A building once used to house convicts and their families at historic Tocal Homestead will be reincarnated into self-contained accommodation for visitors and wedding guests.
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Built in the late 1830s as housing for convict workers on the property, the Tocal Barracks fell into a state of disrepair during the 1920s.
But now the building is about to be granted a new lease on life.
“We’ve been wanting to bring the building back to use for some time and now we’ve got some funds to finally go ahead with it,” Tocal College principal Cameron Archer said.
The conversion has been made possible through a government grant and a $50,000 donation from ex-student David Allan.
“His generosity has spurred me on to make this happen but we still need funding for the other three units,” Dr Archer said.
The barracks served as residences for at least 100 years and then gradually fell into disrepair.
“There was a time when the building did not have a roof and most of the interior was destroyed but during the 1970s a roof was installed and in the 1990s some internal restorations started,” Dr Archer said.
