McCORMACK HELPS TO DELIVER A BETTER MUSEUM

The Museum of the Riverina redevelopment is complete with the official opening of the upgraded premises to be officially opened tomorrow.

Federal Member for Riverina Michael McCormack secured a $4.3 million Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) grant of which $1.7 million contributed towards the Museum of the Riverina Redevelopment project.

The remaining $2.6 million of the Federal BBRF grant, which was announced in June 2020 under Round 4 of the program, has been allocated to the wider Botanic Gardens Precinct Renewal.

The New South Wales Government also contributed $3.9 million and Wagga Wagga City Council $400,000 towards the overall $8.6 million museum project.

Mr McCormack said he was delighted to have delivered funding towards this significant upgrade, which would benefit local residents and be a tourist beacon for years to come.

“The Botanic Gardens Precinct is one of the biggest tourist drawcards in Wagga Wagga,” Mr McCormack said.

“The Museum of the Riverina is an important asset to preserve and tell our region’s history for many more generations to come and this wonderful, state-of-the-art redevelopment will ensure there is enough room, including extra exhibition spaces and storage areas, for the museum to remain fit-for-purpose.”

The Museum of the Riverina redevelopment also includes landscaping and pathways for the outdoor display area and the construction of specialist outdoor displays for the museum’s collection of agricultural items.

The extra room means the museum will have double the storage space for its 25,000 item collection in climate-controlled conditions as well as a specialist classroom which will be the location for workshops, meetings and school programs.