By Callum Ludwig
The old Warburton Sanitarium factory is being refurbished and returned to a stable state following make-safe works being carried out by Yarra ranges Council, the Warburton Advancement League and local contractors.
Conversations with The Crockett Group, the private owners of the building, have been initiated to explore ways to bring the site back to life for the community through possible short-term uses, such as pop-up art or car/motorcycle shows while encouraging a longer-term development which will restore and protect this much-loved architectural icon for generations to come.
Warburton Advancement League President Jeff Gill said the topic of the building came up six weeks ago in a meeting because it had become such an eyesore.
“We got in touch with Garry, the owner, and he essentially brought us on as project managers for the building, paying all the bills for local contractors while we organise it all for him,” he said.
“We’ve proposed to him a meeting in a month or so where he can come down from New South Wales, and have a sit down with me, CEO of Yarra Ranges Council Tammi Rose and a few others from Council, Rod McHale from the Community Bank Warburton and Yarra Junction and Cleo Smith from Warburton Valley CEDA.”
The Crockett group acquired the building in 1997 following the factory’s closure, having made Weet Bix at the factory from 1925 up until its closure.
A plan to create a $50 million spa resort, Edgewater Spa and Resort with a wine and food centre, was never able to proceed due to a number of regulations, lapsed permits and the Global Financial Crisis.
Mr Gill said while there has been a bit of new graffiti recently, the new works have prevented people from getting in.
“They have tried their hardest to get in, but it’s not working and hopefully we deter them because the building is not derelict anymore, there had even been attempts inside the building to burn it down,” he said.
“As far as the Warburton Advancement League are concerned, we’re rapt because everything we do is for the betterment of the town and now the building isn’t derelict, it’s disappointing to see buildings go into further disrepair. The building is safe and secure again, and hopefully has a bit of a future. I think the community will get behind it.”
The initial works are near completion. The next step is cleaning up both the outside and inside of the building glass and other debris, as well as rubbish and graffiti, will be removed.
The works have included securing the building, removing debris, knocking out all the glass which will be replaced by corflute temporarily, fixing and repairing damage from several water leaks, reworking the electrical systems and restoring power, installing floodlights and gardening of the property.
Director of Planning Design and Development at Yarra Ranges Council Kath McClusky said the partnership is drawing on the expertise of local contractors to carry out remediation and make safe works to secure the site.
“This includes boarding up broken windows and doors and securing roller doors. These works will help reduce instances of vandalism, graffiti, and illegal access while we support the building owner to reactivate the site and work towards a plan for the future,” she said.
“With a bit of movement around the Sanitarium Factory with the make safe works, we wanted to keep the community up to date with what is happening on the site. The owner of the property is working closely with the Warburton Advancement League and is interested in community ideas for its future use, subject to planning and Heritage Victoria. For now, the focus is on making the building safe and secure.”
