The Macedon Ranges will be an even better place for locals and visitors to enjoy thanks to a new investment by the Victorian Government to help the region continue to thrive.
Minister for Regional Development and Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas visited Trentham to announce a grant of $3.5 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund – Stimulus Round towards a new multipurpose community hub to be built at the site of the town’s Mechanics Institute.
The new hub will include the town’s library, visitor information centre, customer service, meeting and function rooms, and the Mechanics Institute’s original main hall.
The Victorian Government is also investing another $500,000 under the Fund’s stimulus round for the first stage of the Wombat Hill Gardens Master Plan to transform the location into a tourism hotspot. The funding will help revitalise the historic Daylesford gardens which overlook the town and surrounding areas.
The Regional Infrastructure Fund is part of the Victorian Government’s flagship $156 million Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund, helping businesses create more jobs in regional Victoria, supporting community projects and backing councils to build the infrastructure that locals and visitors need.
The stimulus round will boost local economies as they recover from the effects of the pandemic and create jobs while improving tourism and community infrastructure.
The fund is key to the Victorian Government’s $8 billion investment across regional and rural Victoria unveiled in the Victorian Budget 2020/21 to support communities to come back stronger than ever.
The second round of the fund’s program is due to open for applications from 16 June 2021. Under this competitive round, local regional and rural councils will be invited to apply for grants.
Information and guidelines for the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund can be found at rdv.vic.gov.au.
Source: Vic Government