Clunes was buzzing with activity during the latest Booktown Festival, which was held on 22 and 23 March 2025.
Creative Clunes, the organisation behind the popular annual Clunes Booktown festival, will celebrate 10 years at its home in the Clunes Station building later this year.
The group took out the head lease on the building in November 2015 after VicTrack completed a major refurbishment of the 150-year-old station building under the Victorian Government’s Community Use of Vacant Rail Buildings Program.
VicTrack completed an extensive restoration of the building, enabling it to become a community-based cultural hub with office and meeting spaces – bringing this VicTrack asset to life.
“The station serves as our office and base of operation all year round, but obviously comes alive in the lead up to the Booktown Festival,” explained Nick Bassett, Creative Clunes Chair and Secretary.
We believe hundreds of thousands of dollars is invested in the region through Booktown.
“The offices are buzzing with activity, and we also make use of the large open plan former ticket and baggage area to host volunteer meetings and working bees.”
The station also provides a home to monthly ‘Booktown on Sunday’ author talks, ensuring Clunes is a regular hive of book-themed activity outside of festival time.
“We aim to support storytelling in all forms of art, and through this introduce Clunes to a wider audience,” Nick said.
“We have people from all over regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne coming to our monthly talks, and interstate visitors for the Booktown Festival.
“We hope people feel like they’ve struck gold in this small town with its rich and diverse history.”
Booklovers are not the only ones to benefit, with Creative Clunes events injecting large sums into local coffers each year - one of the main objectives of the Community Use of Vacant Rail Buildings Program.
“During the Booktown Festival we aim to source as much as we can locally, which directs money back into the local community,” Nick said.
“The Clunes Booktown Festival also sees accommodation booked out across Clunes, Maryborough and Creswick with flow on into larger regional centres like Ballarat and Daylesford.
“With the addition of food and beverage purchases, and the seed being planted for Clunes to be a return destination for day trips or weekends away, we believe hundreds of thousands of dollars is invested in the region through Booktown.”
Community Use of Vacant Rail Buildings
The Clunes Station building was restored under the Victorian Government's Community Use of Vacant Rail Buildings program in 2015.
The program involves restoring disused station buildings in regional towns, some of which have been vacant for decades, so they can be used by local community groups, providing communities with much-need spaces to enjoy and boosting local economies through tourism.
Clunes was buzzing with activity during the latest Booktown Festival, which was held on 22 and 23 March 2025.
Creative Clunes, the organisation behind the popular annual Clunes Booktown festival, will celebrate 10 years at its home in the Clunes Station building later this year.
The group took out the head lease on the building in November 2015 after VicTrack completed a major refurbishment of the 150-year-old station building under the Victorian Government’s Community Use of Vacant Rail Buildings Program.
VicTrack completed an extensive restoration of the building, enabling it to become a community-based cultural hub with office and meeting spaces – bringing this VicTrack asset to life.
“The station serves as our office and base of operation all year round, but obviously comes alive in the lead up to the Booktown Festival,” explained Nick Bassett, Creative Clunes Chair and Secretary.
We believe hundreds of thousands of dollars is invested in the region through Booktown.
“The offices are buzzing with activity, and we also make use of the large open plan former ticket and baggage area to host volunteer meetings and working bees.”
The station also provides a home to monthly ‘Booktown on Sunday’ author talks, ensuring Clunes is a regular hive of book-themed activity outside of festival time.
“We aim to support storytelling in all forms of art, and through this introduce Clunes to a wider audience,” Nick said.
“We have people from all over regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne coming to our monthly talks, and interstate visitors for the Booktown Festival.
“We hope people feel like they’ve struck gold in this small town with its rich and diverse history.”
Booklovers are not the only ones to benefit, with Creative Clunes events injecting large sums into local coffers each year - one of the main objectives of the Community Use of Vacant Rail Buildings Program.
“During the Booktown Festival we aim to source as much as we can locally, which directs money back into the local community,” Nick said.
“The Clunes Booktown Festival also sees accommodation booked out across Clunes, Maryborough and Creswick with flow on into larger regional centres like Ballarat and Daylesford.
“With the addition of food and beverage purchases, and the seed being planted for Clunes to be a return destination for day trips or weekends away, we believe hundreds of thousands of dollars is invested in the region through Booktown.”
Community Use of Vacant Rail Buildings
The Clunes Station building was restored under the Victorian Government's Community Use of Vacant Rail Buildings program in 2015.
The program involves restoring disused station buildings in regional towns, some of which have been vacant for decades, so they can be used by local community groups, providing communities with much-need spaces to enjoy and boosting local economies through tourism.
