Destination Goulburn Valley has taken on advocacy of the project with a vision to revitalise the historic site for community and economic benefits.
The 68-room, 148-year-old double-storey mansion, which sits on 286 hectares of Crown land, has had four very different lives: as a pastoral property, an internment camp, a boys’ home and, most recently, a minimum-security prison.
It is now on the brink of its fifth.
First and foremost, DGV’s aim is to preserve its rich history.
Past that, the vision extends into several varied territories.
Key priorities include developing:
- Boutique accommodation and workforce housing to address the region’s accommodation challenges.
- Camp and picnic grounds for weekenders and road-trippers, for travellers and locals to enjoy.
- An equestrian and livestock centre, much like Tamworth’s Australian Equine and Livestock Event Centre.
- Event facilities to attract community and international events, such as outdoor exhibitions, festivals and concerts.
DGV chair Eugenie Stragalinos said the vision aligned with the board’s broader regional goals of making the Goulburn Valley a destination.
“We’ve got visuals of concerts in front of the mansion, of equestrian events, caravan shows, livestock sale yards, all sorts of things it can be used for, because it can be multi-disciplinary,” Ms Stragalinos said.
The volunteer board has met with Corrections Victoria, which Ms Stragalinos said was supportive of a community-led concept to revitalise the site.
“It feels like we’ve written to every man and his dog, every minister who has some connection with looking after Dhurringile Estate,” she said.
“We’ve written to the treasurer, we’re in discussions with DEECA (Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action); I’ve got a meeting this week with the Hume regional director, who reports to the Victorian tourism minister. I met with Parks Victoria yesterday, so conversations with the state are happening.”
Three of DGV’s six directors recently visited Tamworth to tour AELEC and meet with its manager and local council to “get a sense of their lessons learned and the benefits, and what they are doing for their next phase”.
Ms Stragalinos said the Tamworth City Council was in awe of the character the proposed Dhurringile site already possessed, revealing it was trying to build character into its own.
AELEC is booked out 47 weeks of the year, with the remaining five weeks used for maintenance.
DGV has several historical societies backing it, as well as philanthropic and financial investors.
It now seeks community and financial support to prepare a business case, so that the “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” doesn’t slip away.
“Let’s have a say in what happens in our backyard and leverage it so that we can actually all benefit from it,” Ms Stragalinos said.
“If it gets sold to a private investor with no appetite to collaborate with community, it’ll get shut down again and we will be locked out of the site. It won’t pay homage to the history.”
To stay updated with DGV’s Dhurringile project progression, visit destinationgoulburnvalley.com.au
