By LIAM DURKIN

 

THE eyesore that greets drivers into Moe will soon be no more.

The infamous Baw Baw Hotel, which has stood as a derelict building for close to 20 years, is finally being demolished.

Works commenced Tuesday, May 13, and are expected to be finished by next week.

The Lloyd Street building has drawn the ire of Moe residents for years, and has become a hang-out for anti-social and criminal behaviour.

It will make way for a new Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) station, which was promised by the state government on the eve of the 2022 state election.

Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron has campaigned heavily to have the building demolished, and was pleased to see calls finally answered.

“I have written to the Minister for Emergency Services five times and raised the issue in Parliament on several occasions in the last 18 months to ask for updates, so I’m pleased that demolition has finally started,” he said.

“This is a win for Moe residents who are justifiably sick of looking at this eyesore and are frustrated that it has sat in a derelict state for more than a decade and detracted from the town’s amenity.

“Lloyd St is the gateway to Moe and the dilapidated old Baw Baw Hotel is unfortunately one of the first things people see when entering the town, so it’s high time this building was levelled.

“I’m advised that works to connect water, sewerage and electricity to the site – which are required for the FRV station – are also well underway.

“I am hopeful that now demolition is underway, the government can get on with delivering this asset that was promised for Moe.”

The pub’s history saw it change hands many times after opening in the late 1960s.

Originally known as the ‘Aurora’, the hotel became the Baw Baw, and then officially Moe Lions Hotel after being purchased by the Moe Football-Netball Club in the 1990s.

The club purchased the pub as a means to generate revenue, but in doing so detracted from its own social scene at Ted Summerton Reserve.

That being said, nights at the Baw Baw were reportedly “huge” according to club officials, and the walking distance to McDonald’s for a late night feed made it all the more convenient.

Moe Football-Netball Club games record holder, Peter Ainsworth still listed the Baw Baw as his favourite pub in a 2018 player interview.

The pub featured a long bar, and more than a dozen rooms for accommodation.
Plans to convert the accommodation into retirement residences fell through previously.

Next on the list is surely the old Moe hospital and Presentation College campus.