By Oliver Winn
Over 85 people attended the Warburton Waterwheel’s community meeting on Tuesday 18 March to steer its future onto the best path possible.
With the lease for the building set to end in May 2026, the Warburton Waterwheel’s board sought to gather the community’s input to ensure the future of the business aligns with their interests.
Warburton Waterwheel coordinator Michele Osterhoudt said the response from the community left her “absolutely overjoyed”.
“It was very clear at the meeting that people care about the Waterwheel, they highly value the businesses that are located there and they value the contribution it makes to the community,” said Ms Osterhoudt.
Longtime supporter of the Waterwheel John Ridley said he was “tickled pink” at the turnout to the meeting having been chairman on the Waterwheel committee back in 1998 when the waterwheel itself was built.
At the meeting, potential goals for the Warburton Waterwheel were identified alongside some problems needing to be addressed.
Though the Warburton Waterwheel currently has enough funds to last it until next year, Mr Ridley said the business needed more volunteers to help it run.
“I’m really hoping that out of those 90 people [who attended the meeting], there are some who are willing to put in half a day or even a day as a volunteer because we need more people to help support it,” Mr Ridley said.
The Warburton Waterwheel’s current business structure means it can’t apply for government grants, which significantly limits the income it can generate and stops it from reaching its sustainability goals.
One potential move flagged at the meeting was to change to an incorporated association which would allow the Waterwheel to apply for grants while maintaining its not-for-profit status.
Some other ideas floated by community members included reintroducing guided walks and tours.
But Ms Osterhoudt emphasised no decisions were made and that the meeting’s purpose was to elect a steering committee to finalise the Warburton Waterwheel’s movements in the foreseeable future.
With the lease on the building going to tender in May 2026 by the Yarra Ranges Council, Ms Osterhoudt said it’s a normal process and “nobody’s kicking us out”.
“We’re actually being proactive well in advance, to give everyone the chance to say: ‘Here’s what’s most valuable to us and here’s how we’d like to help ensure that moves forward.’”
By consulting the community in advance, and facilitating their contributions and ideas, Ms Osterhoudt hopes the Warburton Waterwheel will represent the local towns it serves.
“It makes for an interesting challenge – how do we best represent all those different points of view and all those different goals in our community.”
Mr Ridley said he hopes the community’s support for the Warburton Waterwheel will show the Yarra Ranges Council the value they place in the information centre.
“We might be able to persuade council that they don’t need to go to tender, although probably under the regulations and rules that govern councils and their property, they might be obliged, in fact, to go through a tender process,” Mr Ridley said.
“But they aren’t obliged to accept the highest bid.”
