Masters House has received restoration funding under a Victorian government program.
Photo by
Ryan Bellingham
An historic building on the banks of the Murray River has received restoration funding from the Victorian government.
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Parks Victoria has been given $40,000 towards disaster risk and conservation management of Masters House in Gunbower National Park.
A Parks Victoria spokesperson said management planning will include assessing how to reduce the risk of the river encroaching on the building.
Masters House sits along the edge of the Murray in Gunbower National Park.
Photo by
Ryan Bellingham
The site is managed by Parks Victoria with camp sites nearby.
Photo by
Ryan Bellingham
Some of the funds will also be used to survey the surrounding land to identify opportunities for further flood recovery works.
“Parks Victoria will engage with the local community on the best long-term plan for the building,” the spokesperson said.
Masters House was heritage listed in 2013 for its cultural significance as a rare example of a surviving riverbank house, according to the Victorian Heritage Database.
Frederick Masters, who the house is named after, was a commercial fisherman who reportedly settled the site in 1860.
He was one of a handful of fishermen in the area and is said to have built his own boats and brought catches by horse and cart to sell in Echuca and surrounds.
Masters House has a 165-year-old history of fishing and trade.
Photo by
Ryan Bellingham
During a period of river trade from Echuca between 1850 and 1880, a riverboat landing site was established near the house.
The Masters family would go on to become a significant presence along the riverbank, working in fishing, shearing, cutting firewood and labouring.
The house was last occupied by a family member in 2010, and the Masters have held family reunions at the site since the early 1970s, according to the database.
State Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes announced the funding through the Disaster Recovery Heritage Grants program.
“By investing in heritage sites like these, we’re protecting a piece of Northern Victoria’s history and ensuring it can continue to be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike,” Ms Symes said.
The grants will support the restoration of five heritage sites across the state’s north that were damaged by floods, storms and bushfires.
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