Tower Hill's $11.3 million redevelopment is slow going

While $910,000 has been spent on upgrading the entry and exit, the park itself has remained largely untouched.

The state government said the barbecue renewal was part of the $1.2 million spend so far inside the park.

The remainder of that amount has been spent on procurement of planning and design consultants, a building contractor for works on the visitor centre, heritage permits for building upgrades, cultural heritage assessments and designs and concept designs for other potential upgrades.

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This comes as the visitor centre at Tower Hill hurtles towards six months without face-to-face customer service.

The centre at Tower Hill has been closed since October last year.

At that time, Worn Gundidj Aboriginal Co-operative ceased its operations at the 'mushroom hut'.

The decision was made ahead of the co-operative having been informed its lease would end in January 2023. This was to accommodate a redevelopment of the centre.

That redevelopment has yet to begin, with a locked, half-empty centre greeting visitors, with no clear signage of future plans on display.

Parks Victoria acting district manager Michelle Anstee said the building was heritage listed, so permits and assessments were needed before restoration works.

"These works will commence in April or May, subject to final approvals and on-ground conditions," Ms Anstee said.

The money already spent is part of the larger funding allocation from the state government for the iconic site. This funding was issued in early 2020.

A revamp of the visitor centre, which was built in 1969, was to be part of that spend.

It is estimated more than 200,000 visitors attend Tower Hill every year, many of these international tourists.

For 2022-23, a large percentage of that number would have attended the iconic site during spring and summer, with no hospitality or information services to access.

Worn Gundidj Aboriginal Co-operative still have active tour licences in place for Tower Hill, but signage for these services are also not easily found.

Parks Victoria defended the delayed timeline of the overall project to redevelop Tower Hill.

It said while the funding was secured in early 2020, it had to wait for completion of community and stakeholder consultation.

This process was to inform the activation and linkages which laid out what would be funded and at what priority.

Parks Victoria stated this process was not finished until the end of 2021.

The project is being funded by Regional Development Victoria and adapted in partnership with Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation.

While Tower Hill is a flagship tourist destination for Moyne Shire, veteran councillor Jim Doukas said councillors had been kept in the dark.

"The councillors seem to be the last to know what happens," he said.

"They should be keeping us informed and seeking our opinion on what they intend to do. We get told after the event, when I thought it should be a collaboration."

Cr Doukas said the redevelopment of the visitor centre was something that needed collaboration and to be discussed with the public.

He believed the priority should be weed control and building a fence to keep wildlife in.

"Kangaroos are still a problem and no one seems to be addressing it," he said.

"Accidents are still happening on a regular basis.

"Something has to be done, there's a chance of people being injured or even killed.

"Put a proper fence around it and keep them in. And then when they breed up in high numbers, relocate them."

The actual plan lists removal of the fencing as a key initiative, exploring alternative solutions to enhance wildlife movements and protection.

When it was first drafted in 2020, the plan included "low impact accommodation" in the form of an eco-lodge to "promote overnight stays and support regional tourism".

Core infrastructure projects included a shaded outdoor pavilion and a food and beverage kiosk, neither of which have started construction.

An event ampitheatre is to be built along the crater rim within the former quarry area to "provide a stunning backdrop for performances and events".

Public transport options to Tower Hill remain limited, with bus stops still in the planning stage 21 months after it was first announced.

The plan also includes the possibility of a walking trail along the rim of the crater.

One of the key purposes of this would be to link Tower Hill and Koroit. A walking track around the whole crater would require a further feasibility study.

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