A REVAMP of the Chiltern Goods Shed into a cycling and arts hub will add a new dimension to the Chiltern economy.
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Children from St Josephs Primary School rode into the previously disused shed yesterday, to unveil the $875,000 makeover.
The new building contains showers, toilets, a kitchen, lockers, tourist information and bike hooks for cyclists and the community to use.
President of the Chiltern Tourism and Development Inc Kevin Mayhiew was a driving force behind the renovation which was funded by the state government’s community use of vacant rail buildings program.
“I sat down with two friends in the early 90s and we came up with a proposal to ensure Chiltern didn’t lose its goods shed,” Mr Mayhiew said.
“We are hoping it will increase cycle tourism into the North East by around about 10 per cent which is around a couple of thousand cyclists a year.”
The Goods Shed is more than 100 years old and has been vacant for 25 years.
Member for Benambra Bill Tilley said it will be a versatile space and the community would get to decide how it was used.
“People will be able to display and use the precinct. At the end of the day the possibilities are limitless because we have a strong community who can determine how the precinct can be best used into the future,” Mr Tilley said.
The shed will be run by a committee of eight volunteers ranging from people from tourism, the government and mountain bike riders who live in the district.
Deputy president of the Chiltern goods shed committee of management, Glen Cuthbert said they were in the early stages of planning how it could best be used.
“The intent is to utilise this building as a stepping stone where people can park their car or come by rail, leave their things in a locker, grab the information they need for the day, look at the trails they want take and off they go,” Mr Cuthbert said.
“Then they can come back here after they have finished their ride, have a shower and a cup of tea and jump back on the train or back in their car and go back home.”
The cycling hub is in a prime location on the railway line and right in the middle of Iron Bark National Forest which has several riding tracks.
The North East V/Line service is the only service in the state with places for bikes.
