Action Station!
What’s next for Wagga’s Historic Ambulance Station?
After 18 months of arts, community and business activity led by Eastern Riverina Arts at the revitalised historic Ambulance Station in Wagga Wagga, the Station Creative Workspace has demonstrated the value that this facility can bring to its community.
But it’s got a lot more to give! This is an old building that will require careful renovations to help it reach its full potential. Work will be required to make the first floor meeting room and offices accessible to the public, and improvements to the current supply of toilets and kitchen spaces are necessary to support this thriving community venue and events space to reach its full potential.
Despite these challenges, The Station is working hard for its community under the leadership and investment of Eastern Riverina Arts, with vital activation support from the Wagga Wagga Business Chamber. We’ve come up with a bold plan to help the site reach its potential - honouring its heritage and optimising its contribution to the social and economic prosperity of our community.
As well as contributing more than half a million dollars to site improvements so far, Eastern Riverina Arts has developed a masterplan and a business case, and are working in alignment with a government commitment to deliver creative industries hubs just like this in regional NSW.
Image: Former Arts Minister Ben Franklin and member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr celebrate two NSW Government funding commitments supporting Eastern Riverina Arts to activate and fitout the Station, 2022.
Image: Arts Minister John Graham talking creative hubs in 2023.
THE AMBO GALLERY
About the Station
Developed in response to the needs of local artists, community groups and creative businesses, The Station is a vibrant hub combining a workshop and gallery space, a meeting room and photography studio, artist studios, a community events space and affordable offices for creative businesses. Additional office spaces provide competitive rents to organisations across arts, business, tourism and the creative industries, and this income helps to offset the operational and programming costs borne by Eastern Riverina Arts.
Eastern Riverina Arts has for many years advocated that creative hubs in disused public buildings can be a viable way to support regional artists and foster creative business startups that add vibrancy to regional economies and communities.
In late 2023, the NSW Government’s ‘Creative Communities’ policy responded to our advocacy and committed to “supporting at least four new creative industries/artist workspaces in regional NSW in the next four years.” We are already delivering on this government pledge, and believe we are well-positioned to seek additional investment to realise the Station’s full potential!
What we’ve delivered so far
Eastern Riverina Arts has sourced and invested more than $500K in cash to develop and transform the building so far, including:
Transforming the ambulance bays into an art gallery and workshop space, which will soon include a glass window and accessible sliding door to open up the building and weatherproof what is presently an exposed, dusty space,
Fitting out an affordable meeting room that is also a media studio to support photography, TV production and hybrid meetings,
Business NBN and wifi access points, security cameras and energy efficient lighting site-wide,
A heritage masterplan for the site developed by leading architectural firm Dunn Hillam, with accompanying costings (Altus Group) and a Business Case (Sharpe Consulting) so that the pathway forward is clear for all to see,
Relocating an upstairs kitchen to maximise the floorspace available to tenant organisations,
Furnishing artist studios and office suites for use by creative businesses and freelancers
…and much more!
Programming commenced in May 2023, with a huge range of activity taking place over our first 12 months, including:
More than 10 exhibitions and 30 programs and events delivered by community groups, artists and partner organisations
Bookable spaces used more than 200 times by creative and community groups
We established tenancies with a host of creative and likeminded organisations including the Wagga Wagga Business Chamber, Destination Riverina Murray, Regional Arts Australia, MusicNSW and Next in Line Films.
“Commitment: Supporting at least four new creative industries/artist workspaces in regional NSW in the next four years.”
- NSW Government’s Creative Communities policy
PODCASTING
CREATIVE OFFICE SUITES
OUTDOOR EVENT SPACE
MEETING ROOM
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO STUDIO
A bold plan for the future
Eastern Riverina Arts commissioned leading architecture firm Dunn Hillam to develop a heritage Masterplan for the station, with the goals of honouring the site’s heritage, and maximising its capacity to deliver both on our vision, and as a community facility for the people of Wagga Wagga into the future. We worked closely with Wagga City Council staff to ensure that the Station can support the broadest range of community activities and uses.
The Masterplan is a pathway to:
Maximise public access
Connect the two buildings and transform more of the ground floor into public spaces - galleries, meeting and workshop rooms and events spaces.
Improved amenity
Easier access, more toilets and an outdoor kitchen/bar area providing a new CBD events space for the whole community to use.
Smarter configuration
Lift access to the first floor, and improved room configuration to maximise the usability of spaces.
Honouring the site’s heritage
Restoring the main heritage stairwell and tidying up decades of ‘tack ons’ (like random A/C units and conduit everywhere).
Enhanced interface with the lagoon
Reconfigured exterior spaces, including a public sculpture garden to improve pedestrian experience and connection to Wollundry lagoon.
Better street appeal
Enhanced signage, exterior lighting, wayfinding and streetscape appeal for the building.
Strong returns
We commissioned a detailed set of costings and a business case report which found that this project is great for the community and the economy. By supporting creative enterprises to establish and grow here, this facility will contribute in an ongoing way to the region’s economy, vibrancy and growth.
So here’s the case:
Full cost of proposed works = $3.8 million.
Extremely strong return on investment (Benefit to Cost ratio): $2.80 for every $1 spent
Eastern Riverina Arts is prepared to lead this project, and we’ve already demonstrated our capacity to raise funds and deliver for the community.
The Station unlocks a new set of venues and events spaces for the community, while providing a sustainable home for key regional NGOs and targeted support to grow our creative economy. It is a pioneering facility, well suited to the needs of our community, and already demonstrating its worth. Eastern Riverina Arts is eager to take this project into its next phase, and we just need a little bit of help and support to get there.
"We see the Station as a significant driver of business innovation and city vibrancy for Wagga Wagga. As a nonprofit organisation, having an affordable CBD frontage in a vibrant hub helps us maximise our impact, and we are a proud partner for the journey"
- Sally Manning, Business Manager, Wagga Wagga Business Chamber
What we need..
From the NSW and Federal Governments:
Capital works funding to achieve this incredible pioneering opportunity in regional NSW.
From Council:
A longer lease: we are currently constrained by 36 month timeframe on our lease. It’s going to be hard to convince a funder that we’re in it ‘for the long haul’ without a longer option on the site.
A community-priced lease: We presently pay a commercial lease to Council, which was agreed back when Council was buying the building from the NSW Government. Since then (and partially due to our lobbying efforts), Council received a full reimbursement for the cost of the building. A community rate or peppercorn rent will make this venture more sustainable and ensure that we can keep costs affordable for our not for profit tenants into the future. A peppercorn lease would recognise the more than $500K worth of improvements we’ve made to the community’s building, and the millions more we’ll invest if given the opportunity to do so.
From likeminded organisations:
Meaningful Partnerships that utilise the space, or support our region’s creative innovators. We can support community groups, creative companies and institutions, business development organisations and governments to deliver against their goals - have a look at our Partnerships page to learn more about the ways we can work with you.
Tax-deductible Philanthropic contributions can be put to work to directly support emerging artists and creative