The site at 42 Crofton St includes nine parcels of land for a total size of 4.2ha.
It was home to the Echuca High School from 1903 to 2005, when the school merged with the former Echuca Secondary College to create Echuca College in 2006.
The estimated cost of buying the land is about $150,000, and was recently offered to Campaspe Shire Council by the Department of Education through a First Right of Refusal disposal process.
This means that the department has considered the land to be ‘surplus’, and has presented council with the opportunity to purchase it before it is offered for sale elsewhere.
The Victoria Park and Scenic Trail Master Plan, which was endorsed by council in March 2023, noted its interest in the 42 Crofton St site.
If the purchase is successful, a proposed sports and recreation facility has been discussed, aligned with AFL seniors and juniors, cricket and rugby field guidelines.
A 130 sq m facility has also been proposed, including change rooms, showers, accessible toilets, a canteen and umpires’ and first aid rooms.
One concern about the site is its vulnerability to flooding, given it is located close to the Campaspe River and partly categorised as ‘Land Subject to Inundation Overlay’ by the Victorian Government.
However, as the land will be used for sport and recreation purposes, the risk of flood is less impactful.
The time frame of the purchase depends on the undertaking of a Strategic Crown Land and Native Title Assessment report by the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Change.
This report was requested by the Department of Education and will investigate potential Native Title implications.
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