New era for Mildura’s riverfront
Published on 24 January 2017
One of the final and most eagerly awaited components of the $18.3 million Mildura Riverfront Redevelopment is edging closer to completion.
The newly refurbished Mildura Rowing Club and ground-floor riverfront café are expected to open in coming months, ushering in a new era for both the rowing club and riverfront dining for Mildura.
Mildura Rural City Council General Manager Community Martin Hawson said the works represented a major milestone for the riverfront redevelopment.
“Since its inception, the new-look Mildura Rowing Club and establishment of a riverfront café have been among the most talked-about components of the broader redevelopment,” Mr Hawson said.
“It’s fantastic to see these projects now in the final stages, providing a much needed improvement in facilities for rowing club members, and a new dining experience for both locals and visitors alike.”
HR Café Pty Ltd was recently announced as the successful applicant for the café component of the project, which will be run by their well-known catering company The Gourmet Chef.
The Directors of HR Café Pty Ltd are Lyn Heaysman, David Heaysman and Shane Rudd.
Mrs Heaysman said the Gourmet Chef was an established catering business that has operated successfully in the region for 13 years.
“David and Shane are experienced chefs and have been involved in running restaurants for many years. We are looking forward to running the café,” Mrs Heaysman said.
Describing the café as “a meeting place for tourists and the people of Mildura to enjoy light meals and coffee down by the river”, Mrs Heaysman said the venue will be called Café 1909, in reference to the year the Mildura Rowing Club was founded.
In the evenings, the venue will transform into a riverfront restaurant three nights a week, providing a unique dining experience on the banks of the Murray River, boasting a menu that promises to bring local produce to the fore, providing a taste of Sunraysia.
For the Mildura Rowing Club meanwhile, the top-to-bottom refurbishment of its building, which will be situated on the upper floor, has been eagerly awaited by members.
Mildura Rowing Club President Nigel Sullivan said while the new facilities were similar in size to the previous building, they offered a raft of benefits.
“The storage of our boats will be more practical in this new club house because we’ve been able to design it from the start,” Mr Sullivan said.
“With our boat racking, for example, we’ve been able to design where and how our boats are stored, which allows us to make better use of this space.
“We also see this as a huge opportunity to grow our membership, including focusing on getting youth into our sport and forming alliances with local schools to see if we can get school rowing off the ground again.”
The new Mildura Rowing Club features ground-floor storage of boats and an upper-floor function room, which is much better appointed compared to the previous facility.
”We did have a function room at the old club, but it wasn’t of the standard that we’ll be getting here, although the floor space will be pretty similar,” Mr Sullivan said.
He said his members were looking forward to moving in to their new home.
“All the club members are excited about the opportunity we have here. I think people in general really appreciate and are excited about the improvement overall, because it’s now an area of town that we can be proud of,” Mr Sullivan said.
“It’s also fantastic to be able to contribute and work in with the overall improvements to our riverfront area.”
Contractors working on the building have advised it should be completed about the middle of April, weather permitting, with another month expected to make the café operational and allow the rowing club to move in.
Media enquiries
Ben Piscioneri
p) (03) 5018 8689
e) ben.piscioneri@mildura.vic.gov.au