Upgrades continue at the Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve this year, part of a $6.7 million investment to improve how visitors experience this special place.

Known as ‘Koroitj’ to Eastern Maar peoples, Tower Hill sits within a broader Aboriginal cultural landscape through south-west Victoria. It’s a popular spot for locals and tourists, with unique natural features and an abundance of wildlife.

To better celebrate and connect people with this landscape, Parks Victoria and the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation are working together on a number of improvements.

A key project has been the conservation of the reserve’s heritage-listed visitor centre. Since the middle of last year, the Robin Boyd-designed building has been undergoing careful works to ensure it can contine to welcome people into the future.

The building’s roof, ceiling beams, windows, doors and flooring have now been restored, and lighting, heating and cooling updated.

Minor finishing touches, including connecting new paths, are now underway, ahead of a re-opening later in the year. A Conservation Management Plan to guide the ongoing management of this heritage place is also being prepared.

Above: The visitor centre - before conservation works commenced.

An exciting addition to the 50-year-old building will be an artistic centrepiece. To be designed by a Local First Nations artist, the sculptural piece will represent an eel-trap – a symbol of the significance and history of eel fishing and aquaculture across this Aboriginal cultural landscape. The artwork is expected to be finished mid-year.

Nearby to the visitor centre, works have also started to modernise the toilets and amenities block. The upgraded facilities will include all-abilities design, helping make visits to this special reserve easier and more accessible. These works are also expected to be completed by mid-year.

Both of these projects, and planning for other potential upgrades, follow the development of the Tower Hill Activation and Linkages Plan. Developed with community, the plan sets a vision to upgrade, protect and raise the profile of the reserve as a regional destination.

For more information visit www.parks.vic.gov.au/projects