Advocacy

The historic Mansfield Station Precinct is set to become a vibrant community hub following Council's successful application for $14.1 million in funding through the Australian Government's Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program. The precinct has long been a community vision, bringing together a range of cultural, recreational and heritage projects to create a welcoming public space for locals and visitors that honours the region's rich history.

Works include completing the Mansfield Heritage Museum with a custom fit-out, restoration of the historic Goods Shed, Fertiliser Shed and railway platform and delivery of the Taungurung Art Track to honour and share local Indigenous heritage. The precinct will also feature an all-abilities playground and Changing Places facility, a pump track at the head of the Great Victorian Rail Trail and a fenced dog park. Further upgrades include major carparking works, a shared pathway network, extensive landscaping and rejuvenation of the Mullum Wetlands.

To help guide the redevelopment, Council has appointed three new members to the Mansfield Station Precinct Stakeholder Group, joining existing members representing Taungurung elders, the Mansfield Historical Society, Mansfield Cultural Heritage & Arts Committee, Friends of the Great Victorian Rail Trail and Arts Mansfield. The group provides a community voice throughout the precinct's redevelopment, ensuring it responds to local needs. 

Securing funding for this project reflected years of planning and advocacy behind the Station Precinct Masterplan. As each component of this project progresses, designs will be shared for further community feedback.

Council is delivering the Mansfield Learner Accessible Pool Scheme (LAPS), a major upgrade to community aquatic facilities developed in partnership with the Victorian state government through Sport and Recreation Victoria’s Regional Community Sports Infrastructure Fund. Following a competitive tender process, Council has awarded the design and construction contract to local outfit Cronin Construction, marking an important step forward for the project.

Works will include a retractable pool enclosure, upgrades to the learners pool building, a new pool pod with accessible entry into both the learners and 33m pools, a sensory play area, a new learner pool liner and a solar PV system. The retractable enclosure will improve water temperature management and protection from the elements, extending the usability of the pool across more seasons and will link directly to a proposed changeroom upgrade to support a limited year-round season.

The project is supported by $1,000,000 from the Sport and Recreation Victoria with Council contributing $750,741, alongside co-contributions of $10,000 from Bendigo Community Bank and $2,000 from the Year-round Aquatic Facility Mansfield (YAFM) group. 

The project aligns with the Regional Community Sport Infrastructure Fund's aim of increasing participation in sport and active recreation, particularly for people with disability and disadvantaged groups, reflecting Council's ongoing commitment to accessible, high-quality community infrastructure.

Council is delivering a major upgrade to Lords Oval through the $2.12 million Lords Around the Ground Package, which includes a brand new spectator pavilion, refurbishment of the existing amenities block and repairs to current club rooms. The project has been made possible through a $1.41 million grant secured from the Australian Government's Growing Regions Program, combined with a $710,000 contribution from Council.

Building on this, Council secured a further $250,000 grant from Sport and Recreation Victoria's 2026-27 Country Football and Netball Program to deliver new lighting at Lords Oval. Council worked closely with the Mansfield Football Netball Club to put forward a strong application, with a focus on making the venue safer and more accessible for local sports teams. The new, energy-efficient lighting will extend training hours at the oval, particularly through the darker winter months and support the club's junior and women's programs as they continue to grow.

Together, these upgrades reflect what's possible when Council and the community work together - with the Mansfield Football Netball Club and members of the Mansfield Women's team playing a key role in making the case for investment in Lords Oval.

The Integrating Mansfield's Productivity, Agricultural Communities and Tourism (IMPACT) Route is now complete, delivering a major upgrade to a key 26-kilometre freight and tourism corridor linking Mansfield with the Mansfield–Woods Point Road and Mt Buller Road. The upgraded, all-weather route gives local farmers and freight operators safer, more reliable access for agricultural and livestock transport, while also improving the journey for the region's 1.8 million annual visitors travelling by car, four-wheel-drive, campervan or caravan.

The project delivered significant upgrades across Highton Lane, Rifle Butts Road and Chapel Hill Road, including a new roundabout at the Highton Lane, Rifle Butts Road and Monkey Gully Road intersection to improve pedestrian and vehicle safety, along with upgrades to the Chapel Hill Road and Hearns Road intersection. Other works included a major culvert upgrade on Rifle Butts Road, a new low-level crossing at Lanky Creek and improvements to the Delatite River Bridge on Chapel Hill Road, boosting load capacity and resilience during adverse weather.

Council advocated for funding to deliver this project, securing a total investment of more than $12.5 million. This included over $9.8 million from the Australian Government, with Council contributing more than $2.7 million to see the project through to completion. The result is a stronger, safer link between our agricultural producers, communities and tourism assets for years to come.