TALLANGATTA is getting ready to move, again.

The North East town that had to shift location in the 1950s does not want to stand still now.

Destination Tallangatta is a $5.3 million project that aims to refresh the main street and central business district, improve the lakefront and holiday park and connect the rail trail, town centre and lookout.

As the move's 60th anniversary approaches next year, Towong Shire wants to ensure Tallangatta remains equipped for the next 60 years.

Towong councillor Mary Fraser, a Tallangatta teenager in 1956, says the government decision to move, caused by the expansion of Lake Hume, did not sit well with everyone, including her parents.

"They didn't like it," she says.

"They built a new house and it was OK but I think they were very happy where they were.

"A lot of families didn't like the move; a few people moved out of the district."

Cr Fraser says the community at the time wanted to stay in the same area and relocate up the hill.

"It was a very pretty town but it was quite damp down on the low part of town, it was subject to flooding," she says.

But in the end the authorities chose the new Tallangatta site.

"It wouldn't have happened in the '70s but in the '50s people did what the government said," she observes.

"You know, no-one protested; there was a small lobby group, I think, but ..."

Lifelong resident Ray Crispin, 14 when the town moved, says although some people found this time stressful his own family seemed to cope.

"I don't ever remember them worrying too much about it," he says.

"It had to be done, it was going to happen."

And for the young Mr Crispin, this was a new adventure.

"Oh, it was a lot of fun," he says.

"We couldn't wait to knock off school and get to where they were putting a house on blocks." 

He and his friends would help the workers and "at the end of the week, they'd chuck you a cheque for a couple of quid".

"It took a number of years, really, to get the town to a point where it was finished," he said.

"In 1956 when it was opened, the streets hadn't even been sealed and it was the muddiest, wettest, coldest day on earth."

Cr Fraser says some substantial buildings in Old Tallangatta were lost as a result of the move, such as the former Tallangatta hotel, circa 1888.

"When they came here, there was nothing, just the new buildings, no trees, the local people planted the trees so that made the town look better," she says.

Two plane trees moved from Old Tallangatta in 1955 still stand in the town's central park.

Towong mayor David Wortmann says the town's 1950s architecture has been largely untouched but some features need upgrading.

"The public buildings are brick and built to last, but the building methods and materials of the time used for the shops tended to be cheaper and they are really starting to show their age," he says.

A 2011 masterplan, Tallangatta Tomorrow, brought ideas together and identified priorities like a multipurpose sports complex, opened last year, and a new library and kindergarten that will be part of a community centre now under construction.

Destination Tallangatta represents the next stage and the proposed work includes putting power lines underground to remove unsightly poles and moving the water main from under the footpaths to under the street.

Cr Wortmann says the scheme missed out on support in the first round of grants in the National Stronger Regions Fund, but the council received good feedback on how to increase its chances next time.

Bringing in more financial backers, demonstrating community support and obtaining an independent economic analysis of Destination Tallangatta featured among the advice.

"It came in better than what we expected actually," Cr Wortmann says of the latter.

"When the project's completed it will have 51 jobs, which in a town of 1000 people is fantastic, and during construction there will be 100 jobs as well."

About 13 business operators plus the rotary club have signed up to contribute while a public petition backing the proposal has gained several hundred signatures to date.

"Anyone I approached was in favour of it, they've signed it willingly," he says.

But inevitably the council's goals have not pleased everyone, all the time.

Mr Crispin remains concerned preserving Tallangatta's history is not high enough on local government priorities.

"We are the town that got moved and that's always been a promotional thing and it's what draws people to the town," he says.

Yet he agrees action is needed and acknowledges the challenges facing the councillors.

"I suppose we're a bit of an unlucky shire," he says.

"We're a big shire with not a lot of rate base, that causes problems.

"The town's been overdue for a bit of a clean-up and a tidy-up.

"There's been a number of things that have needed doing for a few years which will get attended to in this business.

"I just don't like to modernise it away from its heritage, that's the only thing I don't like."

For others, there's a sense it's about time something was done.

When asked what he thinks of the project, one business owner says wryly, "Other than being 40 years too late, quite good".

"Anything they try has got to be a positive," he says.

"I love the town, it's given me everything I want in life."

Towong director of community and corporate services Jo Shannon says the 1950s town design aimed to keep all facilities close by, giving residents easy access to services.

This aim will continue with the new links to the foreshore, whose intended improvements include a playground and natural amphitheatre for outdoor events.

Mrs Shannon says one thing that does need to change is the traffic flow near the service station on the main street, where a roundabout will replace the present system.

"It was designed in the '50s, cars were far fewer, were travelling slower and we've ended up with an intersection that doesn't work very well the way it is," Mrs Shannon says.

The shire representatives say Tallangatta's amenities, character and proximity to Albury-Wodonga make it an appealing lifestyle choice for families.

A day care centre will form part of the new community building, fulfilling a need identified during the masterplan process.

"It was a major driver," Cr Fraser says.

"For over 10 years people have been saying they would live here if they could get childcare."

Mrs Shannon says the project timeline will be determined by government funding, with the next round announcement expected in November.

The proposal now being considered aims for the works to be completed by mid-2019.

No doubt the most significant event in Tallangatta's history was the 1956 town move.

But Destination Tallangatta?

"This is the next biggest," Cr Fraser says without hesitation. 

"Far and away," Cr Wortmann agrees.