JOBS, INVESTMENT $ AND TOURISM

PUCKAPUNYAL TANK MUSEUM

Mitchell Shire Council is seeking a commitment from the Federal Government to fund a larger, more comprehensive and publicly accessible Armour and Artillery Museum in .

THE ASK

Appropriate funding to plan, design and construct a high profile and accessible new Armour and Artillery Museum located on the perimeter of Puckapunyal army base.

THE BENEFITS

> Puckapunyal Army Base is conveniently located just off the Hume Freeway and is approximately an hour from Melbourne. It is also located close to the township of Seymour, which hosts a range of military attractions, including the Vietnam Veterans’ Commemorative Walk and the Australian Light Horse Memorial Park. As such, Puckapunyal makes a perfect location for a high profile and accessible Armour and Artillery Museum, complementing an array of military heritage attractions in the area. > A high profile and accessible Armour and Artillery Museum is of strategic importance to the future economic prosperity of Seymour and the wider Goulburn Valley region. Having an accessible, well established Armour and Artillery Museum, will attract tourists, boost visitor numbers and create more local jobs in the area. > Expanding and updating the Tank Museum to include Artillery and making it accessible will strengthen the military link between Seymour and Puckapunyal, and will provide an important point of connection between Army and the local community.

CURRENT SITUATION

The current RAAC Memorial and Tank Museum within the Puckapunyal Army Base is a key visitor attraction of the area. However, its location within an operational Army training facility, limits its visitor appeal, accessibility and functionality. All visitors over the age of 18 must present a valid photo identification, be escorted to and from the entry, and opening hours are limited to Tuesday – Friday 10am-4pm1.

In addition to this, the relocation of the School of Artillery to Puckapunyal and the associated more recent closure of the National Artillery Museum in Sydney offers the opportunity for an expanded museum. Not including the Artillery in the museum means that the nationally significant Artillery collection will potentially be put at risk, and consequently, ’s full military history cannot be observed and respected.

1. https://www.army.gov.au/our-history/army-museum-network/corps-museums JOBS, INVESTMENT $ AND TOURISM

Legend MUNICIPAL BOUNDARY PUCKAPUNYAL TANK MUSEUM SUBURB/LOCALITY BOUNDARY STUDY AREA BOUNDARY Figure 4 Study Area and Surrounds RAILWAY LINE RAILWAY STATION Legend MUNICIPAL BOUNDARY ARTERIAL ROAD SUBURB/LOCALITY BOUNDARY MAJOR ROAD STUDY AREA BOUNDARY GREAT VICTORIAN RAIL TRAIL RAILWAY LINE RAILWAY STATION ESTABLISHED AREA Strathbogie Mangalore OPEN SPACE ARTERIAL ROAD Shire GOULBURN RVER MAJOR ROAD Airport SURROUNDING FOOTHILLS GREAT VICTORIAN RAIL TRAIL (10km) Strathbogie BROILER / EXTRACTIVE USES / ESTABLISHED AREA OPEN SPACE Mangalore ABATTOIR / RESOURCE RECOVERY Shire GOULBURN RVER Airport CENTRE SURROUNDING FOOTHILLS (10km) SEWERAGE WASTE MANAGEMENT GOULBURN

HIGHWAY FACILITY BROILER / EXTRACTIVE USES / ABATTOIR / RESOURCE RECOVERY MANGALORE AVENEL PUCKAPUNYAL ARMY BASE CENTRE NORTHWOOD SEWERAGE WASTE MANAGEMENT GOULBURN

HIGHWAY FACILITY MANGALORE AVENEL PUCKAPUNYAL ARMY BASE NORTHWOOD

PUCKAPUNYAL PUCKAPUNYAL

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Y H A H RI N RAIL T W TO RAIL A I VIC G T Y A H E R A G RI N RAIL T W TO RAIL A VIC GLENAROUA T Y EA R G Meadows Hill Yea (38km) TALLAROOK Meadows Hill Yea SUGARLOAF (38km) 1:125,000 CREEK Draft Structure Plan – July 2017 11 SUGARLOAF CREEK MORE INFORMATION. TRAWOOLMelbourne Advocacy and Community Services CBD (110km) (03) 5734 6200

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