By AIDAN KNIGHT
YEARS of uncertainty and changing plans have culminated with Latrobe City Council debate and community campaigning, allowing Traralgon’s Old Methodist Church to be saved – this time for good.
The Traralgon and District Historical Society has now secured the purchase of the heritage building from Latrobe City Council, ending a saga that stretches back to 2021, when the former visitor information centre was marked for demolition.
“The community knows now it’s not going to be demolished,” Traralgon and District Historical Society president Barb Johnson told the Express.
“That certainty means we can finally get on with planning its future.”
The agreement follows months of negotiations, after council resolved late last year to support the historical society’s proposal to preserve and restore the structure, rather than proceed with its destruction.
Under the arrangement, the society will take ownership of the building for a nominal amount while entering into a lease agreement with VicTrack, which owns the current land the church is located on (adjacent to Traralgon train station). The church building is one of the last remaining pre-1880 timber churches in Gippsland.
The initial lease is for 10 years at about $800 plus GST per year, with an option for a further 10 years.
“We’ve bought it – it now belongs to the Traralgon and District Historical Society,” Ms Johnson said.
“We have a community lease from VicTrack on the land on which we’re sitting … it’s a good starting point.”
The Express first reported on November 15, 2021 that council had voted to demolish the church, citing restoration costs estimated at more than $600,000 and the need to progress rail precinct upgrades.
Just one week later, the Express reported that a petition campaign had been launched in an effort to save the building, with residents arguing Traralgon had already lost too much of its architectural history.
Despite that, uncertainty continued.
In May 2023, the Express again reported on the church’s unclear future, as demolition, relocation and restoration remained under consideration.
At the time, members of the Traralgon and District Historical Society proposed turning the church into a museum and display space celebrating Traralgon’s transport, settlement and faith history.
That proposal eventually evolved into the plan now endorsed by council, with the society intending to preserve the building in its current location while creating themed historical displays inside.
“Why not use it as a museum?” Ms Johnson said.
“We know enough of the history of it – even if it’s just a shell – and there are plenty of artifacts that deserve to be shown off, not sitting in storage.”
The issue again returned to public attention in September last year, when the Express reported that the public would effectively decide the church’s “salvation or sacrifice” through community consultation on competing options for the site.
Then, in December, the Express reported that the church had officially been saved after council backed the historical society’s vision for the building’s future
While the ownership and lease arrangements are now in place, extensive restoration and compliance work lies ahead.
Ms Johnson said engineering advice had confirmed the building is leaning, though not as severely as first feared.
Insurance has proved difficult because of the church’s age – built in 1879 – and uncertainty over what would or wouldn’t be replaced if something went wrong.
Although often spoken of as a heritage asset, the church is not formally heritage listed, giving slightly more flexibility in materials and methods.
Historical society representatives have previously said the restoration project will rely heavily on volunteers, donations and staged works over a number of years.
The $86,000 previously allocated by council toward demolition costs is expected to instead be redirected toward restoration efforts, pending final lease arrangements with VicTrack.
Latrobe City Mayor Sharon Gibson previously described the outcome as a positive example of council and community working together.
“The future of the Old Methodist Church has been uncertain for several years now,” she said.
“This outcome demonstrates that when council and the community work together, we can work towards achieving positive outcomes that our community expect and deserve.”
The society has set an informal long term target to have the building in strong shape by 2029, when it will turn 150 years old.
For the Traralgon and District Historical Society, the VicTrack decision marks the beginning of a new chapter for a building many in the community feared would be lost forever.
