A safety decision closes a 10-year stalemate
Robinvale’s former hotel is set to come down after more than a decade as a fire-damaged shell in the centre of town. The Swan Hill Rural City Council voted this week to demolish it, following an independent engineering report that described the building as “critically unsafe.” Work could start as early as next month.
That decision ends a long wait for residents of the Victorian border town, whose only pub was gutted by fire in 2015. The 1928 building was two years short of its centenary. It had drawn visitors to the region and served as a meeting place for locals; for a town of about 8,000, its loss has been felt well beyond the damaged structure itself.
Residents have voiced frustration at the lack of progress at the site ([ABC report on calls to restore the hotel](\/news\/2023-11-19\/locals-demand-restoration-robinvale-hotel-destroyed-by-fire\/103061418)). A heritage assessment last year concluded repairs weren’t practical. It also called it “highly regrettable” that efforts to stabilise and weatherproof the building hadn’t been completed soon after the fire.
*The Robinvale Hotel was extensively damaged by fire and has deteriorated since. (ABC News: Nethma Dandeniya)*
Safety now outweighs preservation
Swan Hill mayor Stuart King said the council had worked with the owner for a long time, but that “the time has now come for action.” A safety exclusion zone went up on Perrin Street earlier this year, forcing people to detour. King said the building’s condition made demolition necessary. The ABC was unable to reach the owner for comment.
There’s a real tension here: the hotel mattered as a local landmark, but the engineering and heritage reports leave little case for keeping the structure standing. The reports don’t explain why stabilisation work failed to happen in the years after the fire. That missed opportunity is part of why the decision is so difficult for some residents.
*The heritage report noted the hotel’s Spanish Mission influences and Canary Island palms. (Supplied: State Library Victoria)*
A landmark with personal history
Anniemae Goldring, a former resident, petitioned last year for the council to reject an earlier demolition application. She grew up spending time at the hotel with her grandmother, who worked there as a bartender and cleaner. Goldring expects the demolition to be sombre, but said: “Differences aside, I’m glad that there will be some change for the township.”
She remains frustrated that the building wasn’t better protected after the fire and hopes the site won’t be left as an empty lot. Its history reaches back before the hotel opened: when Robinvale founder Herbert Cuttle sold the site in 1924, it was reserved for a hotel.
*The site was set aside for a hotel when Robinvale founder Herbert Cuttle sold it in 1924. (Supplied: State Library Victoria)*
What could replace it?
Across the border in Euston, New South Wales, bowling and recreation club chief executive Guy Fielding welcomed the prospect of change. “It’s been a long time coming,” he said, arguing that more community facilities would make the area more appealing to residents and tourists alike. He’d like to see a new hotel: “Every town needs a pub.”
*The hotel was a focus for local social activity and recreation. (ABC News: Nethma Dandeniya)*
King described demolition as a “fresh start” for Robinvale, which is home to people from more than 45 nationalities. He said a derelict, partly collapsed building in the town’s central business district was no one’s preferred outcome. What comes next remains unclear: heritage controls are likely to shape any new construction, and the neighbouring bottle shop will be assessed after the hotel is demolished.
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