Energy Resilience Upgrade Coming to Bonnie Doon Recreation Reserve
Published on 22 May 2026
Mansfield Shire Council will soon deliver a major energy resilience upgrade at the Bonnie Doon Recreation Reserve.
The project will see a 30kW/72kWh battery system and an additional 8kW of new solar PV installed to improve energy reliability, reduce electricity costs and provide backup power during outages and emergency events.
The battery will support the reserve’s role as an emergency relief centre, creating a local energy resilience hub where community members can access power, water and communications during extended outages.
Mayor Cr Steve Rabie wants the community to know that the lessons learned during the 2026 Victorian bushfire season will not be forgotten in Mansfield Shire.
“When the Longwood Berrys Lane fire broke out earlier this year, large parts of our shire, including many of our outlying communities, were coming off the back of an 18-hour power outage,” he said.
“Council is taking emergency preparedness very seriously. As well as advocating for the Emergency Services Precinct and Emergency Relief centre to decrease our vulnerability to emergencies, we are taking steps to improve energy resilience across the shire.”
“We did our very best to meaningfully support the community through the fires and that support will continue as long as it needs to.”
John Egan, speaking on behalf of the Bonnie Doon Recreation Reserve Community Reference Group, said the Bonnie Doon community is pleased that reliable power will be available at the Recreation Reserve and hall.
“The facility is a Neighbourhood Safer Place/Place of Last Resort and was integral to Emergency Services and the community during the January fires,” he said.
“Large areas of land between Merton and Woodfield were burnt during these fires. The fire to the south of Bonnie Doon burnt for many days as it moved from Growlers Gully Road to Coles Road and Evans Road, then to Woolshed Road.”
“The Recreation Reserve was set up as a staging area for CFA on 9 January and over the next four days it was used to serve hundreds of meals and hosted recovery facilities. To have the battery system providing back-up power will be important even necessary enhancement.”
The energy resilience upgrade is being delivered as part of the Powering Resilience in the Regions initiative led by the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance on behalf of 10 regional councils.
This project is set to be completed after Council received funding from the Victorian Government’s 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program.
The project is 95 per cent funded by the Victorian Government ($153,232), with Mansfield Shire Council contributing the remaining 5 per cent ($8,065).
Installation works are scheduled for 9 and 10 June 2026, with works to be undertaken by SM Electrical. The project is expected to be completed by November 2026.
For more information, please contact the Capital Works team on (03) 5775 8555 or email capitalworks@mansfield.vic.gov.au