Heritage grant for Camp Eureka

By Dion Teasdale
YARRA Junction’s Camp Eureka has been awarded more than $120,000 from the Federal Government to help restore and preserve its historic buildings.
The camp, located along Tarrango Road in Yarra Junction, was built by the Eureka Youth League, the Communist Party and the trade union movement at the end of World War II.
Set on seven hectares with frontage to the Little Yarra River, the camp features 15 unique buildings, including sleeping quarters, toilet facilities and assembly and dining rooms, all made from a range of bush timbers.
It was used as a holiday camp by the Eureka Youth League, a socialist youth group, until 1968. Since 1973 the camp has been maintained by the Camp Eureka Working Collective, a group of people interested in preserving and enhancing the history of the camp.
The camp, which was on the Victorian Heritage list in 2002, is now available for hire by environmental, social justice, union, peace, church, and low income groups.
McEwen MP Fran Bailey said the $120,571 grant for the camp was awarded under the first round of the Federal Government’s new $10.5 million National Heritage Investment Initiative.
Ms Bailey welcomed funding for the project, saying the grant would help protect and conserve Camp Eureka, which celebrates its 60th anniversary next year.
“This project is important to our region as a whole, as it will boost our pride and understanding of our own history and places,” she said.
“Through this new $10.5 million program the Australian Government is working with local communities to help ensure future generations are able to experience and appreciate our nation’s diverse heritage.”
Camp Eureka Working Collective convener, Marie Goonan, said the group was delighted to receive the funding, which would be used to ensure the camp was preserved for future generations.
“The Camp Eureka Working Collective has been working to conserve, restore and improve Camp Eureka for about 33 years so we are very pleased to receive funding to complete the priority restoration works on seven of our heritage-listed buildings,” she said.
“We are particularly delighted that the medical hut will undergo restoration as this hut is an excellent example of the way the huts were built out of bush poles, palings, mill-ends and tarpaper just after the Second World War when the use of building materials was restricted.”
Ms Goonan said that with the 60th anniversary of Camp Eureka to be celebrated on 11 March, next year, the timing of the grant was of special significance.
“This grant will significantly assist the Collective to ensure the survival of this historic labour built holiday camp. We are very grateful to all those who supported our submission,” she said.
“It is anticipated the work will be completed by (our anniversary) so we will be able to celebrate with some of those people, still living, who originally built the Camp.”