Originally constructed in 1994, the Toolangi Discovery Centre was established as an educational facility for the full range of all school groups where they could learn about the local forest and animals through informative and entertaining presentations. It was operated at the time by the Department of Sustainability and the Environment (now the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning). The Centre was closed in 2012 due to it not complying with bushfire building requirements.
On 7 September 2016, the Department handed the keys over to a local management committee which was committed to re-establishing the facility. This included the opening of a café as part of the effort to keep the centre going. Subsequently, the Department elected a new committee which made a decision to close the Centre in November 2017 with the loss of a range of resources that included a library of second hand books, a Leadbetter’s Possum display and artworks for sale. Apparently, the Department decided to open the centre by booking only, but it certainly looks as if it has not been used for many months.
I was unable to find any reference to the Centre on the DELWP website, so, unless bookings are by phone, I wonder about the commitment of the Department. However, the Gould League run outdoor courses for school students, but these do not involve the use of Discovery Centre. I have not been able to find out any further information about the Centre’s future, but if you have any information, please let me know in the comments below. In the meantime, a set of exterior photographs can be found at the Discovery Centre Gallery.
Please share your comments about the Discovery Centre below, or let me know if you would like more information.
2 Responses
We’ve been coming for years and it’s been closed the whole time. What a waste. You’d think something would happen with it.
I couldn’t agree more