Action Station!
What’s next for Wagga’s Historic Ambulance Station?
Eastern Riverina Arts has revitalised Wagga Wagga’s historic Ambulance Station as a thriving creative and business hub called The Station Creative Workspace .
Developed in response to the needs of local artists, community groups and creative businesses, the Station is a 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 affordable rents to key regional and arts organisations that support business, tourism and the creative industries, and this income helps to offset the operational and programming costs borne by Eastern Riverina Arts.
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 investing more than half a million dollars into 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
The story so far…
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!
Eastern Riverina Arts as the activation tenant runs a year-long suite of activities that activate and connect the community, including:
Regular exhibitions, programs and events delivered in partnership with community groups, artists and regional organisations
Artist residencies, creative business workshops and incubator programs that support businesses to establish, collaborate and grow,
Provide affordable spaces to run workshops, photo shoots, podcast recordings and rehearsals,
establishing tenancies with a host of creative and likeminded organisations including the Wagga Wagga Business Chamber, Destination Riverina Murray, Regional Arts Australia and MusicNSW.
We have 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, installing a glass window and accessible sliding door to open up the building and weatherproof what was 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,
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!
“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
ARTIST STUDIOS
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 as a community facility for the people of Wagga Wagga into the future. We worked closely with Wagga City Council to ensure that this plan serves the community for the long term.
The Masterplan is a pathway to:
Increased public access
Connecting the two buildings and transform more of the ground floor into public spaces - galleries, meeting/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
A lift to the first floor, and improved room configurations that maximise the usability of spaces.
Honouring the site’s heritage
Restoring the main heritage stairwell and tidying up decades of ‘tack on’ renovations.
Enhanced interface with the lagoon
Reconfigured exterior spaces, including a public sculpture garden to improve the pedestrian experience and connections to Wollundry lagoon and adjacent parklands.
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 will provide lasting outcomes 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, with a return on investment of $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 collaborate with the community.
The Station unlocks a new set of venues and events spaces for the community. It provides a sustainable home for key regional NGOs and it delivers spaces and support to grow our creative economy. It is a pioneering facility, well suited to the needs of our region, and is already demonstrating its worth.
Eastern Riverina Arts is eager to take this project into its next phase, but we 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 a 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 will make this venture sustainable and ensure that we can keep costs low for our not for profit tenants into the future. It is also fair recognition of the money and work we have, and will continue to, invest into improving the site for the community.
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