Council
29 July, 2026
Community groups on the move as council eyes depot sale
Goulburn-Mulwaree Council has resolved to sell a former operational depot and help its current tenants relocate.
Goulburn-Mulwaree Council has resolved to sell a former operational depot and help its current tenants relocate.
Council will place 2 Bourke Street on the market early next year.
In the meantime, it will work with a number of existing tenants to look at alternate accommodation.
Council hasn’t used the property as an operational depot for a number of years, but it has been used to store council equipment, furniture and other assets.
It has also been home to a number of long-standing community groups including Goulburn U3A, the Goulburn and District Art Society, the Goulburn Gem and Lapidary Society and the Goulburn District Historical and Genealogical Society (History Goulburn).
According to staff, the property is worth approximately $2 million – money that could be reinvested back into its existing property portfolio.
In recent months council has removed all of its equipment and assets from the site and has “consulted with the dominant tenants that have historic undertakings by presenting them with other options for future locations”.
“Council has not invested in 2 Bourke Street in any significant way in recent years and the current use of the site raises a number of risks for council, most notably the risk of insurance cover not being accepted given a number of the activities and practices currently being undertaken on the site do not have requisite planning approvals,” staff have advised.
U3A Goulburn and the Goulburn and District Art Society will both be relocating to Workspace Goulburn in Clifton Street while the Gem and Lapidary Society will move to the old SES premises in Lanigan’s Lane.
History Goulburn will return to its former home at St Clair in Sloane Street.
Staff say they have been working with History Goulburn over the past 12 months to facilitate their return to St Clair.
“While discussions have taken longer than originally anticipated and remain unresolved, both parties have consistently expressed a desire to see History Goulburn return to St Clair and for the site to operate as a publicly accessible museum and cultural facility, providing opportunities for residents and visitors to engage with Goulburn’s history and heritage,” staff advised.
Renovations will be undertaken at Workspace Goulburn and the former SES site at a cost of approximately $250,000 to help accommodate the new tenants.
More than $1.6 million has been spent on St Clair in recent years and use of the building is considered appropriate ‘within operational and conservation’ parameters.
Cr Bob Kirk moved an amendment to the staff recommendation – most notably that History Goulburn be charged an annual licence fee of $1 “if and when requested”.
He said the organisation served a valuable role in terms of preserving and maintaining the city’s history.
Deputy mayor Caitlin Flint agreed.
She said it would be wrong to charge people so ready to impart their knowledge.
“We need to take full advantage of that and let them do what they’re really good at,” she said.
Cr Jason Shephard said the sale of the old Bourke Street depot would be a “good economic outcome”.
At the same time, he said it wouldn’t be right for council to charge a group for providing a service that council should be providing itself.
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