Brimbank’s oldest surviving railway station should be treated as a “valued community asset”, its owners believe.
The station is owned by Watergardens shopping centre owner and funds manager QIC, which says its focus is on preserving the building. But the Brimbank Bicycle Education Centre (BBEC) is keen to relocate and restore the historic station for its own use.
The BBEC wants to move the station building to its Keilor Downs base so centre volunteers and local VCAL students can restore it.
The former Sydenham station, at the junction of Melton Highway and Sydenham Road, was built in 1912 and was an important connecting point for travellers to and from Ballarat. It hasn’t operated as a station since 2002.
BBEC secretary and Brimbank council candidate Richard Carthew said that while the group “would never be in a position to buy the station,” he wanted to see it brought back to life.
“We will use the station as a classroom for bicycle and traffic education,” Mr Carthew said, adding the building would also be offered as a meeting place for other groups.
A 2009 Brimbank council heritage study identified the station as a “significant local landmark”.
Brimbank city development director Stuart Menzies said the council was aware of community interest in reusing the building, which is protected by a heritage overlay.
He said the station’s use was currently limited because of access and safety issues.
Watergardens centre manager Joe Galea said a number of organisations and local stakeholders were interested in how the building could be reused “for the benefit of our community.” But he would not say which community groups had expressed interest.
