The Museum of the Riverina is getting a multi-million dollar makeover.
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The State Government has committed more than $3.1 million for a redevelopment of the museum’s Botanic Gardens site, with Wagga City Council adding $460,000.
Manager Luke Grealy said the renovation would be the largest in the museum’s history.
The project will include renovation and expansion of the exhibition and storage spaces and improvements for bus parking.
Work to make both the indoor and outdoor areas more accessible is also planned.
Not only would the exhibition space be expanded, but Mr Grealy said improvements to the storage area would allow for “behind the scenes” tours to be offered to small groups of visitors.
“This is the biggest thing to happen to the museum since it opened,” he said.
Currently, the plan is to have construction work begin in 2019, with the following year slated for the project’s completion.
Wagga Mayor Greg Conkey said the renovation had been planned since 2015.
“This will open up this museum to the whole community. It will be accessible to the whole community once this work is done,” he said.
“This is a great facility. More than 8000 people a year visit this, and I’m sure once this work has been completed, that will increase.”
The museum was described as an “absolute treasure” by Member for Wagga Daryl Maguire.
Mr Maguire teamed up with State Minister for the Arts Don Harwin, who visited the region on Tuesday, to announce the grant.
The pair also announced a $44,393 grant for the Batlow Literary Institute and $72,920 for Lockhart’s Greens Gunyah Museum.
Under the “Jazzin’ up the Lit” project, the grant will pay for new stage lighting, sound equipment and retractable exhibition walls.
The Greens Gunyah Museum will expand into an adjacent building and its display of nationally significant machinery will be redesigned to create open and accessible spaces for all visitors.
