It’s full steam ahead at Puffing Billy, with the Victorian Government funding restoration works to get Locomotive A6 back on its tracks.
Planning minister Richard Wynne announced on Thursday 9 September, 19 restoration projects will receive funding under Round 6 of the Living Heritage Program.
“The Living Heritage Program is about protecting significant sites across Victoria for future generations to enjoy and learn from,” Mr Wynne said.
“These are the sites that tell stories about our history and play a major role in rural and regional Victoria’s tourism industry – we’re proud to protect these treasured community assets.”
It’s the government’s biggest investment into heritage – with more than $2.3 million for conservation works to revive and repair ‘at-risk’ places and objects on the Victorian Heritage Register.
Round 6 will return one of Puffing Billy’s iconic locomotives to operation with $200,000 to repair its boiler, water tanks, cab and other components, plus the replacement of cracked wheels.
The Puffing Billy Rolling Stock Collection is an important archive of Victoria’s railway history, preserving locomotives that operated on narrow gauge tracks from 1899 to 1962.
Heritage provides a cultural and physical link to understanding our past and contributes approximately $2.4 billion towards our tourism industry, supporting 184,800 jobs.
Since 2016, the Living Heritage Program has invested more than $60 million in more than 160 conservation projects with 89 completed so far.
Other investments from this round of the program include:
• $133,000 to the National Chinese Museum of Australia in Bendigo for conservation works to Loong processional Chinese Dragon
• $170,000 to the Ballaarat MechanicsInstitute to fund conservation works on 53 significant books and folios. and one oil painting held within the historic Ballarat Mechanics Institute Collection
• $163,000 to Working Heritage for conservation works at Jack’s Magazine by the banks of the Maribyrnong River
• $144,000 to St Peter’s Anglican Church, Eastern Hill for conservation works to the Hall roof at St Peter’s Eastern Hill Precinct.
Applications for Round 7 of the Living Heritage Program will open early next year. For more information and a full list of grant recipients visit heritage.vic.gov.au/heritage-grants/browse-projects.
