Fresh paint breathes new life into the Texas Heritage Centre and Tobacco Museum

A series of refurbishments at the Texas Heritage Centre and Tobacco Museum will ensure the popular tourist attraction continues to impress visitors to the Goondiwindi region. The upgrades include a total exterior re-paint of the old police house, which forms the museum’s main building, as well as a re-paint of the timber fence along Flemming and Moore Streets.

Goondiwindi Regional Council allocated $15,653 from Phase 1 of the Australian Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program (LRCI) towards the refurbishment. The LRCI allocation will fund the recently completed re-paint of the main building, while Council will fund the upcoming work on the post-and-rail fence.

Speaking during a recent visit to the Heritage Centre and Tobacco Museum, Cr Susie Kelly, who holds Council’s portfolio for community facilities, said Council’s allocation of LRCI funds was helping to improve many smaller sites across the Goondiwindi region. 

“We’re lucky to have so many excellent community-operated facilities in the Goondiwindi region, such as the Texas Heritage Centre and Tobacco Museum,” Cr Kelly said. “These upgrades will keep the Centre looking and feeling fresh for future visitors and, importantly, will also protect and extend the lifespan of a valuable historical site.”

The Texas Heritage Centre and Tobacco Museum is Council-owned and community-operated through a memorandum of understanding with the Texas Historical Society. The museum is made up of numerous buildings which visitors can explore, including a mini shearing shed, harness shed, jail and stocks, blacksmith, post office store and mission hall.

“I think the growing popularity of Texas as a tourism destination in particular is evidence of the quality of the town’s facilities and just how much effort the community puts into attracting visitors,” Cr Kelly said. “Visitors are really spoilt for choice while in town - as well as the Heritage Centre and Tobacco Museum, there’s the Rabbit Works, Railway Museum and Regional Art Gallery, not to mention Goat Rock and some magnificent views at the Beacon Lookout.”

The Heritage Centre re-paint complements several recent projects also funded through the Goondiwindi region’s $1.14 million LRCI - Phase 1 funding, including a re-paint of the Macintyre Sports Complex, Cement Mills Hall, and the Goondiwindi Waggamba Community Cultural Centre.

Mayor of the Goondiwindi region the Honourable Cr Lawrence Springborg AM said funding for facilities such as the Heritage Centre and Tobacco Museum was especially important for communities in the aftermath of COVID-19.

“Many tourism operators and related businesses in our region have been impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, so it’s especially important to do what we can to support them now to ensure they’re set to benefit in this next recovery phase of our domestic tourism market,” Cr Springborg said. “We want to grow demand for Goondiwindi region experiences and attract visitors to experience our rich history and thriving country lifestyle.

“Council is proud to have supported several recent tourism-related projects in Texas, including the new footpath from the popular Dumaresq campground to the Texas CBD, new picnic shelters at the Avon Street rest area and infrastructure upgrades at the Texas swimming pool.”

Work on the timber fence is expected to commence in the next few weeks and is expected to be completed before the end of June. Council has engaged a local painter for both projects.