples of pressed metal, the windows and the colour scheme.

The iconic garden sculptures have also been retained.

Council is working with the volunteer Committee of Management and the wider Tallarook community to develop plans to rebuild.

Consultation has concluded

  • Design meeting - Thursday 21 February

    The architects will present an updated floor plan and concept designs following community input at the January design workshop.

    • 6pm, Thursday 21 February at the Tallarook Hotel

  • Community meeting postponed

    The Tallarook Mechanics Hall Institute meeting scheduled for 5 February has been postponed after the Committee of Management was notified it had been accepted in the Regional Arts Victoria Mentoring Program.

    This means a mentor will liaise with the project’s architect to support the design of the hall’s internal fit out for events. This is an exciting development but will lead to a delay in the next steps of the project.

    A new meeting date is TBC.

  • Rebuild design presented to community

    The rebuild of the historic Tallarook Mechanics Institute Hall is one step closer, with a design for the new building close to being finalised eight months after it was gutted by fire.

    A community workshop with the builder and architect was held on Saturday 12 January, where plans were presented to residents for feedback and input.\

    Click here for more information.

  • Design Update meeting

    6pm, Tuesday 5 February in Tallarook

    The final meeting for community input in to the rebuild, after which designs for the new hall will be finalised.

    All welcome.

  • Community update and workshop

    Community Update meeting

    11am, Saturday 8 December at Tallarook Hotel

    An update from the rebuilding committee and next steps


    Design workshop

    11am, Saturday 12 January at Tallarook Hotel

    Community workshop with architect and builder

    All welcome.

  • Community workshop soon

    We've been working with the insurer, builder and committee on the rebuild plans.

    We're in the process of engaging an architect.

    We're hoping to hold a community workshop on 8 December. Date and details to be confirmed once the architect has been appointed.

    Sign up for our email details to be notified.

  • Insurers attending the next meeting

    The insurance company will be attending the next community meeting (6pm, Tuesday 28 August at the Recreation Reserve Pavilion).

    This is your chance to hear first hand what's involved in rebuilding through the insurance company or, alternatively, how a cash payout would work.

    We'll then be in a better position to have some more detailed discussion around the pros and cons of getting the insurers to manage the rebuild compared to accepting a cash payout and getting Council to manage the rebuild.

    All welcome.

  • Survey results

    Thank you to everyone who completed the rebuilding survey.

    You can download a summary of the results here (PDF download).

  • Hall tour

    Recovery committee members visited a number of local halls at the end of June to get an idea of what has worked well in recent hall buildings and renovations.

    The group visited:

    • Clonbinane Hall - a modern, multi-purpose hall which was built after the 2009 bushfires
    • Reedy Creek Hall - a renovation of an old school hall including the addition of an outdoor shelter and barbeque area
    • Broadford Living and Learning Centre - a modern renovation of the old Bush Nursing Hospital
    For photos, please visit www.tallarook.org.au/communityupdate

  • Rebuilding committee begins planning for new Tallarook hall

    Media Release | 18 May 2018

    With demolition of the iconic Tallarook Mechanics Institute complete this week, the Tallarook community is coming together to prepare plans for a new hall.

    Established in 1891, the hall was destroyed by fire earlier this month. The rebuild will be funded largely through insurance.

    Thanks to Jaclyn Symes MP, the Victorian Government has also committed up to $200,000 to assist with the rebuild and with replacement of contents. There have also been many offers of assistance and fundraising opportunities made to the Committee of Management.

    Following two community meetings, a rebuilding committee is now being established in partnership with Council and the Committee of Management to work on plans for the rebuild.

    Mitchell Shire Mayor Rhonda Sanderson said there were many great ideas in the community about the rebuild and the extra funding meant it was possible to consider a range of possibilities.

    “Through the recovery committee we’re asking people to think about things such as whether they would like to move the hall slightly to avoid the creek which has caused some flooding problems in the past or whether they’d like to move the location within the site even more,” Cr Sanderson said.

    “The hall has a great history of all sorts of community uses over the years and we’d like to know what type of uses people would like to see for the future.

    “We’re also looking for ideas and suggestions about the best ways to involve people in developing these plans to ensure as many voices and ideas as possible are considered in the early planning stages.”

    The rebuilding committee will meet at 6pm on Tuesday 29 May at the Tallarook Recreation Reserve Pavilion. All welcome.